Falkirk

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

An inability to play well in both halves has been something of a running theme this season for Falkirk.

We barely laid a glove on Dundee during the first half at home last month, only to come out firing after the break and rally from behind to claim a 2-1 victory.

Just a week later we brilliantly dismantled Kilmarnock to race into a three-goal lead at half-time before producing a backs-to-the-wall job during the second period.

It was a similar story against Livingston a fortnight ago, and it's something sections of our support as well as manager John McGlynn have nit-picked about in recent weeks, perhaps justifiably so.

However, there was certainly no room for any such criticism at Tannadice on Saturday as the Bairns produced their most complete and well-rounded performance of the season so far.

Yes, it was an afternoon to forget for Dundee United goalkeeper Yevhenii Kucherenko, but that shouldn't detract from what was Falkirk's finest showing since returning to the top flight following a 15-year absence.

In all truth the scoreline could and probably should have been even more convincing, and a first clean sheet since August put the cherry on the cake.

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Falkirk put on a superb display at Tannadice to beat Dundee United 3-0, and they have three players in my team of the week.

Filip Lissah, on loan from Swansea, was a lively presence at left-back as Falkirk flourished in their fine away rout of Dundee United.

Calvin Miller always plays with real verve and electricity which came in handy as he followed up quickly to fire home after his initial shot was parried by Yevhen Kucherenko. Also claimed an assist for Falkirk's third, scored by Brian Graham.

Brian Graham took his goal at Tannadice superbly well proving he can still cut it in the top half of the Premiership at the ripe old age of 37. He actually turned 38 on Sunday so happy birthday Brian! That cake would've been a fire hazard.

Watch the Sportscene panel analyse Calvin Miller's opening goal for Falkirk in their 3-0 Scottish Premiership win over Dundee United.

Watch all the highlights from Falkirk's 3-0 win over Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

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Falkirk fans, we asked for your views after Saturday's 3-0 win at Dundee United.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Ross: Falkirk are clicking nicely at the moment, hopefully silencing the doubters on the way and giving us fans something to enjoy. We look like a Premiership team which is the biggest compliment I can give John McGlynn and his team.

Nathan: What a fantastic away day, three goals and a clean sheet which I'm delighted to see. Thought we were a class above United in every area of the park today and held them to very little we go to Ibrox full of confidence next week.

Ivor: Incredible season, incredible result, and Europe-bound! Never would have predicted that September last year!

Tyrone Smith
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Falkirk goalkeeper Scott Bain says being a "tiny" part of the Scotland squad that secured their place at next summer's World Cup is his "best moment in football."

Bain was an unused substitute as Steve Clarke's side defeated Denmark 4-2 at Hampden on Tuesday to finish top of their qualification group, ensuring the Scots will contest the finals for the first time in nearly 30 years.

"I have been involved in a lot of big moments, I have played in a lot of big games and won cup finals and it was without a doubt the best moment in football I have ever been involved in," the former Celtic goalkeeper said.

"I think from the national anthem to the game was unbelievable and Kenny McLean's goal at the end to finish it off was just the icing on the cake.

"We all just went mental really and it was amazing to be a part of."

After winning the last of his three caps in 2019, Bain was recalled for the qualification double header with the Danes and Greece.

However veteran Hearts keeper Craig Gordon was given the starting berth for the two games.

"It wasn't disappointing [to not play]," he added.

"I knew whatever my role was going to be when I went there that I would do it to the best of my ability and I believe I did.

"I am just glad we managed to do it and get there . I played a tiny part in that qualification and to be a part of it was one of the best moments of my career."

Falkirk took advantage of a mistake-ridden performance by Dundee United goalkeeper Yevhen Kucharenko to claim a surprisingly comfortable Scottish Premiership win at Tannadice.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn tells BBC Scotland: "I'm very proud of the players for an outstanding performance, which we've been looking for in the last few games. We managed to go for the 90 minutes.

"Right from the start we were on the front foot, down the slope. We needed to defend well in the second and we did that admirably. We were a threat on the counter. We had more opportunities, but that might be being greedy.

"It was an outstanding performance from the goalkeeper right through the team, although Scotty [Bain] wasn't worked too much. It's a big clean sheet for us.

"We've got so many good players and that's not a bad recipe for success. The three that play behind the striker are a match for anyone. We've got a lot going for us.

"We're ambitious. We're not going to get carried away, but we want to finish as high as we possibly can. When you come up, you need to get to that 40-point mark as soon as you can. We're at 19 points after 13 games, so we're on target."

