Falkirk

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

Toppling Hearts at Tynecastle in the Scottish Cup was arguably our finest hour of an already remarkable season - and yet it was just another example of how impressive our away form has been.

Yes, it came via a penalty shootout, but before that no team had emerged from Tynecastle with any kind of victory this season.

It's the latest in a string of standout performances on the road from John McGlynn's Bairns. Notably, we're also the only side to leave Fir Park with all three points in the Scottish Premiership this season.

Even Danny Rohl's Rangers, so strong at home since appointing the German, were thwarted by Falkirk - the only team to deny the Light Blues a win at Ibrox across their past seven league games in Govan.

Add to that victories at Aberdeen, Dundee United, Kilmarnock and St Mirren, and it's clear our away record isn't just solid - it's exceptional.

This is underlined by the fact only the title-chasing trio of Hearts, Celtic and Rangers have a better record on the road than the Bairns in the Premiership this season.

For a newly-promoted side, consistently delivering results away from home while playing an attractive, confident style of football is no small feat.

McGlynn and his staff have fashioned a side that carries its identity with it, thriving no matter the postcode.

Falkirk manager John McGlynn is emerging as the leading candidate for the vacancy at Aberdeen. (Pete O'Rourke on X), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Falkirk forward Alfredo Agyeman will spend the remainder of the season in the Scottish Championship at promotion-chasing St Johnstone.

The 25-year-old has featured in 20 top-flight games for John McGlynn's impressive side this term, failing to score.

Starts have been hard to come by for the Ghanaian, who scored five times in the Championship last season during Falkirk's league-winning campaign.

St Johnstone currently lead the second tier by five points and have a game in hand.

Falkirk forward Alfredo Agyeman is poised to join Championship leaders St Johnstone on loan. (The Courier - subscription required), external

We asked for your views on Falkirk's win against Hearts on penalties to book their place in the last 16 of the Scottish Cup.

Here's what some of you said:

Nathan: My word, what a night, what a result, what an unbelievable team this is. We went into this with what was definitely the worst possible draw but took the game to Hearts and fought them every step of the way. Incredibly, we got our name in the hat. Every player once again deserves the highest praise from me and seriously what else does John McGlynn have to do to get his statue?

Tommy: What can you say about Falkirk manager McGlynn, the guy's a genius. Treble substitution at half time, then gets Brian Graham on in extra time for penalties. Manager of the month. Would agree with Ben Parkinson we could go all the way.

David: Yet another step in the McGlynn journey this season. Back in September we were turned over by the Jambos at Tynecastle, however the vast improvement was there for all to witness. McGlynn started with a 4-4-2 diamond in the first period to counter the thrust from Hearts. A change back to wingers in the second half enabled us to get behind the Hearts back line and it worked a treat. The game was a great advert for Scottish football and both sides had chances in extra time. Great performance by Parkinson to open his Falkirk account with a good finish and then hold his composure to slot home the winning penalty. Onwards and upwards Bairns fans. Fasten up your seatbelts for the second half of the season.

Falkirk chief executive Jamie Swinney has revealed that the Premiership club have voted to share the Uefa solidarity payments with last season's second-tier counterparts even though it could end up costing them up to £100,000. (The Herald), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

Falkirk ended Hearts' Scottish Cup interest at the first hurdle as Elton Kabangu's miss in the penalty shootout proved crucial.

Match report

Have your say

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn: "It feels brilliant. The boys had to work so hard. Hearts started like a train, we had to adjust, we had to make changes at half-time.

"Getting to half-time at 0-0 was a bonus and then we played well in the second half.

"We nearly did it in 90 minutes, but we lose the penalty and then in extra time we were stronger in the end.

"Delighted for everyone at the football club. We're in the draw and we look forward to that tomorrow.

"Looking for a favourable draw. It would be nice to get a home game and hopefully it gives us belief going forward."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Manager John McGlynn insists Falkirk will adopt a bold approach at Tynecastle as they bid take the Scottish Cup scalp of Premiership leaders Hearts on Saturday night.

The Bairns have already been beaten twice by Hearts in the league this season, a 3-0 defeat in Edinburgh at the end of September before losing 2-0 at the Falkirk Stadium last month.

But McGlynn is taking confidence from his side's away form.

"Whether it be a league game or a cup tie, we're going to go and attack," he said.

"That's our nature. Home and away, we've actually picked up more points away. We've picked up 16 points away and 14 at home.

"We go out to attack. We're going to go out and attack and play."

Goalkeeper Scott Bain believes Falkirk have learned their lesson from the two losses to Derek McInnes' men.

