‘If we can win it would set up the group nicely’ – Falkirk boss John McGlynn looks ahead to his dugout debut against Morton

John McGlynn will make his competitive debut in the dugout this Saturday for the Bairns, with his side opening the campaign with a Premier Sports Cup Group D clash against Greenock Morton at Cappielow.
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The tie is the first of four games for Falkirk to contend with, leading onto Tuesday night’s powder-keg home match against Hibernian. They round off the group with a trip to Bonnyrigg Rose Athletic and a home match against Clyde.

Speaking to the Herald, the boss looked back on pre-season so far, saying the players have got better and better: “Coming into a new club meant that I had to get to know basically all of the squad.

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"I knew Coll Donaldson from his time at Livingston and I knew Craig McGuffie from a loan spell at Raith, but that was about it.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn's first competitive match at the helm will see his side face Greenock Morton in the Premier Sports Cup (Photo: Michael Gillen)Falkirk boss John McGlynn's first competitive match at the helm will see his side face Greenock Morton in the Premier Sports Cup (Photo: Michael Gillen)
Falkirk boss John McGlynn's first competitive match at the helm will see his side face Greenock Morton in the Premier Sports Cup (Photo: Michael Gillen)

“It was a brand new set of players so getting everything me and Paul want from our team across to them is vitally important.

“Because of that we have spent a lot of time off and on the pitch getting them linked-up into our way of thinking.

“We work on a ‘picture paints a thousand words’ type of philosophy with regards to showing the guys what we want.

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“Video footage is really important and most players really take in what you show them more so than what you have to say.

Falkirk opened pre-season with 4-1 defeat to Kilmarnock, but the signs of McGlynn's style were apparent (Photo: Michael Gillen)Falkirk opened pre-season with 4-1 defeat to Kilmarnock, but the signs of McGlynn's style were apparent (Photo: Michael Gillen)
Falkirk opened pre-season with 4-1 defeat to Kilmarnock, but the signs of McGlynn's style were apparent (Photo: Michael Gillen)

“The Champions League final between Bayern Munich and PSG a few years back is a good example – both teams pressed high and tried to pass the ball with purpose, they both wanted possession and wanted to pass with purpose and create chances – it is a game I look at and try to bring in that style and quality to what we do by showing them and talking them through it.

“I have been very pleased with the way the players have picked up what we want them to do. They have got better in every game which is a good sign.

“The first game was encouraging and we had a good 30-minutes against Stranraer. After that we won two games.”

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Looking ahead to the Cappielow trip on Saturday, he did admit it was annoying to still be carrying a number of injuries within the group.

John McGlynn was last at Cappielow as manager of Raith Rovers in the Championship (Photo: Alan Murray)John McGlynn was last at Cappielow as manager of Raith Rovers in the Championship (Photo: Alan Murray)
John McGlynn was last at Cappielow as manager of Raith Rovers in the Championship (Photo: Alan Murray)

“It is a little bit frustrating to not have everyone available for the opening game,” he added.

“Of course Paul Watson would have been out, but I would have liked to have had everyone else available for selection.

“That just isn’t the case at the moment. We’ll have to play players out of position but there isn’t much you can do about.”

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Dougie Imrie’s side have been busy over the summer, recruiting across the pitch as they look to build on a strong foundation laid by the ex-Accies star, who joined the club last year.

Recent signing Finn Yeats could be handed his Falkirk debut on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)Recent signing Finn Yeats could be handed his Falkirk debut on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)
Recent signing Finn Yeats could be handed his Falkirk debut on Saturday (Photo: Michael Gillen)

“They got an outstanding victory last Saturday against Livingston,” McGlynn said of Saturday's opponents.

“Not many teams go there and win, including Celtic and Rangers

“So to get there and not only win, but win 3-0, is no mean feat.

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“I think they will be encouraged themselves by that one and they have some talented players.

“We have things to watch out for. Lewis Strapp has a long-throw.

“Grant Gillespe and Jai Quitongo have come in from Queen’s Park and they have Jaze Kabia from Livingston too.

“They have a centre-back Darragh O’Connor who was good last season for Queen of the South.

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“They are at home and they will fancy their chances to win. They will see it the same as us, if you win the first game it puts you into a good place.

“Dougie will have his team fired up so we need to match that. If we could win it would set us up very nicely.”

With the match marking his first competitive game in the dugout as Falkirk boss, he says he looking forward to witnessing a big travelling support.

McGlynn said: “I’m sure the park will be really good at this time of the year so we can play good football.

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“The away support will travel in their numbers and they will make the most of the noise.

Hopefully we can come back with the win.”