Falkirk

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn fears midfielder Aidan Nesbitt may be out for 12 weeks.

Nesbitt, 29, came off after 12 minutes of Falkirk's opening Premier Sports Cup win at Edinburgh City. The Bairns then lost to Ayr United and are still to play Alloa Athletic and Stranraer.

"He's done the same ankle as he had done towards the end of last season," McGlynn told club media after Saturday's 1-0 friendly win at home to Genk. "He's going for a scan on Tuesday.

"If you're looking at worst case scenario, you're looking at an operation and you're looking at the same kind of timescale as we're talking about Keelan Adams, the general 12 weeks post-op. It's a huge blow for Aidan.

"Keelan's not available for the foreseeable. Keelan Adams isn't going to be back any time soon."

Adams' injury and one to summer signing Jack McMillan led to Falkirk signing Ryan Strain as a further right-back option.

Former Motherwell defender McMillan is yet to feature for the Bairns after an injury picked up during a pre-season camp in Portugal. Meanwhile, injured goalkeeper Scott Bain will have a protective boot removed soon.

"Jack McMillan's not far away now," McGlynn explained. "He isn't far away.

"He's going to go back into training on Monday, which would be really, really good to get him back. He did so well in Portugal. I was really disappointed to lose him just towards the end of that trip to the injury that he had because he was doing so well. He's a player that can play a number of positions.

"By the end of the week, Scott Bain should be able to come out of his moon boot. We'll just need to see how that goes."

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An early goal from Leon McCann was enough to give Falkirk a narrow win over a Genk side who were playing their second pre-season friendly within 24 hours.

The Belgians had beaten Motherwell 4-3 in Friday's friendly at Fir Park.

But they fell behind after six minutes at Falkirk Stadium following a fine cross from trialist David Ninkovic, the 26-year-old Serbian winger last with Perth Azzurri.

Striker Ross MacIver fluffed his volley in front of goal, but full-back McCann was on hand at the back post to fire home.

Noah Adedeji-Sternberg came close to an equaliser when the Belgium Under-21 winger was through on goal but fired against the face of the far post just after the hour mark.

Jelle Driessen then manufactured a great chance with a clever one-two on the edge of the penalty box, but the 17-year-old midfielder fired against the underside of the bar from close range with only the goalkeeper to beat.

The crossbar again came to Falkirk's rescue against a Belgian side who travelled with a large squad of senior and youth players as 18-year-old full-back Wout Kapers was denied from long range.

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn says Ryan Strain fits a specific need at right-back after the former Dundee United man joined the Bairns on a free transfer.

Strain, 29, is a familiar figure in the Scottish Premiership having played for St Mirren before joining United in 2024. His contract at Tannadice expired at the end of last season.

Falkirk will be without Keelan Adams for approximately nine more weeks after he had an operation earlier this summer, while summer signing Jack McMillan is also injured.

"I'm delighted to bring in a player of Ryan's quality and experience," McGlynn said.

"I've mentioned in recent interviews that Keelan Adams has had an operation and has approximately another nine weeks of recovery ahead of him, provided there are no setbacks. Jack McMillan is also injured at the moment, so I felt we needed to strengthen in that area.

"Ryan is a proven Premiership player who has performed consistently at this level for both St Mirren and Dundee United. He knows the league inside out, understands exactly what is required and comes in ready to make an immediate impact, so this isn't a gamble in any way whatsoever.

"He is a very accomplished right-back, both defensively and going forward. He has great energy, uses the ball well and gives us another real attacking threat down that side.

"Just as importantly, he brings composure, professionalism and a wealth of experience to the group.

"He is a quality addition to the squad, and I'm confident he'll make a big contribution for us."

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John McGlynn admits Falkirk are "looking for favours" in the League Cup group stage after Tuesday night's defeat at home to Ayr United.

Kevin Holt's first half goal was enough to steer the second tier side to victory against the Bairns who had a chance to level from the penalty spot with five minutes to play but Ross McIver's attempt was saved by Harry Stone.

The result leaves Falkirk second in Group G, three points behind Ayr United after two games.

"We've done well in the League Cup now we're kind of chasing," McGlynn told club media.

"All we can do is try and win our next two games, and I don't know if nine points will get you through. More often than not it doesn't.

"There might be a hiccup somewhere along the way that might help us, but you're now looking for favours because we obviously have to go and do the rest of the job ourselves.

"We've got to win the next two games in the group and hope that's enough. But I'm really disappointed. That was not what I was looking for.

