Falkirk get back to winning ways against Ayr a week on from unbeaten run ending

Ethan Ross celebrating his first goal during the Bairns’ 2-0 win against Ayr United at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

Falkirk 2 Ayr United 0

Falkirk got back to winning ways at the first time of asking a week on from having an unbeaten run stretching back over 43 league games ended by Raith Rovers.

The Bairns bounced back from that 1-0 defeat in Kirkcaldy with a 2-0 victory at home to Ayr United on Saturday, halting their table-topping visitors’ unbeaten start to the new William Hill Championship football season and taking them level with the South Ayrshire side on 18 points and only denied pole position by virtue of a goal difference of one, though they’ve only played seven games to the league leaders’ nine.

Winger Ethan Ross scored both of the hosts’ goals past Ayr goalkeeper Liam Russell – eight minutes in, from an assist from striker Gary Oliver, making his 100th appearance in a Falkirk shirt since arriving from Greenock Morton in 2002, and six minutes into the second half, that one being set up by fellow winger Calvin Miller.

Double goal-scorer Ethan Ross, front centre, and team-mates applauding 5,838 Bairns fans among a crowd of 6,753 there to see them win 2-0 against Ayr United at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

Manager John McGlynn was chuffed to bits to see his team get the better of one of their potential title rivals in front of a crowd of 6,753, telling Falkirk TV afterwards: “There was a bit of pressure on us.

“There’d have been a few doubters thinking that’s the bubble burst and we would disappear into the yonder, but the guys produced a great performance.

“Ayr are a good team and they won’t be going anywhere either. They’re going to be hanging about. They’ll be there all the way, make no mistake about that.

“We’re pleased. There was a bit of pressure on us to bounce back and it showed great character from the players to put in such a good performance.

Striker Gary Oliver making his 100th appearance for the Bairns against Ayr United at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

“We’re not getting carried away. We’ve done well but we need to keep our feet on the ground.”

McGlynn, 62, was delighted to follow up having his side’s own unbeaten run ended by halting that of opposition manager Scott Brown’s visitors, saying: “There are always little bits and pieces you can bring up that can be extra motivation.

“It’s not anything against Ayr or whatever. We had a monkey on our back and we’d carried it for so long, with teams wanting to beat us, and it was just a little bit of extra motivation, but this time the boot was on the other foot.

“We played well. We played some really good football.

Manager John McGlynn applauding fans after the Bairns’ 2-0 win against Ayr United at the Falkirk Stadium on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

“We were attacking, we were entertaining.”

The gaffer was also full of praise for goal-scorer Ross, 23, adding: “I’m absolutely delighted with Ethan Ross.

“He got himself two goals and could have added a third.”

Next up for Falkirk is a visit from another side unbeaten thus far this season, third-placed Livingston, on Tuesday, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

Falkirk: Nicky Hogarth, Liam Henderson, Keelan Adams, Luke Graham, Sean Mackie, Brad Spencer, Aidan Nesbitt, Dylan Tait, Ethan Ross, Calvin Miller, Gary Oliver. Subs: Finn Yeats, Leon McCann, Alfredo Agyeman, Michael McKenna, Ryan Shanley, Owen Hayward, Flynn McCafferty, Caelan McCrone

Ayr United: Liam Russell, Nicholas McAllister, Patrick Reading, George Stanger, Dylan Watret, Frankie Musonda, Ben Dempsey, Jay Hennderson, Marco Rus, Ethan Walker, Alfie Bavidge. Subs: George Oakley, Jamie Murphy, Jake Hastie, Jamie Hislop, Roy Syla, Mark McKenzie, Ryan Howley, Harry Stone