Falkirk

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

Victory over Hibs was a much-needed boost and may also have helped Falkirk move past a mental barrier they had been struggling to overcome.

Late goals had become a familiar source of frustration. We were denied victory in a 1-1 draw away to Dundee United although, if we're honest, the result was deserved.

We then conceded with virtually the last kick of the game away to St Johnstone, before Dundee scored late in our most recent home game to take all three points.

I'm sure I wasn't the only Falkirk fan fearing the worst as we clung on to our 2-1 lead at Easter Road on Saturday. It felt as though we'd seen this movie more than enough times already, even at this early stage of the season.

Thankfully, this time it had a different ending. The three vital points should give everyone at the club a timely lift and hopefully help banish some of the demons from those late setbacks.

Our new-look side has had an up-and-down start to the season, but we have lost just one of our past five league games.

Ironically, that defeat came in the closing stages of the game, but there are still plenty of positives to hold on to.

Now we need to try to make it back-to-back wins for the first time this season in what is shaping up to be a huge game against Kilmarnock on Saturday. If there is late drama, let's hope we're on the right end of it this time.

Watch all the highlights as new Hibs boss suffered a second defeat in as many games in charge after a home defeat to Falkirk rooted them to the bottom of the table. Available to UK users only.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Jacob Murrell says Falkirk are "rewriting the narrative" after his double secured a 2-1 win over Hibernian at Easter Road.

The American striker scored twice as Falkirk ended a run of frustrating results, having conceded late goals in games against St Johnstone and Dundee.

"I'm really just proud of the group," Murrell said.

"We're a young group and we've talked about it a lot this week. When we're there, we have to get over the finish line.

"Everyone has a responsibility to get over the finish line and the fans pushed us incredibly well today."

Falkirk came under late pressure from Hibs but Murrell felt they managed the closing stages better.

"We did a better job managing the game, not giving away too many clear-cut chances," he said.

"We were a lot more sure of ourselves. We cleared our lines well and got the ball out into better areas."

Murrell joined Falkirk from DC United in search of regular first-team football and says he is still working to improve his all-round game, despite his match-winning contribution.

"I'm still very young and there are still things about my game that I need to refine," he added.

"I'm not satisfied with the way I held the ball up today, especially in the second half, to take some pressure off the back line, who defended incredibly well.

"Obviously the goals are great, but there's also that aspect of the game that I want to refine."

Having never visited the country before, the 22-year-old says he has been made to feel welcome by the club and supporters.

Saturday's win was made even more special by the presence of his parents, Maureen and Greg, who were watching him in Scotland for the first time.

"To have them here and supporting me is really special and I wanted to put on a good performance for them," Murrell said.

"They were right up with the fans and immersed in that atmosphere, so I'm glad I could get two goals for them. It was a special day for me."

Falkirk fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's victory away at Hibs.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Jack: Great resilience and ruthlessness in this performance and the result was well deserved. Seems our auld gaffer got into the head of the new man in Easter Road.

Paul: Young Jacob Murrell is flying the flag for US soccer with two well taken goals in the capital.

Jack: Falkirk showed the grit and character. Murrell's finishes were sublime and if it wasn't for some questionable refereeing, the Bairns would have been out of sight. John McGlynn's new side is coming together well.

David: In terms of shot quality and conversion, the Bairns were significantly better than the home side. Jacob Murrell's first half brace went in like rockets, I would suggest that no keeper in the Premiership would have kept them out. John McGlynn is continuing to mould his new team into his trademark style. It will take time to reach the finished product, however the performance will enable the Bairns to go into the next few games knowing that they are heading in the correct direction.

David A: Great to see the Bairns close out a game. Let's get three points against Killie and kick on from there.

Hibernian have slipped to the bottom of the Scottish Premiership after a seventh consecutive home game without a win, after Falkirk ruined Marink Reedijk's home debut as manager with their first top flight win at Easter Road in over 20 years.

Read the match report

Have your say

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn: "I'm delighted. So proud of the players. They put in a shift and we had to do exactly that. Delighted for Jacob Murrell, two goals, two great strikes. He's a great lad first and foremost. He's a great boy, wants to learn, listens. He's powerful, strong, can run in behind the defence and you saw how cleanly he hit the ball today. Last week he stepped up for the penalty, no ifs or buts, and put that away. I'm not putting a price on him as he's only just got here but if he continues like that, I've no doubt he'll create some interest.

"We had to work our socks off. Hibs were well organised, they had a lot of the ball to be fair which meant we had to work so hard without the ball.

