'I thought it might be my one chance for a hat-trick' - Falkirk skipper Stephen McGinn delighted with first goals double in game for 13 years

Midfielder McGinn, 33, who joined Falkirk from Killie in the summer, shot home his first two goals for the Bairns in Saturday’s crucial 2-0 home League 1 success over Clyde, triggering memories of the last time he accomplished the feat all those years ago.

“Those goals were in the second half that day,” McGinn told the Falkirk Herald. “Getting the two early today I was following everything in.

"I thought this might be my one chance for a hat-trick. I was slapping at everything, I had a shot after the ref blew the whistle at half-time!

"I suppose it’s nice to score the goals but we were quite wasteful. It was important we took the chances eventually and got a vital three points.

“For the first goal I read Coll (Donaldson) having a glance on the ball, I didn’t connect well – sometimes that happens – but it went in.

"The second one’s more of a kind of natural pass. I just tried to guide it in.

"I don’t find myself in those positions often but I suppose the older I’ve got you just think you know what you’re good at and it goes in.

"It was a strange feeling because I wasn’t brought here to score goals. It’s important everyone chips in.

"There’s a lot of boys in there that in training you can see the quality they’ve got. We get them into good areas and they have to be the ones that go and get their doubles, go and top up their tallies."

McGinn said he knew that beating Clyde would take Falkirk into the top four and the Bairns are now just two points off the top after eight games.

He said: “If we can keep chipping away, taking care of our business, we’ll keep going up that table.

"Promotion is the aim. We have no devine right to win the league because there’s other big clubs in the league.

"But I think we’ve given the Falkirk fans enough positivity that we can produce big performances. We just need to be more clinical.”