Caelan McCrone on Stirlingshire Cup hat-trick and his Falkirk first team hopes

Falkirk youngster Caelan McCrone with the match ball after he scored a hat-trick against Dumbarton last Tuesday night in the Stirlingshire Cup (Photo: Michael Gillen)

Caelan McCrone hopes hitting a hat-trick in the Stirlingshire Cup on Tuesday night will prop up his chances of getting off the bench for the first team.

But the midfielder knows that he’ll have to keep working hard in training if he wants to stay in manager John McGlynn’s good books.

One of the Bairns’ modern apprentice youngsters – ex-Hibs ace McCrone has already impressed off the bench this season.

He grabbed an assist during a ten-minute spell against Buckie Thistle during the Premier Sports Cup group stages.

Midfielder Caelan McCrone celebrates after scoring his hat-trick clinching goal against Dumbarton on Tuesday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

And he is now aiming to get back off the bench again during a league match while his team-mates chase a Championship title.

"I never expected to be in this position, so that's brilliant,” McCrone told the Falkirk Herald.

"I am just taking every chance I can and trying to enjoy it. I've learned loads since coming into pre-season with the first team.

"From the first day, just moving the ball quicker, not taking too many touches, that sort of thing. I've come on a good bit, yeah, definitely.

"It is all parts of the game you need to be able to do. You won't play if you're not working hard. I need to keep adding that to my game as well.

"You do want to play, of course you do. You want as many minutes on the park as you can get.

“Hopefully I have have (put myself in the manager’s mind)."

On his hat-trick during the 8-0 win over the Sons – which helped set up a Stirlingshire Cup final against Stirling Albion – McCrone added: “I'm happy obviously, getting a hat-trick is great.

"It was a good team performance though, it's not just me though, everyone played their part on the pitch.

“It's always good to score, but yeah, results are the most important thing.”

The Bairns progressed to the final, which is likely to be held in Falkirk early this year, after two group stage wins over Stenhousemuir last November and then Dumbarton on Tuesday.

Against the Sons, striker Barney Stewart bagged a brace while fellow youngsters Flynn McCafferty, Scott Honeyman and Logan Sinclair also scored. Goalkeeper Ross Munro earned a first start while Coll Donaldson, Leon McCann, Finn Yeats and Michael McKenna gained much-needed minutes.