Falkirk

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Brian Graham was on target as Falkirk enjoyed a 4-2 home friendly victory over Raith Rovers.

The 37-year-old summer signing finished off a great pass from Dylan Tait for the Bairns second goal, 10 minutes into the second half.

Lewis Vaughan had opened the scoring for the visitors, with Ethan Ross finding a quick response.

Jordan Doherty headed in a Dylan Easton free-kick to make it 2-2.

Brad Spencer then lashed the Bairns back in front with fine strike from 18 yards and Ross MacIver added a late tap in after good work from Alfredo Agyeman.

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Two penalties helped Falkirk come from behind to defeat League 1 outfit East Fife in Methil on Tuesday night.

Veteran striker Alan Trouten fired Dick Campbell's hosts ahead before Calvin Miller's spot-kick and captain Brad Spencer's neat goal had the Bairns in front at the break.

Aidan Nesbitt extended the visitors lead in the second half, before Gregor Nicol nicked one back with 20 minutes to go.

Defender Sean Mackie was fouled in the box minutes later and half-time substitute, Scott Arfield, scored the second penalty of the night.

John McGlynn's side have two more friendlies Raith Rovers on 5 July (15:00) and St Johnstone three days later (19:30), before their League Cup group stage campaign kicks off on 12 July with a trip to Brechin City.

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Scott Arfield says there is "absolutely no doubt" Falkirk will "surprise a few people" on their top-flight return.

The 36-year-old midfielder returned to Falkirk in February, 15 years after leaving, and played a key role in the club's promotion.

"It is exciting times for everybody connected to the football club to see this team back in the top division," the former Rangers player told BBC Scotland.

"To see the enthusiasm and positivity through their eyes, you relive it again. Some of [the fans] have probably never seen the club in this division, they're that young, it's going to be amazing for them to see it.

"You're excited for them to give them that back, and obviously as a professional player coming into the twilight years, you try and relive it again and enjoy it as much as you can.

"There's absolutely no doubt we'll surprise a few people, but we need to have one eye on the calibre of player and the teams we're playing against this year."

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BBC Sport has taken a look at which players will be free agents on 1 July.

The majority of major football leagues run from late summer to late spring, with pre-season in June and July. Therefore, contracts across most divisions typically expire at 23:59 on 30 June each year.

Those whose contracts are expiring but have already agreed transfers to new clubs are not included, as they will not become free agents.

Some Scottish Premiership contracts expire on 31 May rather than 30 June - the below players either already are or will become free agents.

Aberdeen: Tom Ritchie

Celtic: Greg Taylor

Dundee: Scott Fraser, Antonio Portales, Joe Shaughnessy

Dundee United: David Babunksi, Allan Campbell, Lewis Moult, Bryan Mwangi

Falkirk: N/A

Hearts: Jorge Grant, Barrie McKay, Lawrence Shankland

Hibernian: Maksymilian Boruc, Junior Hoilett

Kilmarnock: Kyle Magennis, Kieran O'Hara, Kyle Vassell

Livingston: N/A

Motherwell: Moses Ebiye, Harry Paton, Dominic Thompson, Davor Zdravkovski

Rangers: Adam Devine, Tom Lawrence, Ianis Hagi

St. Mirren: Dennis Adeniran, Elvis Bwomono

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Falkirk were given "a wake-up call" in their defeat to League 2 side Edinburgh City, says assistant coach Paul Smith.

The Bairns were three goals down at home to Michael McIndoe's City, and despite a late rally, the Premiership new boys couldn't force a draw.

"A wee wake-up call for us," he told club media post-match.

"Defensively, we defend as a team so, when they're picking on the back four or whatever, we defend from the front, but we gave away three very, very poor goals the first half, which, gets the players a wee bit restless.

"Even in the first half, we had a lot of chances as well. I think were very poor in both boxes.

"It's a wee kick up the backside that we know we'll have to go and do things better.

"We can't let our standards drop and our standards certainly dropped in the first half."

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Despite a strong second-half, Falkirk couldn't recover from three goals down at the break against Edinburgh City, losing 3-2 in their pre-season run-out.

It was a strong line-up put out by John McGlynn in their fifth friendly before the new season starts with the League Cup group stage in a few weeks.

Trailing 3-0 at half-time, a Scott Arfield strike and a City own goal threatened a comeback, but it wasn't enough.

They face East Fife on Tuesday night in Methil in another friendly.

Falkirk: Bain, McCann, Lang, Graham, MacIver, Agyeman, Yeats, Tait, Mackie, Miller, Arfield.

Substitutes: Hogarth, Adams, Henderson, Spencer, Nesbitt, Stewart, Oliver, Allan, McCrone.

