Falkirk debutant admires McKinnon’s honesty

The defender joined on loan from McKinnon’s former club Dundee United where the pair had worked together.

After marking his debut with a goal in Saturday’s thrilling 3-0 win over Queen Of The South, the Frenchman said that he had no hesitation in making the change of clubs.

“I know the manager, he said, “we worked for a long time together so I didn’t think twice about coming here.

“With the chance to work with him again it was a no-brainer.

“I put a lot of emphasis on honesty and in modern football with managers, you don’t always get that.

“But with Ray I feel like I got that from start to finish when I worked with him previously.

“I think it’s a massive quality and attribute for a start, then obviously his management style suits me.

“He encourages players to go out and enjoy themselves and that’s why I came here.

Edjenguele said once he had made a visit to the Falkirk Stadium he quickly made up his mind.

“I haven’t played a lot of football but I have watched a lot of games,” he said.

“I knew they were decent players here, I saw the new signings and I said listen, I think we can help each other and I can come and play a few games. I think I can help.

“I came in and saw the dressing room and how the club worked during the week. There are really good facilities here.

“It was a quick decision.”

The 31-year-old said he was delighted to get off the mark with a debut goal and hopes to add to his tally.

“There’s no better feeling. I’m buzzing and I’m just so glad for the boys.

“I’ve only been here a few days but I could see straight away that it’s a great bunch of lads.

“We deserve this and I hope now we can take on a bit of momentum and bring this to Alloa next weekend.

“I probably don’t score as much as I want to but I know I’m a threat in the box.

“I told the boys if you put in a good ball and get it on my head you’re going to get an assist.

“That happened today but I can say, that for me, I’m happier with a clean sheet and happier with a win.

“The goal is the cherry on the top of the cake.”

Edjenguele said that he hoped to endear himself with the falkirk faithful, adding that his best play is yet to come.

“First and foremost if you can show that you work hard, that it is your passion, the fans will forgive you some mistakes.

“In the first half I was having to adapt. Maybe at Dundee United we played in a different way, maybe I need a bit of time to adapt.

“I’m my biggest critic. There were a couple of passes that were a little bit shaky, but we just have to adapt to each other.

“If the team can work hard and show desire, the crowd will get behind us. That’s massive for us just now.

“I’m delighted with the win but we have another massive game on Saturday so we need to keep pushing.”

The addition of new signings to the squad means that there is now a challenge for a starting place in McKinnon’s team.

Edjenguele says it’s one that he relishes.

“Nowadays you need lots of competition. I think it’s healthy, we can push each other. It means the training standard is good.

“I’m all for this. There is quality so you need to show character.

“In this position [at the bottom of the league] sometimes it’s not always easy to bring out good performances but today was a good day and I hope the crowd enjoyed it.”

So with a win and a debut goal, how had he found his first few days at the club?

“Cold. Really cold!”