Coll Donaldson: We need to improve even it we've won three league matches on the bounce

The former Dundee United centre-back, who joined the club in the summer after leaving top-flight Ross County, reckons Tuesday night’s Premier Sports Cup defeat is a reminder that they have to tweak how the side defend on the pitch.

The Championship hosts beat the Bairns 3-0, with strikes from Lyall Cameron, Lee Ashcroft and Zach Robinson sealing their progression to the quarter-final stage.

“The scoreline felt a little harsh,” Donaldson said of the match. “It felt like we were right in the game until the first goal.

“It flattered them but you need to face up to that.

“It was a naive goal to lose and when you go away from home to a team in a higher division, you can’t give away a chance like that.

“We gifted them a couple of goals to be honest. The last two came from set pieces and that isn’t good enough.

“It is something we will need to brush up on. We are always trying to improve on things.

“We’ve scored nine goals and conceded two in the last three league games so you can think everything is rosy.

“On Saturday we played so well against Queen of the South, but the teams that push on and do well are the ones who work on every little negative aspect.

“The manager (John McGlynn) would probably say this himself, but he is a bit of a perfectionist.

“When you concede two set pieces in one game it is glaringly obvious that you need to work on it.”

He added: “When you are at a club like Falkirk in the position it is currently in, things like cup runs are a wee bit of a bonus.

“You enjoy them as players and it is welcome break from the league.

“It gives you a chance to take that focus away and put it onto something else.

“Coming away to teams in higher divisions is what you want to do as a player to test yourself.

“The main goal for us is the league and that won’t change.

“We didn’t lose anything by going out of the cup, it would have been great to go through but we have to put it behind us now.”

Having already worked under boss McGlynn as a youngster at Livingston, Donaldson admits he knew he would enjoy being at Falkirk.

An early injury halted his start but he has since played in the five league matches.

He explained: “Picking up an injury in the first week of pre-season isn’t ideal when you sign for a new club but I loved every minute so far.

“I feel like I am getting there now in terms of match fitness.

“Coming here, I always knew I was going to enjoy it because of the way the gaffer wants to play football.

“He is a forward-thinking manager, he wants to pass the ball and play it forward.

“I might be a defender but you appreciate being in a team that is good on the eye and plays football the right way.

“After three league wins, it is easy to say you are enjoying it so I need to keep helping the team put points on the board.

“We have momentum now and that is huge but we have to keep it.”

The Bairns take on second bottom Kelty Hearts on Saturday afternoon as they look to make it four wins out of four in the league.

However, despite John Potters’ side only having taken a point from five outings, Donaldson doesn’t see it as a simple task.

“When you look at the League One results over the past few weeks it tells you that it won’t be easy,” he said.

“Clyde went down to Queens and won 4-0. We then played Queens and I thought they were one of the best teams we’ve faced this season.

“You need to take each team on their merits and we will go there with a game plan.

“We will show them the respect they deserve but we want to assert out dominance on the game from the off.”

Meanwhile, Falkirk midfielder Ola Lawal spoke of the ‘special moment’ he’ll cherish forever after scoring his first goal for the club against Queen of South last weekend.

Read about that by clicking here.