Martin Dowden
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn only expects to add another three players to his Bairns squad, trusting a lot of the squad that won promotion from the Championship last season.

Scott Bain and Brian Graham have been the only additions so far this summer, two experienced operators joining from Celtic and Partick Thistle respectively.

"We're going to have a continuity within our squad," McGlynn told BBC Scotland. "We're not going to make loads of changes. We've made two.

"We expect to bring in another three to give us a boost to help what we've got. But that continuity, the players' camaraderie and the togetherness that they've got, we're relying a lot on that."

The manager also pointed out the difference between Falkirk coming up as compared to Dundee United the season prior.

"We have the example of Dundee United going up and doing particularly well. There's an example there that you can go up and do well.

"Now, Jim does very well in that market, bringing in the foreign players. We've not got plenty of foreign players coming to us, but he's had that at Aberdeen, he's got trust in the people that he's dealing with there."

"That's further down the line for us. We're still focussing on UK players, looking at some loan deals still to materialise.

"But that's really, really important. Recruitment is important. We didn't do a lot coming up from League One and the team went out and produced. It is a big step."

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Falkirk will visit third-tier East Fife on Tuesday (19:30 BST) as part of their pre-season schedule.

John McGlynn's top-flight newcomers will also host fourth-tier Edinburgh City on Saturday (14:00 BST) and Raith Rovers on 5 July (15:00) before visiting St Johnstone three days later (19:30).

Falkirk kick off their competitive campaign on 12 July with a trip to face Brechin City in Group A of the League Cup.

Livingston are keen on a return for Hearts midfielder Macaulay Tait, 19, following his successful loan last season, but there is also interest from Dundee, Falkirk and St Johnstone. (Edinburgh Evening News - subscription required), external

Read Thursday's Scottish gossip

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New signing Brian Graham scored as Falkirk won the pre-season Stirlingshire Cup with a 3-1 victory over Stenhousemuir.

Graham left Partick Thistle to join Falkirk this summer, and manager John McGlynn is convinced Tuesday's display is a sign of things to come.

"He took the goal very well, that's what he's about," McGlynn said.

"There'll be a few more of them to come for sure, especially with the way we play.

"That's what he's done all his career, so there's no reason to think otherwise. He'll go and score goals for us as well."

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Brad Spencer is open to signing a new contract with Falkirk amid reported interest in the 29-year-old midfielder from Hearts as he enters the final year of his current deal. (Falkirk Herald), external

Read Monday's gossip column in full.

We asked for your views on Falkirk's Scottish Premiership fixtures and how they will be faring after 10 games.

Here's what some of you said:

Alan: I think Falkirk will face their sternest test since John McGlynn joined and they will buckle. They will finish in the bottom three because they struggled against the two other Championship promotion contenders, Livingston and Ayr, last season.

Kevin: Seventh could be achievable. Still a couple of defenders short. Midfield looks competitive. Great in the wide positions, which will be key to get the goals needed.

Calum: To be honest, it's all about remaining in the league, not least for the commercial benefits, but also for the entertaining football Falkirk bring to all of their games. We know it's going to be hard, but we'll always be behind our club, win, draw or lose, and that's what it is to be a Bairn.

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Requiring clubs to have grass pitches in the Scottish Premiership "is about standards and criteria", says SPFL chief operating officer Calum Beattie.

Top-flight clubs voted to phase out artificial surfaces in time for the 2026-27 season.

Kilmarnock have announced plans to return to grass at Rugby Park in time for that deadline, while promoted sides Falkirk and Livingston have recently put down new synthetic pitches.

Beattie says the league will "engage" with Falkirk, Livingston and Kilmarnock over their long-term plans.

And he said on BBC Sportsound: "This debate isn't just about artificial pitches, this is about standards and criteria across the league.

"In England, you've got to have a grass surface in League Two to get promoted into professional football.

"The league recognises the place for artificial surfaces in the game in Scotland, the community benefits are clear.

"It's whether or not they have a place at the top table of the game in Scotland and that is where the debate has gathered pace over the last couple of years."

Responding to a question over whether there had been any legal challenge from Falkirk about the rules on pitches, Beattie explained: "There's been no legal challenge because we're working with them about what we can do to help them address the challenges they've got with their surface.

"I've got real sympathy for Falkirk. They put down their artificial pitch in full compliance with the rules at the time and they had a legitimate expectation that they could've used that for a longer period of time.

"Livingston, clearly put down a new artificial surface this summer. That came off the back of us doing a spot check at Livingston. It became clear that their surface would not meet the testing that is required in the Premiership.

"Livingston didn't have a choice for this season. In the Premiership, there's already a higher bar that's applied for testing and that is every Premiership club with an artificial surface has got to pass spot checks unannounced at three points during the season.

