Jim Goodwin is exactly what we need at Alloa, says Greig Spence

Greig Spence doesn’t buy in to Jim Goodwin’s bad boy image and insists the midfielder is just what Alloa need in Ladbrokes League One.

The experienced midfielder dropped down a level this summer, joining Alloa after five years with St Mirren, and the Irishman has immediately impressed in a talented Wasps team.

Athletic have been in sensational form this season, winning seven on the spin across domestic competitions, and have booked themselves a date with Celtic in a League Cup quarter-final.

Spence has hailed Goodwin’s arrival and believes he’s got everything they need to be successful this season.

Speaking exclusively to Ladbrokes News, Spence said: “He was a massive signing for us.”

“He’s played in the Premiership for years and years, and has a lot of experience,” the forward added.

“One thing I like about him is he’s a leader. He comes across on the TV as a thug, who’s angry and goes about putting the foot in.”

The statistics show Goodwin certainly keeps the referees busy.

The 35-year-old racked up 44 yellow cards in five years at St Mirren, while collecting 11 bookings in his sole campaign at Hamilton.

Goodwin’s record in England is of a similar vein, with 36 yellow cards in his final four seasons south of the border. All told, that’s 91 yellows in 10 years.

But having seen Goodwin up close now they’re team-mates, Spence argues Goodwin’s much more than a walking booking.

“He’s not like that. He’s very intelligent with how he manages himself in the game.

“He’ll target a player who has had a good 15 minutes at the start of the game, and he’ll leave his foot in. It’s simply experience.

Spence has also praised Goodwin’s other stellar attribute.

“It’s his talking on the pitch, telling the team when to press, when to sit back, when to keep working hard, when to slow the game down – he’s got the full package to really control games for us.

“His experience is something you can only learn from game in, game out and you can see why he’s played at that level all of his career.”

It certainly can’t be a coincidence that Alloa have hit such fine form so soon after the arrival of a player with Goodwin’s calibre and experience.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.