BENCHMAN: Write off the Bairns at your peril!

ALL BECAUSE....

Who would have thought that a box of chocolates at The Falkirk Stadium would make all the national headlines. The authorities are tracing a man in an evening suit and bow tie and have found a wet suit near The Kelpies. A helicopter was seen circling above the canal at Grangemouth and one local man swears he saw a man jump into the water, get out of the wet suit and head for the stadium with a box of Milk Tray under his arm. Happy Birthday.

HOW MANY HORSES?

Well, well, well. The pundits had written Falkirk off- again. Rangers and Hibs were now locked in a titanic struggle for the top two places. Morton and Dumbarton blew that myth out of the water and The Bairns are right back in the mix, especially after Tuesday night.

ANSWERS

Last week’s mystery player was Tommy Ring of Clyde, Everton and Scotland. Falkirk’s pre-season opponents were Wigan Athletic.

TEASER

Who is the only Falkirk player to have scored in a Scottish League Cup Final?

JEKYLL AND HYDE

Never was the old cliché of a game of two halves more appropriate. An opening 45 minutes to forget, but whatever Peter Houston said to them in the dressing-room was pretty effective. Queens have been a real thorn in our side in league terms, and it was a great transformation in that second period. What a vital three points, especially when the news from Dumbarton came in.

MARINERS CUP RUN

Congratulations to Camelon for that impressive 4-1 win over Kelty Hearts and they continue their progress in the Junior Cup. It was great to see the local side lift the trophy back in 1995 and several Bairns supporters followed their progress. The Mariners experience of 1952, when they lost narrowly 1-0 to Kilbirnie Ladeside in front of a massive crowd will never be forgotten by those older fans who were there. Maybe 2016 will be their year again?

I KNOW THAT FACE

Sensational news. The Scottish Government has REFUSED to stump up £4m for the installation of facial recognition at football grounds. National budget cuts, job losses and a plethora of economic and social issues and the football authorities honestly expected the government to stump up that amount of cash to address an issue which is a football issue? Next we know there will be an application to get the government to fund an enquiry into exorbitant ticket prices, the reintroduction of terracing and the decline in the sales of Dubbin.

SILVER THREADS

1991- the year of the first episode of Bottom, the first Prime Suspect and the arrival of Sky Sports, but for many Falkirk fans- the year of the First Division Champions. Simon Stainrod was voted SPFA Player of the Year for the division. To many older fans this was one of the best sides in recent memory. Was it really 25 years ago?

BENCHMARKS (QOS)

Match rating: 7

Team rating: 7

Opposition: 7

Referee: Collum

Best Bairn: John Baird