Boss hands defensive wishlist to board

Peter Houston wants strength in depth. Picture Michael Gillen

The struggling Bairns lost David McCracken and Luke Leahy in the summer and failed to replace the first-team duo. That’s left the Bairns short at the back – even more so after Peter Grant broke down in the warm-up on Saturday with a heel injury.

Now with Falkirk at the wrong end of the SPFL Championship table having conceded 13 goals in five games since the league campaign began, the boss wants to bolster his defence.

He’s handed over the details of two targets identified and says new recruits are “of vital importance”.

Houston said: “I’m still waiting to hear if I can. At this moment in time I want two, I can get one... maybe two.

“It’s of vital importance, but I’m not the one who makes the decisions with regards to the finances. It’s easy for me to say I want this and that. The board has to agree. I’ve laid a couple of players down, agents’ names and telephone numbers and asked ‘can I have them’?

“At this moment in time, I think I might only get one.”

The boss refused to reveal the identity of either other thasn to confirm they were defenders.

Luca Gasparotto conceded a penalty for this foul - before scoring Falkirk's consolation goal. Picture Michael Gillen.

He added: “I’m trying to bring defenders in because I think Paul [Watson] and Luca [Gasparotto] will be disappointed in their performances, and it’s not only them, but what we need is more.

“We brought two outfield players in during the summer. The budget has gone down, but the place needs a lift and we need to strengthen the squad. That’s what I’m pushing for.

If I’m honest it’s always nice to bring players in. At the start I thought we’d need more when we were losing McCracken and Leahy but we were willing to give young Tony [Gallacher] a crack at it. He’s been one of our better players this season.

If you want to have a go at this league you need to have strength in depth. We have a lot of young players - a LOT. They are not ready for first team football. Stowe and Jonny Mitchell were on the bench at the weekend but it was to fill jerseys. Cameron Blues came on and did well, but he’s regarded as a first team player.

“I think we have good strength even though we’re not playing that way just now, but we need more depth. You need that for a pop at the top placings in this league.”