"We needed Scott Bain to make a couple of saves, which he did. I'm so proud of the effort and the commitment. So it will be a happy Saturday night.

"We beat Hearts not so long ago and wanted to kick on and nearly did. We play Kilmarnock next week, we want to kick on, we need to look after ourselves. There's 29 games to go."

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Hibernian welcome back Adam Mayor and Jamie McGrath, but Callum Wright, Nathan Lowe and Jacob Devaney, who is suspended in any case, have all picked up injuries and join Kanayo Megwa (thigh), Rocky Bushiri (Achilles) and Jordan Obita (calf) on the sidelines.

Falkirk are set to be without Aodhan Doherty (foot), Joe Gardner (thigh), Keelan Adams and Ethan Laidlaw (both ankle).

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Craig Sibbald is desperate to force his way into Falkirk's starting line-up and help his boyhood club start climbing the Scottish Premiership table.

The 31-year-old midfielder made his return to the Bairns in the summer, eight years after initially departing for Livingston, but he has not started a match since the season-opening defeat by St Mirren, due to injury.

Sibbald is eager to play his part in helping second-bottom Falkirk spark an upturn in results after the concession of late goals in three of their last four games effectively cost them five points.

"Obviously we need to get a wee bit better on the pitch, but personally I've really enjoyed it, being back home and getting used to things again," said Sibbald ahead of Saturday's trip to fellow strugglers Hibernian.

"I just need to stay fit and try and get myself back in the team now.

"It's been kind of down to my hamstring a few weeks ago and then I've just kind of had to be patient on the bench recently.

"Hopefully I can just do my thing in training, show the gaffer what I can do and try and get back in the starting team."

Image source, PA Media

John McGlynn is hoping that his Falkirk side can "frustrate" the Hibs crowd in Saturday's game at Easter Road, following a tough spell for the hosts.

In Marink Reedijk's first game as Hibs boss, his side suffered a 1-0 defeat against Dundee United, extending their winless run to five Premiership games.

At full-time, some supporters from the away end clashed with police, leading to Hibs announcing the ban of their Block Seven Ultras group from their next three matches.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn is hoping to use the anger from the stands and take advantage of Hibs still being a "work in progress" when the two sides meet at Easter Road.

"For a club like Falkirk, going away to Easter Road is one of the biggest games," said McGlynn.

"We see it like that, but we're not daft, we haven't buried our head in the sand. We know that things are not all rosy in the garden at the moment and we want to try and take advantage of that and frustrate them.

"We want to try and take the game to them and put them on the back foot and make them nervous.

"The Hibs fans weren't happy last week at Tannadice, so we've got to try and make sure they're not happy this week at Easter Road.

"If we can do that, and that can transmit from the stand to the pitch, when the new manager's trying to get his points and his style across, and if we can take advantage of them being a work in progress, then that's exactly what we have to do."

• Excluding own goals, Hibernian have eight goals from 131 shots and Falkirk have five goals from 92 shots in the Scottish Premiership this season. Their shot conversion rates of 6.1% and 5.4% respectively are two of the bottom three in the division this term (Kilmarnock the other with 6.1%).

• Falkirk are the only side without an away win in the Scottish Premiership this season, drawing three and losing one of four outings.

• Hibernian are without a clean sheet in 14 league games, their longest run in the Scottish Premiership since going 15 games without a shutout from August to December 2019.

• Falkirk are winless in six top-flight visits to Hibernian (D2 L4) since a 1-0 victory in September 2006.

• Hibernian have only lost one of their last 14 top-flight meetings with Falkirk (W8 D5), a 4-1 away defeat in January last season.

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

Saturday's defeat to Dundee was the most deflating of our four league losses this season.

The opening-day defeat to St Mirren was also painful, but we were still finding our feet.

The losses against the Old Firm came with plenty of spirit. Against Dundee, though, we looked short in too many areas and were fortunate the scoreline was not worse.

John McGlynn is a legendary figure at Falkirk, and I have huge admiration for him. Even so, I cannot agree that a draw would have been fair. Dundee were worthy winners from start to finish.

The substitutions were another source of frustration. Three substitutes came on far too late, while some of the earlier changes were head-scratchers. There were other players supporters wanted to see introduced much earlier.

McGlynn's decision to wait so long before bringing on three of his substitutes raises questions about how much faith he has in some of his new signings.

We brought in 17 players over the summer. It is easy to see why when our treatment room is rarely empty. But numbers only help if the players are good enough to make a difference.

