Jack McMillan on Falkirk's win against Hibs and what pleased him about Easter Road success
Jack McMillan on Falkirk's win against Hibs and what pleased him about Easter Road success.
Jack McMillan believes his Falkirk team-mates can take great belief from last Saturday’s 2-1 victory at Easter Road after they “did the basics well” to see out a crucial result.
The Bairns picked up what was just a second Scottish Premiership win of the campaign in Leith - with a brilliant brace from American forward Jacob Murrell enough to send Hibs to the bottom of the table.
Owen Elding did grab a goal for Marink Reedijk’s side before half time, and the visitors did have to endure waves of pressure after the break, but they held on to banish their recent late goal woes and move up to ninth in the table.
Speaking to the Falkirk Herald, right back McMillan - who came on alongside midfielder Finn Yeats with seven minutes remaining - highlighted his team-mates’ desire to defend and do the dirty work late on.
Second-half grit pleased Falkirk substitute
“It was a really pleasing win because the truth is that we would have not held on a couple of weeks ago,” he admitted. “That’s what we have been working on in training, playing to the final whistle.
“We were backs to the ball for the final ten minutes especially, they threw everything at us and it really was simply a case of doing the basics well and sticking together. To pick up the three points is massive clearly but it was just as important that we proved to ourselves that we can see a game out.
“When I came on with Finn (Yeats), the gaffer’s message was simply that we couldn’t concede. He wanted us to knock our pan in and help the boys who had already put a proper shift in.
“Deniss (Meļņiks) also played a bit part by just getting his head on things. It was the wee things that we had to get right. Yeatsy just ran and ran. He nearly set up a goal too.”
The 28-year-old added: “Jacob’s first goal was excellent. It certainly surprised me when he hit it like that from there. He deserves goals for the work he puts in. We knocked it about well in the first half and showed some nice play.
“What I liked was that we showed the two sides to our game - the nice play with two great goals and then digging a result out in the second half.”
It’s been a tough start to life at the Bairns for ex-Partick Thistle and Livingston defender McMillan. Since joining in the summer after departing Exeter City, he has only managed 79 minutes of league football, with most of those minutes coming during his one start against St Mirren on the opening weekend.
“You just have to look at the squad and the quality that we have,” McMillan explained. “We have good numbers but it is quality too. I wanted to come in and play every game but you have to wait for a chance sometimes in football.
“I had an injury at the start of the season too that set me back a little bit. I understand it. Ryan (Strain) has came in and taken his chance. I just have to train right, support the group and be as professional as I can.”
John McGlynn’s side now host second-bottom Kilmarnock this Saturday hoping to make it two wins on the spin for the first time this league season.
Ahead of that match, McMillan said: “We haven’t had that run yet. You want back-to-back wins. That is massive in this league. It is tight down the bottom-end already and it will be like that going forward.
“I have no doubt about that. It is a tight league in general, you can go places quickly but also suffer. Getting away wins is important.”