Falkirk

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• Motherwell are winless in six league meetings with Falkirk (D2 L4) since a 1-0 victory in October 2009.

• Falkirk have won each of their past three league visits to Motherwell, each by a different scoreline: 1-0 in April 2010, 2-1 in October 2025, and 3-2 in April 2026.

• Motherwell started their Scottish Premiership season with a 2-1 away win against Hibernian – they have not won their first two matches in a season since 2007-08 under Mark McGhee.

• Since a 1-0 home win over Motherwell in May, Falkirk have lost all four of their matches in the Premiership. Their last longer losing run came between May and August 2008 (five in a row).

• Motherwell's Lukas Fadinger has scored three goals in his past five Scottish Premiership appearances, two more than he managed in his first 30 appearances in the competition (1).

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

There are plenty of uncertainties in the new campaign, but one thing certain is this will be Falkirk's final season playing on an artificial surface at the Falkirk Stadium.

Top-flight clubs agreed last year synthetic pitches would be phased out, with grass becoming mandatory from summer 2027.

That decision means clubs with existing artificial pitches can continue using them until then, but the direction of travel is clear.

Kilmarnock have already moved ahead of schedule, ripping up their plastic pitch and replacing it with a new hybrid surface which, from the early images, looks extremely impressive.

Falkirk, meanwhile, will continue operating on plastic for one more season before making the switch.

It is encouraging to hear CEO Jamie Swinney confirm that, regardless of what division the club finds itself in next term, a return to grass is planned.

It is a progressive move from Falkirk and one that makes sense whatever happens this season. Even if the worst-case scenario was to unfold and the club were relegated, it would still be logical to lay the foundations for a grass pitch given it will soon become compulsory.

There is also the potential benefit of helping attract a better calibre of player, with artificial surfaces often viewed as a drawback by some.

John McGlynn has been vocal about wanting to see the back of the plastic pitch, while our long-running injury issues - many of which have involved ankle problems - have inevitably led to questions over whether the surface has played a part.

There is no definitive evidence to suggest that is the case, but moving towards a grass pitch feels like the right decision for the club's future.

It will come at a significant financial cost, but it is another sign we are taking steps in the right direction.

Watch the best of the action as St Mirren win 2-0 at Falkirk in their Scottish Premiership season opener. (Available to UK users only)

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk have a huge challenge to replicate their top six finish of last season as they rebuild after losing a host of key players, according to Ian McCall.

The Bairns were beaten 2-0 at home to St Mirren in their Premiership opener on Saturday.

Manager John McGlynn has had to contend with the loss this summer of his top five goalscorers from last season – Barney Stewart, Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait, Ben Broggio and Brian Graham.

"It's really hard when you're at the level Falkirk are, a big club but not one of the big, big ones," McCall, who had spells at Falkirk as a player and manager, told BBC Sportsound.

"You're signing a boy [Barmey Stewart] from a university team and then getting a million pounds for him. That's not really normal, but fans will still expect you to go and find another one. You tell me five that have been found in the last 20 years like that - it's not like that.

"I still think they'll be absolutely fine. In terms of John McGlynn and the Scotland [manager] rumours , I didn't think it was ridiculous and it's maybe still out there.

"I don't foresee them being in relegation bother, but it will be really hard to replicate what they did [last season]. They finished in the top six comfortably and at one point were in the running for fourth or fifth.

"It's just hard at that level, unless you have serious funds, to replace the type of players that have left."

We asked for your views after Falkirk started the new Premiership season with a 2-0 home defeat by St Mirren.

Here are some of your comments:

Kev: Slow in defence, slow in midfield, almost non-existent in attack. Could have used another couple of weeks to prepare. A lot of new players in, it will take time for them to gel. But they will have to get better quickly. Also desperately need a striker.

Pabs: That was a sore one. In John McGlynn we trust. Ben Parkinson needs to start, he looked good. Let's give Ethan Ross a game or two, looked up for it and drew a couple of fouls. Its going to be a tough start, but McGylnn and Paul Smith will pull us through.

Gordon: Alarm bells are ringing. Missing big players from last season and the young players who have come in have yet to show they are good enough. Not much created up front and over-committing in midfield leaving the defence badly exposed. Based on the first league game both us and St Mirren will be in the bottom three.