While the club, of course, has to live within its means, I would still rather have seen that money concentrated on fewer, higher-quality additions than spread across a squad where several players appear to be on the fringes.

The number of first-team names in the stand on Saturday only added to that feeling.

That said, there have been encouraging signs from the likes of Owen Eames, Ryan Strain and Finlay Barbrook. Even so, the jury remains out on most of the summer recruits.

We have not yet replaced what we lost last season, and our defending at set-pieces is still a problem.

Saturday was a reminder that a bigger squad does not automatically make us a stronger one. If Saturday is anything to go by, it is shaping up to be a long winter.

Injury-hit Dundee snatch a late victory at Falkirk as Ashley Hay marks his comeback with the winner. (Available to UK users only)

Falkirk fans, we asked for your opinions on the late loss to Dundee.

Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Pabs: It's a relegation fight for us. We need strong characters. Liam Henderson, Ethan Ross, Ryan Strain and Brad Spencer did well. Time for Ben Parkinson to start, he did well when he came on. It's going to be a long season but the Bairns will come through.

Gordon: Another late goal conceded. I was worried when Finley Barbrook was subbed off and so it proved. Our substitutes lacked physicality; and that is costing us dearly. The one bright light is Owen Eames. Looks a constant threat.

Bob: Is it time to think the manager is not up for the top flight? Too much of the same old. No fresh ideas when we our backs are to the wall.

Ian: Poor defending - again. We can't defend set-plays. Look at Dundee United away, concede in added on time. St Johnstone away, give away a needless foul on edge of the box in added on time, they score. Against Dundee, set-play in added on time, no one in a blue jersey takes charge and Dundee score. It's killing us.

David: We need to learn how to run down the clock. Whatever happened to taking the ball in the corner kill time? The ref didn't help, we got nothing from him except the penalty. The signs are good but let's start taking the chances. Ethan Ross and Eames look awesome.

Image source, SNS

"We're not happy, we are losing late goals and it's a theme developing that we need to hit on the head. We've lost so many points by losing late goals, and if you can't win the game, don't lose the game. A point is better than nothing.

I can't be happy. The game is a very tight close game, it was a decent game with both teams giving it a right good go. I think a draw would've been a fair result, but we've fell on the wrong end and we are certainly not happy.

It's personality, character and we need to demand each other to go and head the ball away. It's not like we didn't have enough players there as we did. We should be defending it."

Injury-hit Dundee showed steely determination to claim their first top-flight away win over Falkirk in 39 years thanks to Ashley Hay's last-gasp strike.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

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Falkirk winger Aodhan Doherty (foot) joins Joe Gardner (thigh), Aidan Nesbitt, Keelan Adams, Ethan Laidlaw and Finn Yeats (all ankle) in missing out.

Dundee striker Bobby Wales is out after injuring his ankle while on international duty with Scotland Under-21s.

Fellow forward Joe Westley has also picked up an ankle issue and it remains to be seen how long he will be out while Ashley Hay is available for the first time since August.

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Captain Brad Spencer senses new-look Falkirk are starting to click into gear following a summer of transition.

The Bairns had a tough start to the campaign amid significant turnover of players but put together a three-game unbeaten run - including a win over Hearts - before the break.

"I think that's always the case when you bring in so many players," Spencer said of their early teething problems. "I think everybody's starting to gel really well together now.

"We've got a good squad, a good group and we've had a couple of decent results back-to-back so it's just about building on it, kicking on and trying to put a few wins together."

Falkirk are second bottom of the table with six points from seven matches. However, the Bairns, who host Dundee on Saturday, had the same number of points at the same stage last term and then embarked on a run that took them into the top six.

"We're not far off where we started last year also, and that obviously worked out well," said Spencer. "We just need to try and put some wins together and we'll be alright."

• Since the start of last season, only Aberdeen (15) have lost more Scottish Premiership away games than Dundee (14), who have lost four of their past five on the road (W1).

• Despite facing the most shots of any side in the Premiership this season (135), Dundee rank fourth lowest for xG against (10.6). Their xGA/shot faced of 0.08 is the lowest of any side in the competition.

• Falkirk have earned more points in their past three league games (5 – W1 D2) than their previous 10 beforehand (4 – W1 D1 L8).

• Falkirk won both home games against Dundee in last season's Premiership, one of just two sides they beat twice on home soil (also Kilmarnock).

• The past two league meetings between Falkirk and Dundee have finished 1-0, with the Dees winning in December and the Bairns in February last season.