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn admits the club are considering recalling striker Barney Stewart from his loan spell at Dunfermline in January following an injury to Ross MacIver.

MacIver is facing around three months on the sidelines after ankle surgery.

"Ross hurt his ankle against Kilmarnock and it turned out he has actually had an operation on Monday," McGlynn said.

"You are looking at something around 11 weeks or so.

"It's a blow. He had been doing well. He is going to miss a lot of games as we have a lot of games coming up."

Stewart has scored four goals in six appearances for second-tier Dunfermline and earned a first Scotland Under-21 call-up.

McGlynn admits a return in the new year is not off the table for the 21-year-old.

"It is an option," he added.

"The only thing we have done is informed Dunfermline that we don't want Barney to play in the Scottish Cup.

"He is doing well, he is getting game-time and he is developing."

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Dundee United quartet Craig Sibbald, Ryan Strain, Ross Graham and Max Watters are all back in contention after injuries, so Isaac Pappoe (knee) is the only definite absentee.

Falkirk striker Ross McIver has had ankle surgery, while Lewis Neilson (ankle), Coll Donaldson (abdomen), Tom Lang (foot) and Aidan Nesbitt (foot) remain on the sidelines.

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• Dundee United are unbeaten in eight top-flight matches against Falkirk (W5 D3) since a 3-0 defeat in December 2007.

• This will be Falkirk's first away game at Dundee United in the top flight since losing 3-0 in February 2010; the Bairns have lost four of their past five such visits (D1) since a 5-1 victory in January 2007.

• Dundee United have won just one of their past six Premiership matches (D3 L2), a 3-1 victory against St Mirren in October.

• Falkirk have alternated between winning and losing in the league in each of their five away matches this season, losing their last game on the road 4-0 to Celtic.

• Falkirk have gained nine points from losing positions this season, the most of any team in the top flight. The Bairns have gone on to win two of their past three league matches in which they conceded the first goal.

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John McGlynn has urged Scott Bain to maintain his Falkirk form and target a World Cup place with Scotland after being part of the squad that made history.

Bain was on the bench for the defeat in Greece then the dramatic win over Denmark that ended Scotland's 28-year absence from the men's World Cup finals.

With an injury to Angus Gunn leading to Bain's first call-up since 2019, the 33-year-old is now jostling for a spot in Steve Clarke's squad for next summer's global showpiece in North America.

"He's been great and I'm delighted for him that he managed to get involved in it," said Falkirk manager McGlynn.

"Obviously he didn't get on but he was there and he was on the bench and obviously trained across in Turkey [Scotland's training camp], they trained there for virtually a week.

"I'm sure he'd take things out of that, being part of that, being part of the two games, the celebrations.

"He can bring that back as experience on that trip. Hopefully fingers crossed for him he can stay in that.

"If he keeps doing well maybe he gets an opportunity somewhere, maybe in the [friendly] games in March.

"That would be for him, a target. It would be great for Falkirk Football Club as well to have somebody potentially going to a World Cup."

Falkirk return to Premiership action against Dundee United on Saturday and McGlynn believes his team have adjusted well to life in the top flight following promotion.

The Bairns currently sit fifth, two points behind third-place Hibs.

"You come in [to the league], you're very positive because you finished top of the league and so you're used to winning games, you keep that winning mentality into a huge step up considering we went League 1 to Championship and then Championship to Premiership very very quickly," said McGlynn.

"It is a big, big, step up but I think the players have handled it very well to have a good amount of points on the board.

"But we know that it's a very brutal, harsh, league where if you take your eye of the ball it can bite you and that's what we're trying to guard against.

"We've got to continue picking up points all the way."

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Dundee United midfielder Craig Sibbald will be "extremely proud" to make his 500th career appearance in Saturday's Premiership tussle with hometown club Falkirk.

The Bairns academy graduate spent seven years in the Falkirk first team, playing over 250 games, before moving to Livingston in 2018.

Sibbald joined United four years later and has made 116 appearances for the Tannadice side, scoring nine times.

"It means everything," the 30-year-old told DUTV.

"It's obviously what you kind of want to do when you grow up. You just want to be a professional footballer. I'm lucky to have done that.

"To hopefully at the weekend play 500 games, I'll be extremely proud and hopefully many more to come.

"It puts it into perspective how long I've been playing, all the ups and downs, the high and lows. It's all been really enjoyable and worthwhile.

"Hopefully I'm selected or come on at some part of the game and I can make that 500th appearance against my local team, so it could be a special day."

Caleb Akpo-Young
BBC Sport Scotland

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Falkirk boss John McGlynn has been speaking to the media before his side's trip to face Dundee United on Saturday.

