Falkirk captain Coll Donaldson on Scott Arfield buzz, January window and getting back to the top

Scott Arfield, Miller Thomson and Luke Graham bolstered the Bairns’ squad on deadline day ahead of Saturday’s home clash with Partick Thistle as the team look to climb back to the top of the William Hill Championship table.

“I don't think competition for places is a bad thing,” defender Donaldson said. “I think it brings out the best in people. I think if you get comfortable knowing that you're playing every week, you can very quickly fall into a sort of lull and complacency.

"I think there's about three players that could play in each other's position and they they are all good quality players. It's not the case maybe when I was in my first season here where eight or nine of the players picked themselves every week.

"I just need to put my best foot forward, try and get myself in the team and stay in it. I don't think you can have too many good players.”

Returning Falkirk hero Arfield was the surprise signing of the night in Scotland, and Donaldson revealed that even he wasn’t 100 per cent sure that the move was true.

On the midfielder’s return to the Bairns, he said: “It’s not like we get told everything – the media lads knew more than us!

"The gaffer doesn’t sit you down as say ‘I am signing this player’. Scott has been linked loads and you do think it is just wishful thinking from fans.

"When we are in training you see a player come in but on deadline night you are in the dark.

"We find out the same time as the fans really. I wasn’t 100 per cent convinced it was happening until I saw social media at 11pm.”

Donaldson added: “For it to actually come to fruition is great and already you can see the sort of quality that he brings and the experience. He's adding things already to the group.

"He's like a big kid in a sense, he's so enthusiastic, he just wants to speak and get to know you. And there could be that ego, but there isn’t.

"He can definitely help this group and help me as well. Like when Stephen McGinn was here, I tapped into a lot of McGinn's experience and I'm hoping to do the same with Scotty.”

Ahead of Saturday’s match, the captain says his team-mates need to get back to the league summit and not look back.

“It's going to be a difficult game on Saturday, but we're looking forward to it,” he said. “We always look forward to our home games.

"It's a big game because it can put us back at the top of the league. It's nice to look at that league table and see your name on the top.

"We've got accustomed to seeing that and it's not there anymore. It's up to us now to get ourselves back up there and hopefully not look back and try and carry on from there.

"This group's been really good at getting straight back on the bandwagon and picking up a good result.”