Falkirk boss John McGlynn revels in Scottish Premiership promotion after targeting back-to-back titles

They did it the hard way, but Falkirk secured the Scottish Championship title on Friday night on the final matchday after a 3-1 comeback win over Hamilton Accies at home. With 7,200 fans backing the Bairns, the current crop battled back from losing an early goal to cement their status as outright legends.

Scott Robinson’s tap-in at the back post had Falkirk on the ropes, with second-placed Livingston moving to the top of the table, but that was short lived with David Martindale’s side falling behind to Partick Thistle while Ethan Ross levelled things up for the Bairns with a powerful free-kick.

After the break, McGlynn’s heroes pressed for a second and they went ahead on the hour mark when Ross grabbed his second from close range. Any fears were then fully extinguished by Calvin Miller - who fired home low on the angle to make it 3-1 and ensure there would be no nervy finish.

McGlynn highlighted Ipswich’s rise to Premier League

And the boss revealed that he had targeted the title from the off - despite Falkirk only having just returned to the second tier after an invincible Scottish League One season.

"On the first day back I said to them, ‘Ipswich did it back to back, why can’t we?’ I had belief that we could do it from the start of the season even though we had just won League One. That was the reality and it has taken a real team effort to get here. I knew that we had a chance from the first game, this is a big club with a great fanbase.

"The league table never lies and it's an amazing achievement to win another promotion. This is a tough step up and we have come out on top again to win another title. It speaks volumes for the players that they could manage to step up to that level and continue to play at the standard that we’ve played at. People have praised our style and that is really pleasing, because we want to entertain.

“I think we’ve had many, many compliments for the way that we’ve played. That speaks volumes for the style that we’ve got and the patterns of play that we have. We get forward really, really well at every opportunity. And we don’t have a 15-to-20 goal striker, so the goals have to get shared out across the team. We had a little stutter but we have stepped up a level over the course of the season and we are so happy. I will never forget this and I need to thank my wife for putting up with me recently!

Falkirk’s character got them over the line, says McGlynn

McGlynn also highlighted his group’s immense character after staying strong to secure the title despite a stuttering end to the season - which had many doubting that Falkirk would get the job done. The Bairns finished the campaign with only one win in four but they’ve managed to rack up a whopping 73 points this term and were totally deserving winners despite a late stumble.

"Everyone has been at it from the start and we got up there - and stayed,” the boss added. “Fair play to Livingston, they gave us a run for our money but we came out on top. We have made it hard for ourselves over the last few weeks and we did it again going 1-0 down. But the players have been incredible and I can’t praise their character enough.”