Scott Bain: New Falkirk goalkeeper on Celtic exit, 'suited' style of play and what he can bring to the Bairns

Falkirk’s first summer signing Scott Bain reckons his experience of working within Brendan Rodgers’ set-up at Celtic sets him up perfectly to play a key role in the Bairns upcoming Scottish Premiership campaign.

The goalkeeper, 33, penned a one-year deal with John McGlynn’s side on Tuesday after agreeing an early Parkhead exit after seven years with the Hoops. He will go up against Nicky Hogarth for the number one spot as Falkirk prepare for life back in the top flight after a 15-year absence.

Former Scotland international Bain made just 78 appearances during his time at Celtic but he believes that his time spent working with Rodgers - and McGlynn when he was an opposition scout for the Hoops - at Lennoxtown will stand him in good stead.

Bain will bring his Celtic experience to Falkirk

“I know John from my time at Celtic and his time at Celtic,” Bain said. “I had came to agreement with the club that I was going to be leaving. Stevie Woods (Celtic’s goalkeeping coach) spoke to John and gave him a heads up about my situation and when I spoke to the manager, and having watched Falkirk and the way they play, I think it was a no-brainer for me that this is a club that I was going to come to.

“It is a great place - it is a well-run club that is set-up well and full of good people. That was another reason I wanted to come here and I am excited to get going. Obviously in the last couple of years I've not played as much as I've wanted to and I think I really want to just enjoy my football. The way that the team plays is something that I enjoy. It's something that I've done every day for the last seven and a half years so I think I can bring a bit of experience and I can help in that way, whether it be a little bit of advice here and there and take the pressure of others in terms of how to play out. That was a big factor in why I wanted to come.”

“The boys have done phenomenally well over the last couple of years and it's just one of those things where I think I can come in and help a little bit in terms of experience of the league, in terms of experience in a certain style of play and I'm really looking forward to working with them. They've really been fantastic and it's going to be a hard, difficult year at times but I think they're well capable of pushing through into this next step again.”

Having spent most of time on the sidelines at Celtic, Bain also admits that the opportunity to play football week in week out was a big attraction to making the move to Falkirk.

Goalkeeper Bain made Falkirk move to play regular football

“I think it's really put emphasis on making the right decision for myself and my family.,” he revealed. Now that I'm a bit older, I've got a fiancée and a little boy, I want them to be able to watch me play for a club and I think that was a big decision for me to get right and I think I have done that by coming here. I just want to play as many games as possible and help the team in everyway that I can.

“Whether that be leadership, whether that be on the pitch, off the pitch, advice that I can give to anyone. I've been in this situation before when I signed for Dundee, we'd just come up from the Championship, so I've experienced what it's like that first season and I think if you can get off to a good start, you can have a really good year.”

The Bairns have already sold 5,500 season tickets for the Premiership season, with around 7,000 home fans expected for each league match. And Bain was left impressed by the size of Falkirk’s support and the fans’ backing ahead of the new campaign.

“I found that out today and it's honestly a great turnout,” he said. “I think the team deserves that because of the hard work they've done over the last couple of years and what they've achieved. It's great for the fans that they've been able to witness that and hopefully this season will be classed as another successful season for them because, as you say, they're showing up and they're putting their money into the club, so they deserve that also.”