Falkirk

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Falkirk winger Ethan Ross has suffered "quite a serious" ankle injury as manager John McGlynn endures a "frustrating" wait for new faces.

Ross, an integral part of back-to-back promotions for the Bairns, limped off in the first half of last weekend's 3-1 defeat at Livingston.

Speaking before Friday night's Premier Sports Cup tie at Celtic, McGlynn said: "Unfortunately, it's quite a serious one actually.

"He got a scan on it, there's some ligament damage and he's now going to go and see a specialist to see if they might need to do some kind of surgery on it.

"I don't have any timescale, I'm not really sure about that until we get the specialist to look over the scan, and decide what they want to do.

"There's still a fair amount of swelling, so it wasn't necessarily conclusive as to whether or not it was torn completely, or if it was still kind of intact, in which case they may not need to operate.

"It's a blow for him and for the team because he's a big player for us and he's been doing particularly well."

Ross' lay-off puts further emphasis on Falkirk's lack of recruitment this summer. McGlynn has only added four new signings although hopes to bring in some players on loan from English Premier League sides.

"We think we're getting a little bit close, we're hoping that because the window closes in a couple of weeks or so," he added.

"There's nothing new and nothing necessarily imminent, so I don't see us having anyone new in before the game tomorrow.

"But I would like to think maybe in a week's time that could change, not that we're in control of these, we've got to wait on clubs giving us these players.

"We've been very, very patient and we're working with the clubs to try and get these deals done."

Former Celtic midfielder Ismaila Soro, 27, is training with Falkirk after the 27-year-old Ivory Coast international left Beitar Jerusalem. (Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish gossip

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

There may have been a feeling of deja vu for the travelling Falkirk fans at Livingston on Saturday.

We were in this movie so many times last season that we ought to have known how our latest trip to West Lothian would have ended. However, it does all feel a little different this time. Perhaps a little more alarming.

Not only were the Bairns unable to banish their curse against bogey team Livingston, it was the manner of the defeat that laid bare our lack of urgency and assertiveness in this summer's transfer market.

While John McGlynn appears largely content with the continuity of a settled squad, anxiety is growing among the Falkirk faithful amid strength in depth concerns, and with good reason.

Through no fault of their own, the current crop aren't providing the impression of a team that will be capable of carrying the momentum that has brought them this far.

There are glaring holes in the squad and a lack of top-flight quality in key areas. We now have just three weeks to get our house in order, with three or four new arrivals feeling like the bare minimum before the transfer window slams shut.

We asked for your view on Falkirk's 3-1 defeat against Livingston.

Here is what some of you said:

John: Naive defending that needs sorting. Need to be more effective in front of goal. All in all, still learning in a tougher division.

Frazer: The Bairns are going to have to wise up all over the pitch if they're going to stay in this league. Disorganised at the back, weak in the middle and hesitant up front. Here's hoping for a quick improvement.

Jim: Major concerns about the recruitment strategy this summer. This Falkirk squad have gone down in history for where they've dragged the club from, but there are too many players who are not Premiership standard. Being overly loyal will see us relegated. McGlynn has to be ruthless. Major reinforcements needed.

Nathan: A brutal watch in the end and a genuine reality check. Simply put, we need to get players through the door with Ethan [Ross] now injured and only two fit centre-halves, I fully understand that John McGlynn has his ways with signings, but time is running out, and we need reinforcements. In terms of the actual game, we needed to take one of our chances in the opening minutes, and simply put, we didn't do enough to get a result.

David: I don't think they will survive in the Premiership. Too many players not up to standard, I also think McGlynn will be first to go.

Highlights of Livingston 3-1 Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership.

Livingston earned their first Scottish Premiership win of the season with a clinical display against fellow promoted side Falkirk.

Read the full match report here.

Have your say here.

Falkirk manager John McGlynn tells BBC Scotland: "Obviously we're a little bit disappointed. I thought we started the game really, really well. The goalkeepers made a couple of good saves.

"Dylan [Tait] had a header that maybe he should have scored with. I'm not sure if he was offside or not. So in the opening 18 minutes, until Livingston scored, I thought we were the better team.

"I thought we lost our way a little bit. Our passing wasn't as good. A little bit of anxiety crept in. And then [Lewis] Smith scored a worldie right on half-time, which gave us a little bit of a mountain to climb.

"We changed things at half-time, trying to get two up top. Although that kind of worked, we still looked a little bit open. So we changed back again. I think we took a grip of the game after that.

"Scottie [Bain] makes a save from the penalty, which is great from him. We get the goal back, and we get a boost from getting the goal back. We're threatening, we're getting a lot of joy down our left-hand side, we're getting balls in the box…

"Obviously, the third goal kind of kills that off. We kind of gambled a little bit and left ourselves short at the back and got punished for it. We need to learn from that.