Here are the key points from his press conference:

• Striker Ross MacIver has undergone surgery on the ankle injury he suffered earlier this month against Kilmarnock and will be out "long term".

• McGlynn is confident goalkeeper Scott Bain can bring some of the positivity from Scotland's successful World Cup qualifying campaign back to the Bairns.

• Falkirk are feeling "refreshed" following the international break and McGlynn is happy with their work in training during the time off from competitive fixtures.

• The Falkirk boss is expected a "tough, tough, game" at Tannadice against United, who had a "great season" last term in finishing fourth after promotion.

• McGlynn is looking forward to having a run of uninterrupted fixtures with no further international breaks until March.

• He feels his fifth-place side are adjusting well to life in the Premiership after the "huge step up" from the Championship but is aware that they need to continue to get results.

• McGlynn adds: "We've been showing consistently that we deserve to be here and we're competing and the guys are starting to build confidence and belief."

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

To say the decision to loan Barney Stewart out to Dunfermline split opinion among the Falkirk support would be a big understatement.

After suffering a fractured metatarsal in pre-season, a temporary exit for the Bairns fan favourite before the lower-league loan window closing at the end of September seemed a sensible solution for everyone concerned.

However, many eyebrows were raised when news of Stewart's loan move to East End Park came to light.

On the face of it, it's a move that ticks a lot of boxes given the Pars are a club of a similar size and with an expectation level comparable to ourselves - a view echoed by John McGlynn and certain sections of the Bairns fanbase.

However, a number of supporters have also voiced discontent at the decision to do our rivals a favour by sending Barney across the Forth until January.

I could see both sides of the argument when the news broke, but with every passing week it's looking like the right decision.

Stewart has been in red-hot form of late, scoring in each of his four starts for Dunfermline, with his exploits earning him a first call-up to the Scotland Under-21 squad.

If Barney can maintain his current form between now and the end of his loan spell, he will return to the Falkirk Stadium with his confidence sky high, and could prove a great asset for us during the second half of the season.

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Former Falkirk striker Rory Loy isn't sure Scott Bain has done enough during his time at Falkirk to be given a start for Scotland.

The former Celtic goalkeeper joined the Bairns this summer and has become a key member of John McGlynn's side.

And while Bain's former Dundee teammate Loy believes Falkirk is the "perfect place" for the 33-year-old, a start for Scotland may not be on the cards.

"He's very, very good with his feet. He's a fantastic shot stopper. He's brave, he's agile, he's nimble. He can get around," Loy said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The only thing he maybe lacks ever so slightly is presence in the goal. He's quite small for a goalkeeper, but what he lacks in stature, he makes up for in his ability to shot stop.

"At Celtic, his confidence took a little bit of a hit. He was in the team for a stretch, did exceptionally well for a small period of time and then a couple of mistakes and he was out of the team. It's difficult to recover from that, especially at a club like Celtic.

"He just wanted to get out and play first team football and Falkirk was the perfect place to do that for him.

"Whether he's done enough to get a start for Scotland remains to be seen.

"I've got a wee feeling Gordon might get the nod, I know he's not played any games this season. But if you're going to pick any goalkeeper who's Scottish, who's not played any games, who's going to be able to come in and do a job for you, it's Gordon."

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Dundee should have had a penalty when midfielder Ethan Hamilton was challenged by Kyrell Wilson in last month's 2-1 defeat by Falkirk, according to Scottish FA head of referees Willie Collum.

He suggested on The VAR Review show that a broken shin pad and blood on the Falkirk player's leg had misled the referee and VAR team.

"No question for us - this should have resulted in an on-field review," Collum said. "The referee is good at communicating - we need to get the full picture.

"But they are too forensic to justify why it is a defensive free-kick and not a penalty. There is maybe some contact of the Dundee player's studs on the Falkirk player slightly, but that's caused by the defender kicking into the Dundee player.

"The attacking player leads with his studs, but there is nobody in front of him at that point. The Dundee player commits no offence. He is not reckless and he is then kicked."

We asked what one thing you would change at Falkirk.

Here's what some of you said:

Donna: Falkirk need to play the right players from the start, and substitute earlier. Some player's, not surprisingly, look tired after 60 minutes. Fresh legs as required early in the second half and a stronger midfield presence from the get-go would be my wish. But, well done to the team and staff at FFC. Love the attacking style and resilience from the whole team.

David: A lot being said about the inability to defend set-pieces. But if I could change anything then it's the tendency to wait until a goal is conceded before pushing players forward. The game against Killie showed what the team can do when they attack from the start and keep attacking.

