Peter Grant: Clean sheet is my goal

Peter Grant had a run and shot in the first half. Picture Michael Gillen.

Peter Grant bundled his way forward in a move unorthodox for the strapping defender half an hour into Falkirk's 1-0 win at Morton.

He scuffed his shot straight at Derek Gaston from 20 yards, but he still ended the game with his goal.

The clean sheet he said, is as importnat to a defender as a strike is for a forward.

He told The Falkirk Herald: “Three points in an away game is great with the bonus of a clean sheet.

Grant has been in goalscoring form recently, scoring in wins over Queen of the South and Dundee United. Picture Michael Gillen.

“It’s something as a defender you selfishly pride yourself in – it’s like a striker getting a goal. A win and a clean sheet is a bonus so a happy day all round.

“It’s a good result. Tuesday was disappointing and we knew we had to show a bit of character and bounce back at a really tough place and it’s always tough to get something from Cappielow. They make it hard for you here.

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“It’s important you stay disciplined and you do your own individual jobs well and try to take your chances. They pride themselves on being hard to beat and good at set-plays.

“We were lucky a couple of times with goaline scrambles and clearances but sometimes youce got to ride your luck like that but thankfully we stayed strong to the end.”

The mental challenge is something the defender also highlighted before seeking out former team-mate Luca Gasparotto for a catch-up.

“We had a high line which allowed us to stay up the park more and make less space. We knew balls would be going in behind late in the game when they pushed nearly four up against the back three, or even five with an extra midfielder going for it – that’s when the concentration kicks in. “The better players always have the concentration to dig in at the end, and that’s what splits you from the rest so it was important to come away with three points.

“We always look at one team at a time and not too far in front. It’s the next game, next game, next game and the key for us has to be consistency and that’s what we need more of as individuals and as a team. If we click that we’ll be alright. We’ll do well going forward because we have a good group of lads and strength in depth. We have to believe in ourselves.”

The next game of course is a Scottish Cup meeting at Livingston, and Grant has good memories from the competition heading in the equaliser of the 2015 final before a late kick in the teeth from Caley Thistle.

He adde: “A cup run is always good, we experienced it a couple of years ago and its important to get one and we look forward to that and see how far we go in that.”