"You're not going to do that in the Premiership and get away with it. I felt we were on the ascendancy as it was. Going up there, we could have got a goal back at 2-1 to make it two each rather than having to go and gamble like that. It wasn't something that was instructed. It was something that was taken off his own back. We ended up with a hole in our defence, which led to their third goal.

"There's going to be bumps in the road for us. We have to stick together and we have to understand that. Not many teams are going to find it easy coming here to Livingston. Fair play to them. They deserved to win. They've got the goals.

On the penalty incident: "I've not seen it, but I think by all accounts, the guys are telling me it was a penalty. No complaints. Scotty [Bain] saved it. One of these things, [Liam Henderson's] arms were a little bit outstretched, which would then mean that it's making his body bigger.

"It wasn't intentional. It's just one of these things that they do fairly naturally. However, I suppose it had to be in a natural position for them to give the penalty.

"We don't have any qualms with it.

"We're not going to crucify ourselves over one game. We understand there's going to be bumps in the road."

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Livingston pair Connor McLennan and Cristian Montano are pushing for involvement but Aidan Denholm (hamstring) and Cammy Kerr are out long term.

Sean Mackie returns to the Falkirk squad after recovering from a calf problem. Finn Yeats, Barney Stewart (both foot), Coll Donaldson (pelvis), Jamie Sneddon (hernia) and Tom Lang remain out.

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Midfielder Scott Arfield wants to delay a move into management for as long as possible as he continues to relish life on the pitch at Falkirk.

The 36-year-old started his career at the Bairns and played for Huddersfield, Burnley and Rangers among others before returning to John McGlynn's side in February and helping them to Championship title success.

Before Saturday's Premiership trip to face Livingston, the former Canada international said: "I'm on my B licence now but the move into management is getting further away if anything.

"When I was 16 I told myself I was going to play until I'm 40. That's all I've ever said and I'm 37 this year.

"Now I'm getting closer to 40, it's not so much that I'm desperate to play until I'm 40. I'm just desperate to keep having fun.

"I still love the thought of being a football player and everything that comes with it.

"I just love being on a football pitch, trying to give people moments and rewarding myself for all the hard work through the years. When that feeling dies, I'm out of here."

• This will be the first season in which Livingston and Falkirk meet in the top fight since 2005-06 – the Bairns won three of the four league meetings that term (D1).

• This is the first time two newly-promoted sides have faced each other in the Scottish Premiership since Dundee and Hearts in 2021-22. The away side has won three of the past four matches between two newly-promoted clubs in the competition (D1), including Livingston suffering a 3-1 defeat to St Mirren in April 2019.

• Livingston have failed to win their opening home game in each of their past seven Scottish top-fight seasons (D3 L4) since beating Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3-0 to open up the 2004-05 campaign.

• Falkirk and Livingston both drew 2-2 on matchday one. The last promoted team to win either of their opening two fixtures in a Scottish Premiership season were Hearts in 2021-22 (W2).

• Livingston's Scott Pittman will be aiming to score in back-to-back Premiership appearances for the first time since March 2022 (vs Dundee and Dundee United) – the 33-year-old has scored against 10 of the 13 opponents he has faced in the top fight, with the exceptions being Celtic, Rangers and Hearts.

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John McGlynn is excited for Falkirk to play on Livingston's new "proper pitch" on Saturday as he looks to finally get the better of David Martindale's side.

The Bairns failed to beat Livingston in four Championship meetings last season, losing three and drawing the other, but edged a close title race before the West Lothian side joined them in the top flight via the play-offs.

McGlynn doesn't believe there was much to separate the sides and hopes the "fine margins" swing Falkirk's way when they meet on Livi's new artificial surface.

The Bairns boss said: "They got the better of us [last season] obviously. There is no denying that.

"Every game against them had fine margins. I don't expect it to be any different this weekend.

"We need to try and get those margins on our side. There was nothing in the games at all. A wee break there and a decision there, and things could have been different.

"We can't do much worse than we did last year against them. We can only do better there than last season.

"They have a new pitch now. It is going to be a benefit to everyone, Livingston included in that, and it will be nice to play on a proper pitch.

"They are decent, they played well down at Rugby Park [2-2 draw last weekend] and if I am David Martindale at half-time, I am mystified as to how my team are two goals down."

Jonathan Sutherland
Sportscene presenter

Falkirk fought back to snatch a point against Dundee United in their first Premiership match, and they have one play in my team of the week.

Composure and leadership again from the impressive skipper Brad Spencer as Falkirk made their return to the top flight. Also bagged an assist.