Dave: Early doors. Taking to much time taking shots. Still to gel fully. Some good performances. No need to hit panic button yet.

Hugh: Have been very impressed with Aodhan Doherty and Joe Gardner. Surprised Doherty didn't start and also that Gardner got subbed. We badly need a goalscorer. We keep on trying to walk the ball into the net. So frustrating.

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn: "Certainly not the start that we were looking for. We had high hopes for the game going into it. In the opening 10 minutes or so, we were good, we were in control, we passed the ball really well.

"We got wide, we got crosses in. We make an error in defence, playing a ball out, trying to thread the ball through the eye of a needle.

"It's intercepted, they break on us and we've got so many bodies in the box against not an awful lot of bodies, yet they manage to get the ball in, get a cross in.

"I thought we dominated the second half, we get a goal. It's denied on a handball which I've not seen. We're huffing and puffing and then from our corner kick, we lose a goal. It's crazy. We've been punished for not doing an awful lot wrong.

"Have we done enough to really say that we deserve to win that game? Probably not. We've not created enough, we need a little bit more quality. But early days, there's always going to be a quick turnaround. But we have to pick up points quickly.

"[Goals are] the hardest thing to get. Big Barney [Stewart] was on fire last season, and Calvin Miller was a big player for us with the number of assists that he got.

"[Those players] are hard to find. We've been trying, and maybe in time it'll come, but obviously today, we have to concede that we didn't have that today.

"We're not going to panic. Certainly, we're disappointed. We're naive on the pitch. We need to learn and grow up a little bit quicker, but we're not pressing any panic buttons, but we know we need to do better than that.

"I would imagine we'll get another couple [of players in], I think we'll get another couple for sure."

Killian Phillips' double ensured St Mirren got their Scottish Premiership campaign off to a winning start with victory at Falkirk.

Read the full match report here.

Let us know your thoughts here.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn says he hopes to complete two more loan deals next week. Falkirk Herald, external

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Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain is pushing to return from an ankle injury while the Bairns are without Keelan Adams and Aidan Nesbitt following ankle surgery and the suspended Brad Spencer. Tom Lang is close to a return after 18 months out.

Liam Donnelly could return for St Mirren and on-loan Rangers midfielder Paul Nsio could make his debut while Declan John (hamstring) remains out. Ryan Mullen is making good progress following a thigh injury.

Keanu Baccus (Achilles) and Jonah Ayunga (knee) are long-term absentees.

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Falkirk defender Liam Henderson hopes the club's tight-knit dressing room will help manager John McGlynn deal with a summer of transition.

The Bairns have lost key players Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait and Barney Stewart this summer as well as several loanees.

Falkirk exited the League Cup at the group stage and McGlynn admitted he expects a more difficult campaign than last season's top-half Premiership finish.

Still, Henderson thinks the experienced players that remain will have a big say, starting with Saturday's league opener against St Mirren.

"These players we've lost are massive players inside the dressing room and on the pitch, so to replace them is very difficult in a short space of time," the 29-year-old said.

"Also, the budget that we've got doesn't compare to other teams in the league.

"We've been together throughout these three seasons so you create bonds, you create partnerships, friendships that you take on to the pitch, so you can't buy that straight away.

"That's formed by relationships and our culture in the dressing room, senior players, coaching staff, to build that kind of relationship in there, so that takes time.

"But on the pitch, the boys have got quality. Anyone can come and do well. The dressing room that we have, we're very open, we're very welcoming.

"For instance, Barney coming in from a uni team and moving on 18 months and making himself a fortune is because of the culture that we've created in this dressing room.

"Obviously he's scored goals, don't get me wrong, but to feel free to go and do that and enjoy football is a massive part of how we operate in the dressing room."

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• Last season, St Mirren's Scottish Premiership games had just 85 goals (30 for, 55 against), the fewest of any side. By contrast, Falkirk were one of only two sides in 2025-26 to both score (50) and concede (62) 50+ goals in the division, along with Kilmarnock (50 for, 68 against).