"We changed things in the second half to have a go, but at the same time, we've not done enough.

"We got a penalty, a wee bit of quality, Ethan Ross managed to get in a good area and we got a penalty kick from it and it summed up that we missed a penalty. If you score the penalty with five minutes to go, you maybe get a winner, you may be win on penalties and we might have got a get out of jail card."

Ross County forward Brian Graham suggests his former Falkirk manager John McGlynn as Scotland manager. (Press and Journal - subscription required, external)

Wednesday's Scottish gossip

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Falkirk are "a good platform" for Ben Krauhaus, says manager John McGlynn after signing the midfielder on a season-long loan from Brentford.

The Englishman joins the Bairns after two loan spells at first club Bromley and has made more than 130 senior appearances, scoring 18 goals.

Krauhaus could debut in Tuesday's Premier Sports Cup match against Ayr United at the Falkirk Stadium. Falkirk opened Group G with a 5-0 win at Edinburgh City on Saturday.

"Ben Krauhaus is an attacking midfielder who was brought to our attention by Brentford," McGlynn told Falkirk media.

"Ben was playing for Bromley when Brentford signed him and last season he was a big part of the squad that won promotion to League One.

"He therefore comes to us with a lot of experience, having already played in some big games, and that can only help us.

"This is a good platform for Ben to take the next step in his career and I am sure he will do an excellent job for us in the season ahead."

Amy Canavan
BBC Sport Scotland at Meadowbank Stadium

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John McGlynn insists he's "got to concentrate on the job here" at Falkirk amid his linkage to the Scotland managerial vacancy.

McGlynn's Bairns began their Premier Sports Cup campaign with a convincing, five-goal win at Edinburgh City but the 64-year-old knew he would likely be faced with questions on the national team job after his former colleague and ex-Scotland manager, Craig Levein, touted him for it on BBC Radio Scotland.

"It's nice to have the support from guys like Craig Levein," McGlynn told BBC Scotland.

"He has a great standing in the game. I've worked with Craig and he's been an influence on my career as well, without a doubt.

"I've got to concentrate on the job here and I'm just delighted that we've got three points on the board."

The Scottish FA are looking for Steve Clarke's successor after the head coach resigned two weeks ago following Scotland's World Cup exit.

Journalist Gordon Waddell and Falkirk fan Craig Cruickshanks join BBC Scotland's Charlotte Cohen to discuss the Bairns' prospects for the coming season.

Can they improve on last season's sixth-place finish in the Scottish Premiership? What impact will be the departures of key players Calvin Miller and Barney Stewart? And how long will John McGlynn remain manager as he is touted by some to be Scotland's new head coach?

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Scott Bain and Keelan Adams will miss the start of the season for Falkirk, manager John McGlynn has confirmed.

Adams is set to be out until September, while fellow right-back Jack McMillan, recently signed from Partick Thistle, is a doubt for Saturday's Premier Sports Cup opener at Edinburgh City.

Midfielder Finn Yeats is also struggling with an ankle issue, while experienced goalkeeper Bain may not be fit for the Premiership's first weekend in early August after a setback in his recovery from a foot problem.

The 34-year-old was ruled out of contention for Scotland's World Cup squad after picking up the injury in April.

"Keelan missed some games at the end of last season and all the information we got was that he would be okay when he came back for pre-season," McGlynn told club media.

"That didn't happen, he came back and he needed another scan that showed that it had not been healed adequately. One of the options was surgery, and that was the option we took.

"Scott is in the same category. He missed a fair chunk at the end of the season and, again, the information we were getting was that he'd be okay to get back into pre-season training, which he has done.

"However, his foot's began to get sore. He's had a scan (on Tuesday) which has shown a little fracture or chip which means that he's going to have to go into a boot for the next couple of weeks.

"We're hoping that would be enough to get over that situation but we've been here with a number of players and these things can sometimes take a little bit longer.

"That's an absolute blow. We're not having much luck in these situations at all. Fingers crossed that it is only a couple of weeks that he's going to be missing."

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Falkirk forward Ross MacIver scored with four minutes remaining to secure a 2-1 win away to Airdrieonians in their pre-season friendly.

Dapo Mebude, the forward who left Arbroath this summer, headed the Scottish League 1 side ahead just before half-time.

But centre-half Liam Henderson nodded in a reply after the break and MacIver pounced on a defensive error to secure a win for the Premiers.hip visitors.