"I think we're in a better place now than we were back then," Bain said.

"It was a tough afternoon [at Tynecastle]. I think we learned a lot from that game. Then we played them out here, terrible conditions, and they beat us there as well. There wasn't much in the game but as a whole they're having a fantastic season.

"We know we're going to be in for a tough game but the last three games, how well we've played, if we can play to that ability and that standard then we give ourselves a great chance."

Scott Arfield has "no hard feelings" over his Falkirk departure and is relishing the "huge challenge" of trying to keep Livingston in the Premiership.

The 37-year-old midfielder returned to first club Falkirk last season and helped them win promotion to the top flight.

But after just four league starts this term, he requested to leave and joined bottom club Livingston.

"I think probably the last three months the enjoyment sort of went out of my game," Arfield said.

"It was only 20 minutes here, 30 minutes there, 10 minutes here. So it's quite hard to do that in training every week, every day, you just want something on a Saturday for you to look forward to and the team are playing brilliant.

"The manager at Falkirk [John McGlynn] just changed the system in terms of he wanted pace in behind which is working to a treat right now.

"So there wasn't any bad feeling about it, I just had to sort of get out of there. Shake hands, we've been brilliant for each other. I was brilliant for Falkirk, Falkirk were excellent for me.

"So absolutely no animosity, no hard feelings whatsoever. It was just as you're coming to the end, I want to still have the moments that I've had in my career luckily, continuously through my career and I still feel as if I've got some moments."

Arfield made his Livi debut off the bench in last weekend's draw with Kilmarnock. David Martindale's side are four points adrift with a game in hand on second-bottom Killie.

Speaking before the Scottish Cup tie with St Mirren on Saturday, Arfield said: "I've always said that as I'm getting older, I want to retire myself rather than just dwindling out.

"And then the challenge that Livingston offered is the exact same as at Falkirk, another massive challenge.

"I wouldn't have come here if I felt I couldn't contribute in some sort of way so that's exactly the reasoning."

Image source, Getty Images

Vitor Matos reckons Filip Lissah will be best served staying in Scotland, for now, as the Swansea City youngster continues to impress for loan club Falkirk.

Lissah has been regarded as one of the players most likely to make the first-team breakthrough at Swansea ever since he joined as a 16-year-old after being released by Chelsea.

The defender made his one senior Swansea appearance to date in January 2024, but saw his progress stall last season thanks to a succession of injury problems.

However, Lissah is back making strides in 2025-26 having joined Falkirk on a season-long loan.

Now 21, Lissah has won praise for his performances with the Scottish Premiership club.

Lissah has so far made 16 Falkirk appearances and, despite Swansea's need for defensive reinforcements this month, Matos says there are no plans to bring the loan to a premature end.

"He needs to keep playing, getting exposure in a good level, performing like he has been," the Swansea head coach said.

Image source, Getty Images

"We are happy [with the Falkirk loan], not only happy with the performance, but also happy with the things off the pitch. I think that's quite important when you speak about young players on a loan.

"So the plan is not to call him back, it's to finish the loan and that will be then a situation for the next season."

Lissah has operated in central defence at Swansea, but he has been deployed successfully at right-back by Falkirk.

He is under contract with the Swans until 2027, with the club having the option of extending the agreement by 12 months.

Matos, who has been in charge at Swansea since November, believes Lissah is a player who could eventually make a mark in his team.

"I've seen so far is a player that is performing really well, who has lot of potential for the future and he's someone that we need to see in pre-season," he said.

We asked for your thoughts after Falkirk were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Celtic in the Scottish Premiership.

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

Nathan: Never for the life of me thought I'd be leaving after defeat to Celtic feeling absolutely gutted. Every single player left it all on the pitch but it's the age-old tale we've seen so many times, if you don't take your chances you don't win games.

David: Another big step in our progress journey under John McGlynn. We got turned over in the two games at Celtic Park earlier in the season but for large parts of this game we had Celtic on the back foot! Ultimately we earned nothing from the game but all the Bairns fans who were there will know this team has more to offer, especially when the two new January recruits integrate into the squad.

Iain: Scott Bain was blocked for the cross that led to Celtic's goal. Isn't that what VAR is supposed to be there for?

Watch all the highlights as Martin O'Neill picked up his second victory of his second interim spell as Celtic overcame a spirited Falkirk to win 1-0 in the Scottish Premiership. (Available to UK users only)

Benjamin Nygren's 10th Scottish Premiership goal of the season gave Celtic an unconvincing - but vital - victory over Falkirk, which kept them six points behind leaders Hearts on an important night in the title race.

