Away record of year doesn't worry the Bairns

Falkirk made it three wins in a row last weekend with victory over Raith Rovers.
John Baird. Pic by Walter Neilson - Fife Photo Agency.John Baird. Pic by Walter Neilson - Fife Photo Agency.
John Baird. Pic by Walter Neilson - Fife Photo Agency.

But the 2-0 victory, thanks to goals from John Baird and Tom Taiwo, was only the Bairns THIRD away victory of the calendar year and their first since February 20.

That points to a quite formiddable home record at The Falkirk Stadium enjoyed by the Bairns but the home success was interspersed by many draws on the road in that period.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

However the lack of wins away from Westfield had barely registered with the staff or players, assistant manager James McDonaugh said, and the club was focussed on the bigger picture on achieving points totals quarter-by-quarter.

Peter Houston.Peter Houston.
Peter Houston.

“It’s not something I’ve been aware of at all. We’ve probably had some hard games within them, like trips to Easter Road and to Kilmarnock – but I didn’t know [it’s been so long] – that’s how much it was on our minds!”

The importance of victory at Stark’s Park last week however was not lost on the Bairns. It extended their run to three consecutive wins and moved Peter Houston’s side up the Championship table. Houston regularly states he won’t look at a league until the turn of the year, but his assistant has already been keeping tabs on the table.

McDonaugh added: “We didn’t want to over-empahsise it before the game but a wee gap had opened up between us and Raith and they had been going well so it was good to get that win.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I’m aware of the gaps opening up but I don’t think the players are or do. We look at the bigger picture and with that in mind we’re quite on track towards what we’re looking for.”

Peter Houston.Peter Houston.
Peter Houston.

“We’ve not done too much differently in the last few weeks where we have won. We have been more consistent, prior to that we’ve been a bit up and down but we’ve been a bit consistent throughout the 90 minutes and won the three games.

Hibs are the early pace-setters in the Ladbrokes Championship and the Bairns were thought to have had a bad start to the season, taking just a point from the opening two gaems. However maximum returns from the last two games makes for much better reading ahead of the visit of another side expected to be challenging at the top end of the table – Dundee United – on Saturday.

It’s difficult to fly under the radar with the expectancy levels having finished second and ahead of Hibs last year. The expectations - outside the dressing room - are maybe too high but we are realistic here and know our budgets, what we spend, what we’ve got and what our targets are.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“We just aim for that again and take anything else as extra.”

Falkirk will be without Peter Grant and Aaron Muirhead for Saturday’s match. Read more here.

For pre-match stats, betting odds and details of past meetings ahead of Dundee United’s visit, click here.