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Former Scotland boss Craig Levein thinks Falkirk manager John McGlynn "plays the type of football Scottish people want to see" as the search for Steve Clarke's successor continues.

Despite signing a new four-year deal before the start of this summer's World Cup, the head coach stepped down following Scotland's elimination from the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Levein, who was in charge of Scotland between 2009 and 2012, suggested Falkirk manager McGlynn could be a perfect fit.

"He's without doubt the most meticulous manager I've ever seen," Levein told BBC Sportsound of the 64-year-old who led Falkirk to back-to-back promotions and a top six finish in their first top flight season.

"He goes into great detail. Just look at the evidence.

"John McGlynn plays the type of football that Scottish people would like to see. He also plays with pace and aggression, I'm a huge fan."

Levein knows McGlynn from their time together at Hearts when McGlynn worked with the youth academy.

"He was in the academy when I was at Hearts before he went in to work with Brendan Rodgers [as a scout at Celtic] and he changed his philosophy and the way he played.

"He came out of that period at Celtic playing a different style of football altogether.

"If you want to do the Scotland job you get all the rubbish that comes with it."

Dundee United manager Jim Goodwin has revealed he had told Falkirk of his interest in new midfield signing Dylan Tait in January. (The Courier, external)

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Falkirk goalkeeper Jay Hogarth has re-joined Scottish League Two side Clyde on a season-long loan.

The 22-year-old is the brother of current Bairns keeper Nicky Hogarth and joined Falkirk from Clyde on a permanent deal earlier this month following the expiration of his contract.

Hogarth made 43 appearances for Clyde across all competitions last term and kept 13 clean sheets.

Falkirk aim to seal a loan deal for 21-year-old Ipswich Town midfielder Finley Barbrook. (Daily Record), external

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Lewis Neilson has the "raw material" to flourish at Falkirk, says John McGlynn, as the centre-back makes a permanent switch following his Hearts exit.

The defender, 23, has signed a two-year contract after making 24 appearances on loan last season at the Bairns, who finished sixth on their Premiership return.

Neilson also top-flight experience from spells with St Johnstone and Dundee United.

"At 23, he's the perfect age, and we know he has a little bit of improving to do, but the raw material is there," said manager McGlynn.

"He's one of the quickest centre-backs I've ever worked with and he's good on the ball. There's still some fine-tuning to be done with Lewis but, overall, he's a very good professional and he's a joy to work with.

"He's got a good career ahead of him and we want to try and make the most of that and get him playing at the top of his game, which is something we're looking forward to."

Falkirk chief executive Jamie Swinney says the multi-million pound sales of players like Bojan Miovski, Lennon Miller and Keiron Bowie in recent years show Scottish clubs are "not taking the first bid or the second". (Record - subscription required), external

Sunday's Scottish gossip

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Falkirk manager John McGlynn "would be a brilliant appointment" for Hearts, but they are likely "go a little more left field", former Tynecastle midfielder Andy Halliday has predicted.

McGlynn started his coaching career with Hearts - and had a short spell as manager - but last season led the Bairns to a sixth-place finish in their first season back in the Scottish Premiership.

"John McGlynn should stand a chance, that's for sure," Halliday told BBC Scotland's Sportsound when asked to assess his chances of succeeding Derek McInnes, who has joined Rangers.

"Jamestown will look at the analytics and, if John McGlynn doesn't show up well in their analytics, I don't know who will - back-to-back promotions and one of them an invincible season then finishing in the top six.

"I do feel, though, they will go a little more left field."

Halliday, though, thinks Rangers' appointment of McInnes and the return of Martin O'Neill to Celtic shows that clubs should not "turn their noses up" at the quality of coaches closer to home.

He believes Hearts can overcome the loss of McInnes and captain Lawrence Shankland to Rangers.

"If you told a Hearts fan how the last three weeks were going to pan out, there would be a lot of worry, but this is Jamestown Analystics' strengths," Halliday suggested.

"This is what they've done at Brighton when losing their top players and replacing them with players on a smaller fee and selling high and they've done that obviously with Union Saint-Gilloise and winning the Belgian title.

"If this was any other season, there would be a lot of panic, and rightly so, but I think, with Tony Bloom's investment, there is certainly less case for worry.

"I completely get the rhetoric that they're going to improve, but I don't think they'll ever get the chance again to win the league with three minutes to go.

"I don't see that happening in the next five, six, seven years in this 10-year plan that they are in.

"I think it's almost impossible for Celtic to be as bad as they were last season and I think Rangers are going to improve under Derek McInnes."