Raith Rovers manager Grant Murray admits he was shocked as anybody to find out he would be up against a managerless club this weekend.
Alloa will travel to Stark’s Park on Saturday minus Paul Hartley following his sudden resignation at the weekend, with the former Rovers midfielder suggesting afterwards he had taken the Wasps as far as he could.
Most people in football were taken aback at the news, given the fact Hartley had steered Alloa to back-to-back promotions, and Murray says he was no different.
He told Courier Sport: “It was a surprise but at the end of the day Paul will have his reasons and his thoughts for it.
“He’s no different from any other manager and he’ll want to get the best out of his team and himself. But only he can answer questions about why he left.
“It’s hard for teams to come through the leagues like Alloa have done but if you get the right group of players in and you get the right mentality there’s a chance. Paul started from afresh really, got everybody in at the one time right from the start which is great for him, because everyone was his player and he got them all working.
“That’s why he’s been linked with a lot of jobs that have come up and I’m sure he’ll be looking to get back in to work when the right time comes.”
Wasps assistant Paddy Connolly is expected to be in charge when they visit Kirkcaldy, although Hartley’s resignation has thrown their preparations into disarray.
Murray says it could either work for his team or against them.
“Some people will say it is a good time to play them, some people say it is a bad time,” he continued.
“For us it is a great time because we want to get back to winning ways. I want a reaction from Saturday against Queen of the South.
“The boys know there wasn’t a lot in it on Saturday and what it will take to win games.
“We’ve only lost two games this season at home, and those were against Dundee and Hamilton, so we’ve got to take a bit of belief from that.”