Grant Heaney
Fan writer

It would be fair to say that the last few years have been nothing short of a roller coaster for everyone connected with Falkirk.

If Sunday's 2-2 draw with Dundee United is going to be the template for life back in the top-flight, then the Bairns faithful should strap themselves in for another thrilling ride.

"People want to come and be entertained. That was entertainment. That was definitely entertainment," said Falkirk boss John McGlynn following the Bairns' barnstorming draw with United - and you best believe there will be plenty more fireworks to come at the Falkirk Stadium.

Falkirk approached their first top-flight fixture since 2010 without any fear - and they will continue to do so against the rest of the division in the weeks and months ahead.

There was so much to admire about the team's attacking style and willingness to go after the Terrors, but there was also a defensive naivety which McGlynn must work on given the challenges that lie in wait.

The Bairns' bold approach is likely to produce more bad days among the good at the top tier of Scottish football, but it is going to be fun as long as it lasts.

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Falkirk's Keelan Adams made his Scottish Premiership debut this weekend, completing a whirlwind journey from Cumbernauld Colts.

Adams played an important role in the opener and then assisted Ethan Ross for the Bairns' second on their top-flight return after 15 years.

"I think it was exciting, especially at the end, it was a bit end-to-end," the 23-year-old told BBC Scotland.

"I think maybe the draw was deserved, maybe we had the edge. But I thought it was good.

"That's part of my game, just trying to get up, create goals, then try and nip in with goals as well, but yeah, I'll go up and down that flank all day if I can."

Falkirk signed Adams in early 2024 from Cumbernauld Colts, before finishing the 2023/24 season on loan at the club.

He also put a law degree on hold to continue playing football, a decision he says was the right one.

"It was a bit surreal," Adams said on making his top-flight debut just over a year after he played for the Colts.

"It didn't really hit me until probably this week on our day off.

"But yeah, just trying to take it in my stride and take game by game and just keep focusing on myself.

"100% right [to put degree on hold], how times change, eh?"

Watch the Sportscene panel discuss Falkirk's Premiership potential following their 2-2 draw against Dundee United.

We asked for your views on Falkirk's 2-2 draw against Dundee United.

Here's what some of you said:

Fraser: We were the better team for the vast majority of the game. Sloppy passing and touches will have cost us on another day. It's good to be back where we belong. We will be no pushovers in this league that's for sure!

John: Lessons learned I hope, two goals lost through lack of concentration. We scored two good goals to equalise twice. Dundee United a physical team maybe we need to toughen up. Having said all that, a great performance in the heat.

Nathan: All in all a great advert for Scottish football I think but from our perspective I thought we were the better team. Now it's time to work on the point gained, a more clinical edge in front of goal and maybe we could've gone back home with three points.

Stuart: Point a piece a fair result. Disappointed in the two goals we conceded but we kept going and played some decent stuff in what was a good game of football.

Watch highlights from Falkirk's 2-2 draw with Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.

Falkirk marked their return to Scotland's top flight with an entertaining 2-2 draw against Dundee United.

Have your say on the game here.

Read the full match report here.

Image source, SNS

Falkirk manager John McGlynn tells BBC Scotland: "I'm very proud of the players for being able to compete and go toe-to-toe with a team that finished fourth last season," McGlynn said.

"We had a lot of players that looked Premiership level.

"You could see the appreciation of the fans at the end of the game.

"We will learn from certain aspects of the game."

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Manager John McGlynn has challenged newly-promoted Falkirk to capitalise on Dundee United's European exertions when they play their first Scottish Premiership match in 15 years on Sunday.

The Bairns boss could hardly contain his excitement as he prepared to lead his side into top-flight action just three years after taking over when they had finished sixth in League One.

McGlynn feels they have a chance to get off to a flyer when they host a United side who laboured to a 1-0 win over UNA Strassen in Luxembourg on Thursday night.

"It's a good opportunity for us," said the 63-year-old, whose only previous stint as a top-flight boss came at Hearts in 2012-13.

"Everyone's seen that Dundee United have been in Europe. The stats show it's always a difficult task to do, to play on a Thursday night and go on a Sunday as well.

"We have to take full advantage of that. We have the home advantage here. We're going to have a sell-out crowd here, getting right behind the boys.

"Everything's gearing up very nicely."

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Falkirk will be without Sean Mackie (calf), Finn Yeats, Barney Stewart (both foot), Coll Donaldson (pelvis) and Jamie Sneddon (hernia) but Gary Oliver has recovered from a groin issue and should be fit.

United are without captain Ross Graham (hamstring) while Kristijan Trapanovski went off with a problem in the same area against UNA Strassen in midweek.

Ryan Strain and Dario Naamo missed the win in Luxembourg.