FORMER Cowdenbeath and St Mirren boss Danny Lennon has returned to club management after a gap of 11 months when he was appointed as the new manager of Championship side Alloa however he will not take the side against Hearts tonight.

Lennon, who guided the Paisley men to the League Cup in 2013, will start work on ensuring that the ninth placed Clackmannanshire men avoid relegation issues come the end of the season after the visit to Tynecastle with interim boss Paddy Connolly remaining in charge against the Champions.

Lennon explained: "I only met the players at training on Tuesday so Paddy will look after things for the Hearts game. He has been here for a few years and is well respected so I will start getting down to work in earnest after it is out of the way and will be heavily involved in the preparations for the Dumbarton game this weekend."

The Wasps, who lost the Petrofac Training Cup Final 4-0 to Livingston on Sunday, have had Connolly in charge since Barry Smith walked away a month ago and he has agreed to stay on as Lennon's assistant. Lennon, who had a one game stint in charge of Scotland's Under-21 side last month and earned a 2-1 win in Hungary, added: "I am delighted to be back involved in club management. The chairman Mike Mulraney really sold the club to me with his enthusiasm and plans for it."

Lennon had been the primary target when Smith left however he was already committed to helping Scotland out on a one-off basis and that held up his appointment however his time with the SFA has ended. He is glad that Mulraney waited as he tested international waters he explained: "Some people may question my ambition by taking a part-time job but I do not see it that way. Alloa are a very well run part time club and have tremendous ambition. After receiving 65 applications I am fortunate to be here."

"You could sit at home and wait for a job at a full time club in the top flight to come up and then before you know it a couple of seasons have gone by. I want to be involved and here I am. I enjoyed the stint with Scotland however I am pleased that Alloa waited until that was done and I became available."

SFA chief executive Stewart Regan had advised earlier in the day: "I would like to thank Danny for the professionalism and enthusiasm with which he took charge of the Under-21 squad.

"While Danny was aware of the short-term nature of the job, his preparation was meticulous and he was rewarded with a victory that he will savour for years to come."

"A permanent appointment for the role of national Under-21 coach will be made in due course."

Jason Marr is out with a hamstring injury and Stephen Simmons is absent due to a back injury however Phil Roberts returns after his missed out against the Lions due to a ban.