Have your say on Falkirk's performance.

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn: "I think most neutrals will agree that we deserved to take something from the game - at least one point, maybe three points.

"We had three good chances in the first half and, in the second half, Schmeichel makes a fantastic save.

"So I'm absolutely gutted for our players. They put so much into the game, they played particularly well.

"We have kept them quiet tonight. I have played Celtic before and the goalkeeper has been out best player, but that was not the case tonight."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk's trajectory over the past few years has been such that one of the side's key players is sure manager John McGlynn must be attracting the interest of bigger clubs.

Liam Henderson was McGlynn's first signing at the club back in 2022, and the defender admits the Bairns' progress is so impressive there's open banter among the squad regarding McGlynn's future.

"We have a joke about it in the dressing room and within the walls here," Henderson said.

"I was saying to him the other day: 'Were you not down at Manchester getting an interview for the Man U job? Have you not been in Aberdeen this weekend for an interview?'

"There's some stuff you're thinking: 'How has he not been getting it?' Maybe on the side he's got a wee phone call here and there but he's different class. Very, very good."

The results back up Henderson's opinion of his manager. Back-to-back title wins and now a comfortable position in the top flight's top six, five points above Dundee United in seventh. The stuff of a football fairytale.

Henderson added: "We had finished sixth in League 1 when the gaffer took charge. Three years, eight months and eight days ago.

"There's hard work and determination around the whole club. What we've done is amazing. I think the manager and the backroom staff have done an amazing job and they've got a way of playing.

"They also have an adaptability that you can buy into and I think once you get a core group of lads that buy into that and really trust in what the manager's doing, it shows on the pitch and it shows in the results that we're getting.

"The team spirit's massive and the dressing room we've got is a huge bonus for us."

The credentials of the manager and squad are about to be tested again with the visit of Martin O'Neill's Celtic tonight.

Should the Bairns win, the focus on the job McGlynn is doing is likely to intensify further.

The former Hearts and Raith Rovers manager admits it would be "interesting" to test himself at a club with a bigger budget but is adamant there are no potential suitors beating a path to his door.

Henderson is convinced, nonetheless, his manager is attracting attention.

"Maybe it is going on but he's keeping it quiet," he said. "Or maybe he just loves the boys and he wants to stay with us, I don't know.

"He's done a wonderful job here and I hope he stays."

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Attacking midfielder Louie Marsh goes straight into the Falkirk squad after joining on loan from Sheffield United.

Ethan Williams has picked up an illness which probably keeps him out. Lewis Neilson (ankle), Gary Oliver (hamstring) and Tom Lang (foot) are working to get back to fitness.

Celtic remain without Kelechi Iheanacho, Alistair Johnston, Callum Osmand and Marcelo Saracchi (all hamstring) and Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles).

Jota's knee problem is likely to keep him out for the rest of the season.

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

I doubt I was the only one who expected Scott Bain's stay at Falkirk to be a short one.

From the moment he arrived in the summer, Bain looked completely settled, taking the number one shirt from Nicky Hogarth and proving to be one of the club's smartest bits of business on our return to the top flight.

His match-winning saves, calm presence and ability to play out from the back quickly caught wider attention, not just around the league but beyond it.

Before long, the rumour mill was in full swing, with interest steadily building. There was talk of clubs on both sides of the border ready to swoop, as Bain was only on a one-year deal with us.

That only intensified when the 34-year-old's form earned him a recall to the Scotland squad, something that felt entirely deserved given the level he has been operating at this season.

With all that in mind, the prospect of Bain moving on this summer seemed inevitable, and plenty of supporters were already preparing for that outcome.

But then came some surprising news. The club's confirmation on Friday that Bain had signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract arrived as a massive and unexpected boost.

We've already added new faces in January, but keeping Bain feels just as crucial.

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• Falkirk have lost 13 of their past 15 meetings with Celtic in all competitions (D2) since a 1-0 victory in March 2007.

• Celtic have only lost one of their past 22 league matches against Falkirk (W18 D3), and have also won 19 of their latest 20 league games against newly-promoted opponents (D1) since a 2-1 defeat to Hearts in July 2021.

• Falkirk have only lost one of their past eight home league matches (W3 D4), going down 2-0 to Hearts in December.

• Celtic have lost four of their past seven away games in the Scottish Premiership (W3), as many as their previous 32 on the road beforehand (W22 D6 L4).

• Celtic have lost both of their past two midweek (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) league games, as many as their previous 80 beforehand (W67 D11 L2). The Parkhead club last lost three league matches in a row in midweek from January to May 1990.