Andy: Due to some long-term injuries, the only thing I would do is strengthen our back four. Scott Bain is unbelievable between the sticks but needs that little bit more experience in central defence. Other than that? Europa here we come!

Harry: We need a strong penalty-box defender. A modern Willie Miller would be perfect. Additionally, some back-up for Keelan Adams at right-back and let him play a bit further forward.

Barry: A touch more defensive in the last 20 minutes of a game, we still seem to try to play the way we always do. Tactically we have to be more streetwise at the end of games.

George: Absolutely delighted with our start but we really need to cut out giving teams a goal or two of a start. Cut that out and we'll be okay.

Pabs: Build a small, compact fourth stand that can easily have its capacity extended in the future. Lets build on the success.

David: Would like to have a fully-fit squad to pick from. We've had rotten luck with injuries in defence so hopefully we'll get them all back fit soon. Would have also have liked a 20+ goalscoring forward as we've never replaced Calumn Morrison.

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Steve Clarke has a "massive issue" over Scotland's goalkeeping situation but must start Craig Gordon against Greece in the make-or-break World Cup qualifier, says former international Cammy Bell.

With Angus Gunn out injured, 42-year-old Hearts keeper Gordon - who has not played this season - is vying with Rangers back-up Liam Kelly and recalled Falkirk number one Scott Bain for the gloves in Athens where Scotland need at least a point to make the final game against Denmark a qualification decider.

Kelly, 29, has played one game for Rangers this term while 33-year-old Bain is back in the Scotland squad for the first time in six years after reviving his career since moving from Celtic to Falkirk in the summer.

"These games of such huge magnitude and pressure around it, I think you've got to go experience," former keeper Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"I know Liam Kelly and Craig Gordon aren't playing, Scott Bain is playing but although he's had a fantastic season so far, he had long periods when he was at Celtic and never played a lot of football as well.

"For me, in games of this magnitude, you've got to go experience and Gordon's the one that can hopefully get us over the line."

However, Bell doesn't see any of the three goalkeepers in the squad as a long-term solution.

"It's massive issue for Scotland going forward," he added.

"Kelly's not playing at Rangers and he's probably one of our younger ones. Bain's playing, but he's not that young. So again, we've got to find the next generation.

"We've had it so good for so long with Gordon, Allan McGregor and David Marshall in our squads for over 10 years. It's a big issue and it's something we need to look at."

Life is pretty sweet for Falkirk fans.

The Bairns have slotted seamlessly into top-flight football after a 15-year absence and are sitting pretty in fifth place.

The international break provides the chance to pause for breath and reflect after a frenetic few months at the Falkirk Stadium.

So, if you could change one thing about the Bairns' season so far, what would it be?

Let us know here.

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Falkirk occupying fifth place 12 games into their first top-flight campaign in 15 years has fans in "dreamland", says Scottish football writer and Bairns supporter Gordon Waddell.

"It's been 10 years of nightmares. Actually it's probably 15 years of nightmares, but certainly 10," said Waddell on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"We've had such a long wait after five years in League One.

"To get to where we've got to over the last two or three years has been a steady climb.

"Did I think that we would be in the top six by now? No. Did I believe that John McGlynn would do as good a job as he's doing? Absolutely.

"There's an element of dreamland about it, but there's an element of realism about it as well because of the manager that we've got."

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

The hoodoo continues. As was the case last season, bogey team Livingston have haunted us again.

David Martindale's side just seem to have some kind of hold over us that is difficult to shake off.

There was a sense of inevitability about the manner of Livingston's equaliser - one they fully merited - and it was no surprise it arrived from a set-piece.

While Graham Carey's set-piece taking ability is up there with the best in the country, our struggles at defending such situations are not new under John McGlynn.

In fact, we have now conceded a goal from a set-piece in three of our past seven matches, including two of our latest three at home.

It is not just a minor flaw either - it is a glaring weakness that dates back to our time in League One. I can remember Edinburgh City taking advantage from set-pieces to score two goals against us at Meadowbank in January 2023, while Morgan Boyes and Jack Baird both netted from near-identical free-kicks for Morton during an early-season trip to Cappielow last term.

Our inability to deal with set-pieces also threatened to spoil the party when we had to fight back to secure the Championship title with a 3-1 win over Hamilton on the final day of last season. That's just a handful of many examples from the past three or four seasons.

While McGlynn will know his side needs to be better at defending set-pieces, it's an alarming issue that has to be addressed and worked on over the international break.