• St Mirren lost their opening league game of last season 1-0 at Celtic Park but have not lost on the opening day in back-to-back Premiership campaigns since 2013-14/2014-15.

• Falkirk lost each of their final three league games of last season, their longest losing run in 2025-26. The Bairns last lost four in a row in the top-flight in December 2008.

• St Mirren have won five of their last seven top-flight away games at Falkirk Stadium (losing just once) – including both last season.

• Falkirk have only won two of their last 12 top-flight meetings with St Mirren (losing half of them), a 2-1 victory in April 2010 and 2-0 triumph in January last season.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Manager John McGlynn says the priority for Falkirk is to retain their Premiership status but he won't "accept much less" than their remarkable campaign last season.

The Bairns marked their top-flight return after a 15-year absence by finishing sixth.

"The bottom line is going to have to be staying in the league," said McGlynn.

"But we're ambitious and we would want to try and hit the same kind of target as we did last season.

"It could be a more difficult league, but this time last year we were still looking at Rangers spending a lot of money, we were still looking at Hearts with Tony Bloom's investment, spending money, you had Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, so you just never know how it's all going to turn out.

"So yeah, it'll be formidable, but we showed last year that we can compete and do well and we are not going to accept much less than that."

Falkirk kick off their league season at home to St Mirren on Saturday. The Paisley club appointed Craig McLeish as their permanent manager in the summer and McGlynn says they have altered their style of play since he took over from Stephen Robinson.

"Craig's put his stamp on it, you've seen that they've scored four goals in three of their League Cup ties, until Sunday, so obviously the goals are flowing," McGlynn added.

"For a lot of last season, we didn't score an awful lot of goals, so fair play, he managed to do that in the League Cup section, and last week, a bit more difficult against Dunfermline, who are a difficult team to play against.

"It's up to us to stamp our authority on the game at home, because we desperately want to get out of the blocks and get three points on the board."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk John McGlynn has been speaking to the media as his side prepare for Saturday's visit by St Mirren to kick off the new Scottish Premiership season.

Here are the key points from his media conference:

• McGlynn says "ambition" keeps driving him on in his quest for success at Falkirk Stadium.

• He says the "bottom line" for their mission this season is to retain their Premiership status.

• McGlynn expects it to be a "formidable" campaign, but the hope is they can compete and challenge for a top-six finish for a second consecutive season.

• He expects it to be a more difficult task than last term, as this is normally the case for most clubs in their second year after promotion.

• McGlynn still hopes to add to his squad before the transfer window closes with the loan market one he can exploit.

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn insists there has been "no contact" from the Scottish FA over the national team manager vacancy but wouldn't be drawn on whether he'd be interested in taking the job.

Scotland are searching for a new boss after Steve Clarke left following this summer's World Cup where his side failed to progress out of the group stage.

After securing back-to-back promotions with the Bairns and a top-six finish on their first season back in the top flight, McGlynn was tipped as an excellent choice to succeed Clarke by former Scotland manager Craig Levein.

While the 64-year-old insists he's flattered to be linked to the position, he's fully committed to Falkirk.

"It's amazing for high-profile people in the game to be pushing my name for that job," McGlynn told Sky Sports.

"I am obviously totally committed here [Falkirk], I have had no contact whatsoever.

"So I'm very focused on the job, but it is very nice for the people that have put me forward and supporting me in that way.

"They know what I'm like and how well we've kind of done, so it's some kind of recognition and it's nice to hear it, but I'm getting on with the job in hand right now."

When asked if he would be interested in the job were the SFA to make contact, McGlynn added: "Obviously, the SFA would need to go through the proper procedures and speak to the club and see how it goes, if it comes to that.

"As I say, I'm just focused on what I'm doing right now."

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Falkirk have signed midfielder Joe Gardner from Nottingham Forest on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Irishman Gardner, 21, has made 29 senior appearances, with one coming at Forest and the rest on loan at Lincoln City and Mansfield, scoring once for both of those clubs.

Bairns manager John McGlynn told club media: "He's a player we've been after for some time since we first looked at him a couple of years ago but we were never really in a position to get him here.

