Alloa secure promotion play-off spot with win over Brechin

Alloa secured themselves a promotion play-off place in Ladbrokes League One with a 6-1 mauling of Brechin as rivals Airdrie suffered a surprise defeat at lowly Stranraer.Greig Spence and Iain Flannigan both scored braces for Alloa with Stefan McCluskey and Jason Marr also on the scoresheet for the Wasps who, having failed to win in their previous three matches, recorded their biggest league victory in five years.Brechin had actually taken a 23rd-minute lead through Andrew Jackson but their hopes all but vanished when goalkeeper Graeme Smith was sent off in the 63rd minute after conceding a penalty, which Spence scored from to make it 4-1.With Airdrie going down 2-1 at Stranraer, Alloa are now certain to finish in second spot after moving 10 points clear of third place with three games left.Strikes from Mark McGuigan and Kyle Turner put Stranraer in charge at Stair Park and Airdrie could only pull one goal back through Andy Ryan with 18 minutes left.Also taking advantage of Airdrie's loss were Queen's Park, who moved up to third on goal difference with a 2-0 home victory over Albion Rovers.Ewan MacPherson opened the scoring in the 41st minute and David Galt added the second just moments into the second half.Champions Livingston recorded an expected victory at Stenhousemuir, although they only managed to beat the league's bottom club by the narrowest of margins.Liam Buchanan, the division's leading scorer, netted the only goal of the game in the 54th minute as Championship-bound Livingston recorded their sixth successive victory.In Saturday's other game, second-bottom Peterhead returned from East Fife with a 2-1 triumph. Craig Reid netted a 55th-minute winner after home defender Jason Kerr had cancelled out James Redman's opener.