"They then had a decision to make. They had permission to use an artificial pitch this coming season. From our perspective, grass would've been the preferred option.

"But Livingston, rightly from their perspective, had the option to put down a new one and we'll be engaging with them about their wider plans going forward."

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After back-to-back league wins, can Falkirk really surprise anyone any more?

Former striker and manager Lee Miller and current midfielder Scott Arfield certainly think so.

The former is tipping John McGlynn's side for a top-six finish in their first Scottish top-flight campaign in 15 years.

After the fixtures were announced this morning, Miller believes the Bairns will "have a sneaky eye" on ending in the top half of the table.

It would be quite the achievement for McGlynn and his men after playing League 1 football as recently as two years ago but Miller insists they'll be "quietly confident".

"I think their aim is to stay up in the league but they'll be quite confident," he said.

"Tony Docherty did it with Dundee when they first came up. He got top six and it was a brilliant achievement for them.

"So I think Falkirk, yes, they'll say they just want to stay in the league, but I think they'll have a sneaky eye on top six."

Arfield echoed Miller's optimism and said the Bairns can "surprise a few people".

"It's been a long time since this club's had the Premiership badge on the side of their top, so it's going to be a top occasion for everybody," Arfield told Sky Sports.

"They've waited a hell of a long time to make this happen so it's a big day for everybody. I think we'll surprise a few people.

"Sometimes we're going to need to be a wee bit more pragmatic with our approach, because you're going up a division, the calibre of player, team and club are better, but I think with the management team behind us, the confidence stays the same, the players will stay the same, so it's a real exciting time."

Where can that excitement take them, though?

"It depends how you look at success," he added.

"I think everybody behind the scenes here, you just want to make it the best. Everybody keeps on talking about staying in the division and then people talk about the top six. It depends."

Opta have crunched the numbers to rank the difficulty of each Scottish Premiership club's first four fixtures of the 2025-26 season.

According to their data model, St Mirren have the toughest start, followed by two clubs helmed by new managers, Dundee and Motherwell.

As for the easiest, Hibernian and capital rivals Hearts should got off to a flier, right?

Take a look below to see where your side places...

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Aside from the first game of the season against Dundee United, all dates are subject to change as a result of broadcast and other requirements.

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See Falkirk's full fixture list here

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After a 15-year wait, Falkirk's fixtures for a Scottish Premiership campaign are out.

The Bairns have to wait a little bit longer to kick off the season as they do so on Sunday, 3 August at home to Dundee United.

Then, there are a few familiar faces. A wee jaunt to Livingston the next Saturday is the first away day, while the big trip is Saturday, 30 August to Aberdeen.

John McGlynn returns to his former stomping ground, Tynecastle Park, on Saturday, 27 September to take on Hearts, while visits to Celtic Park and Ibrox round off October and November respectively.

And what about the festive schedule, you ask? A six-game December awaits, with away days either side of Christmas (Kilmarnock, 20 December and Dundee, 27 December) while 2025 is rounded off by the visit of Hearts on 30 December.

Falkirk end the pre-split campaign with a home game against Russell Martin's Rangers on Saturday, 11 April.

Looking at the fixtures, where do you think Falkirk will be 10 games into their top-flight return? Tell us here.

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Falkirk's first Scottish Premiership game in 15 years will be at home to Dundee United.

The match will take place on Sunday, 3 August at 14:00 BST, with the Bairns' first away fixture against fellow newly-promoted side Livingston on Saturday, 9 August at 15:00.

See Falkirk's Scottish Premiership fixtures in full here.

Where do you think John McGlynn's side will be after 10 games and what do you make of how the fixtures have fallen? Share your views here.

No sooner does the season finish and we start looking forward to key dates for the next campaign - and that will be a lot easier to do on Friday when the Scottish Premiership fixtures are released.

That's right, that special day in the calendar is almost here already. The day when you'll learn details of derby fixtures, Christmas opponents and the run-in to the split.

This page will bring you all the fixtures when they drop at 09:00 BST on Friday and we'll be giving you the chance to have your say on how things look.

The new campaign kicks off on the weekend of Saturday, 2 August and will conclude on Sunday, 17 May 2026.

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Falkirk have added a fourth friendly, at home to fourth-tier Edinburgh City on Saturday 28 June (14:00 BST), to their pre-season schedule.

John McGlynn's top-flight newcomers also host Northern Irish side Larne on Monday 23 June (12:30) and Raith Rovers on Saturday 5 July (15:00) before visiting St Johnstone three days later (19:30).

Falkirk kick off the new campaign on 12 July with a trip to face Brechin City in Group A of the Premier Sports Cup.

New Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain says he left Celtic a year before the end of his contract because the 33-year-old wanted his fiance and son to see him play first-team football. (STV), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full.