"He had loan spells last season at Lincoln and Mansfield, which is a very good level. He's 21, he's an attacking midfield player and he's about 6ft 1in or 6ft 2in, so he's a tall boy. Technically, he's very good and he works extremely hard, which will fit in nicely with the way we play.

"We feel he's going to play a huge part for us and, at the same time, I think we can be good for Joe. I'm sure that if he does well here, he'll get recognised and potentially have the opportunity to go back down to England and play at a really good level. We're very excited about the signing."

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

Where will you finish in the league and why?

I was already feeling uneasy about the season ahead before a ball was kicked, particularly after losing several key performers over the summer. Replacing that quality was always going to be a difficult task and our Scottish League Cup group stage performances have only reinforced those concerns.

Without some genuine quality arriving through the door, it could be a long and challenging campaign battling for survival. Everything points towards this being a season of transition. I'd happily take a top-10 finish but I fear we could instead find ourselves in 11th and facing a nerve-shredding play-off.

Who is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?

Of the new signings that have arrived over the summer, Scott Tanser has been the one who has caught the eye the most so far.

We still look short of attacking options in the wide areas, which is a position that needs to be addressed, while bringing in another striker has to be one of the priorities before the window closes. I'm not entirely sure who those additions should be, but John McGlynn has already shown a real knack for identifying the right players, with his loan recruits from England making a significant impact last season. Hopefully, he can work his magic again and unearth another couple of gems who can provide the squad with the quality boost it needs heading into the new campaign.

What do you want from your manager this season?

The simple answer is that I don't want John McGlynn to leave the club. The job he has done has been nothing short of remarkable and it is no surprise that his achievements attracted attention from several Scottish Premiership clubs last season. His name continues to be mentioned as a potential candidate for the Scotland job, too.

No Bairns fan would begrudge McGlynn the opportunity to take charge of the national side, should that chance arrive, but replacing a manager who has delivered such a remarkable period of success would be an incredibly difficult task.

Who will be the breakout star in your squad?

Deniss Melniks is one of the new arrivals who has already shown plenty of promise, and he could quickly become a favourite among our supporters. The Latvian international has spent the majority of his career as a centre-back but can also slot into a defensive midfield role, giving us some valuable flexibility within the squad.

His range of passing and long-throw weapon have already stood out during his limited appearances so far. If he can settle into the Scottish game quickly, Melniks has all the attributes to become our breakout star this season.

What is your one major concern?

My biggest concern heading into the new season is whether we can avoid 'second season syndrome'. Last season was another memorable one but maintaining that momentum will be difficult after losing several influential players and undergoing a significant overhaul of the squad over the summer.

That challenge is made even tougher by an extremely demanding opening set of fixtures, which could put us under pressure before we have fully settled into the campaign. Historically, we have struggled to establish ourselves in the top flight and my fear is that we could find ourselves fighting to stay up.

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Aodhan Doherty has joined Falkirk on a season-long loan as the Northern Ireland Under-21 winger signed a new four-year contract with Blackburn Rovers.

The 20-year-old had played 14 times for Linfield in Northern Ireland's top flight before joining the Championship club last summer and made his first-team debut for Rovers against Hull city in the FA Cup in January, before featuring in three league games later the same month.

But he is now looking for more regular first-team football.

Falkirk manager John McGlynn says Doherty is not just a straight replacement on the left for Calvin Miller, who was sold to Hearts this summer, as he can play as a number 10 as well as out wide.

"He's a player we've been on the lookout for and have been scouting for some time," he told his club website.

"We've been trying to get him up here as soon as possible, so we're delighted to get him here now ahead of the league season starting next week."

Doherty will start on the bench against Stranraer in Falkirk's final Premier Sports Cup group-stage game on Saturday.

"It's another part of the rebuild of the squad and we're hoping to bring some more news on another one next week," McGlynn said.

"Buzzing" with his new Rovers contract and loan move, Doherty told Blackburn's website: "I'm just very grateful for the trust and belief that the club has shown in me and I'm ready to keep pushing on.

"Having that experience of being with the first team last season helped me a lot in terms of what I need to do and how I need to play to stay at that level.

"The main thing for me now is getting first-team exposure and playing plenty of games in the Premiership will really benefit me."