Falkirk fell to a narrow defeat after a strong performance against Celtic. Benjamin Nygren’s late first half header was enough to edge the visitors to victory, despite an unconvincing performance at The Falkirk Stadium.
McGlynn’s side put everything into the game and were desperately unlucky to come away without any form of result. It shows how far The Bairns have come over the last few years, though, as they went toe to toe with the champions, matching them in all areas of the pitch.
It was a subdued start to the clash as each of the sides struggled to settle on the ball and weren’t able to create anything of note within the opening fifteen.
After the cagey initial start, Falkirk began to flourish, firmly taking the game to the visitors and coming agonisingly close to an opener.
Filip Lissah enjoyed the first chance in what was a flurry of opportunities for The Bairns, testing Schmeichel with a strike from the edge of the area. Despite resulting in a comfortable save for the Celtic shot-stopper, it marked the start of a dominant Falkirk spell.
Wilson was next to trouble the visitors’ defence with what was Falkirk’s best chance of the game. He made an excellent run down the right wing before bringing the ball inside and expertly side-stepping Schmeichel to give himself an open goal. He found himself off balance while striking, though, and the effort flew wide.
Falkirk didn’t take the foot off the gas from here and had another golden opportunity just a few minutes later, this time through Barney Stewart. He was played through with a clever ball but failed to convert, as his tame effort was comfortable for the keeper in the end.
It wasn’t long before The Bairns had Celtic on the ropes once more. Incredible work from Kyrell Wilson saw him win the ball following a Celtic corner before kickstarting a rapid Falkirk counter-attack. The ball was eventually worked out to Leon McCann, whose effort went well wide in the end.
Celtic were missing their usual presence, which has often seen them control games. Throughout the first thirty minutes there was a certain slackness to them as they struggled to string passes together due to Falkirk’s intense approach.
The clash calmed down from here. Celtic managed to work their way back into the game but failed to create the same calibre of chances that Falkirk had at the other end.
Martin O’Neil’s side then delivered a hammer blow to The Bairns on the stroke of half time as Benjamin Nygren rose above the crowd to nod home a vital opener for the visitors.
Falkirk were extremely unfortunate to find themselves behind at the break as they could’ve, and probably should’ve, been ahead on at least two occasions.
Celtic carried their burst of momentum into the second period, starting with a lot of pace and threatening for a second.
Despite this, they couldn’t keep Falkirk pegged back for long as the hosts grew back into the game and began testing the league champions once more. Chances weren’t coming as thick and fast as the first period, but the game was still very much there for the taking.
Celtic did manage to work the ball into the box on a number of occasions, but a combination of poor positioning and disappointing final passes mean’t they weren’t able to double their advantage.
Falkirk huffed and puffed towards the end of the game and came extremely close through substitute, Ethan Williams. He found himself in a great position in the box as he met a cross first time at the penalty spot. The effort looked destined for the net however, Schmeichel matched it with a superb save to ensure The Bairns continued to chase the game.
McGlynn’s men continued to fight for an elusive equaliser right to the final whistle, but ultimately came up short after what was a valiant effort.
Falkirk Starting XI: Scott Bain, Leon McCann, Liam Henderson, Brad Spencer ©, Finn Yeats, Barney Stewart, Connor Allan, Dylan Tait, Kyrell Wilson, Filip Lissah, Calvin Miller.
Substitutes: Nicky Hogarth, Keelan Adams, Coll Donaldson, Brian Graham, Henry Cartwright, Ethan Ross, Ethan Williams, Ben Parkinson, Louie Marsh.
Celtic Starting XI: Kasper Schmeichel, Liam Scales, Auston Trusty, Benjamin Nygren (44’), Hyunjun Yang, Julian Araujo, Sebastian Tounekti, Arne Engles, Daizen Maeda, Callum McGregor ©, Kieran Tierney.
Substitutes: Vijami Sinisalo, Luke McGowan, Johnny Kenny, Paulo Bernardo, Reo Hatate, Dane Murray, James Forrest, Colby Donovan, Anthony Ralston.
Referee: John Beaton.
Assistant Referees: Ross Macleod and Alastair Mather.
Fourth Official: Sean Murdoch.
Attendance: 7,730.