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Falkirk winger Aodhan Doherty is facing two months out with a foot injury sustained on international duty with Northern Ireland Under-21s.

The 20-year-old, who has made seven appearances since joining on loan from Blackburn in the summer, has returned to his parent club for treatment.

"We're thinking he'll probably be eight weeks, so he'll get treatment down in Blackburn and then come back up the road once he gets closer to his recovery," said Bairns assistant Paul Smith.

"It's a blow because he's had wee spells in the team and he was just starting to show things and get more settled in."

In a further blow, right-back Keelan Adams, who was poised to return from a long-term ankle issue, has suffered another setback.

"Keelan Adams unfortunately got bone bruising on his ankle which is disappointing for him because he played in a bounce game up at Dundee about four weeks ago and did really, really well and we thought that was him back and ready to kick on," said Smith.

"With bone bruising, he could be back in a week or it could be five or six weeks, so we'll just have to see how it settles down."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Are underlying numbers from the start of the Scottish Premiership season suggesting a refreshed approach could be taking hold across the league?

Well, the success stories at Motherwell and Falkirk last season seem to have had an influence.

Dundee United boss Jim Goodwin was humble enough to reveal that Jens Berthel Askou - now head coach at Toulouse in Ligue 1 - has inspired him to change his ways after more than 15 years as a player and manager in Scotland.

Goodwin's side are one of a number of Premiership teams to have undergone a stylistic shift this term, and that is reflected in the league's overall numbers, albeit the sample size remains small after just seven matches for each club.

Compared with the previous five Scottish top-flight seasons, passes per game have soared to 886. That is an increase of 58 on last term. Five years ago, the average was 795.

Passing accuracy is also at a high of 81%, which is quite a remarkable increase on the 73% recorded in 2023-24.

That is down to more short passing. The percentage of long passes across the league (13%) is now at its lowest level of the past five years. Perhaps surprisingly, Hearts and Rangers go long more than any other teams.

Goodwin's United, meanwhile, have gone from average possession of 42% last term to 50% this season. Their accurate passes per match have rocketed from 219 to 320.

It is a similar story for St Mirren under Craig McLeish and Neil McCann's Kilmarnock, while league leaders Celtic and Alfred Johansson's Motherwell are locked at the top of the possession chart on 61%.

The promotion of St Johnstone back into the league, replacing Livingston, has added another side who aim to play a more expansive brand.

The recent appointment of Dutch head coach Marink Reedijk at Hibernian will only enhance that.

Read more: Why early-season data points to Premiership style shift

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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BBC Sport Scotland has been taking a look at away ticket pricing in Scottish football.

It is an issue which has been tackled at the highest level south of the border, with a £30 away ticket cap having been in operation in the Premier League for a decade.

Is anything similar on the agenda north of the border?

While it doesn't appear to be at the moment, we have been canvassing the thoughts of fans across the Premiership.

An adult away fan going to a league game at Falkirk will pay £28, with concessions ranging from £6 to £22.

Falkirk fan Grant Heaney says: "Away ticket prices are excessive. I think there definitely has to be some sort of cap introduced.

"I can see both sides of it - everything is going up in price and clubs are obviously affected by that as well.

"But looking at the big picture, just for a family or some friends to go to a game of football nowadays, when you factor in the ticket prices, the travel, even getting a pie and a Bovril, it is a big outgoing for fans.

"I think fans feel enough is enough in terms of ticket prices and it should be brought into line across the board."

Read more: Are SPFL away tickets too expensive?

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

Scott Bain's wait for an opportunity with Scotland goes on, but there was still a familiar face for Falkirk fans to cheer on Saturday.

Luke Graham's first cap against North Macedonia took me back to his time on loan with us in the Championship two years ago.

When John McGlynn brought him in, it was apparent almost immediately we had a player with a big future on our hands.

For someone so young, Graham was a commanding presence at the back. He was calm in possession, comfortable striding forward and rarely looked fazed by what was happening around him.

Those qualities made him a standout in our promotion-winning side and renewing his loan at the end of January proved an important piece of business as we pushed for a return to the top flight.

Having helped us get there, Graham returned to Dundee and slotted seamlessly into their first team last season, developing further under Steven Pressley.

On the strength of those performances, he was mightily unlucky to miss out on the World Cup.

It was pleasing to see Graham make his Scotland debut on Saturday, even if many of us felt it had been a long time coming.

He left a lasting impression during his loan spell at Falkirk and I suspect it will be the first of many appearances for his country.