Falkirk began the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season with a 2-0 defeat at home to St Mirren.

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Here’s a look back at the Bairns’ Premiership opener.

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Attack

Falkirk managed nine shots, with one hitting the target, and six of the nine were blocked. The expected goals (xG) battle, a measure of how good each chance was based on similar shots historically, finished 0.86-1.69 in the visitors’ favour. 

The best openings came in the second period; Ryan Strain’s effort in the 68th minute was worth 0.2 xG, and Liam Henderson’s header from a corner moments later was a 0.19 xG chance. 

Finn Yeats had three shots, worth a combined 0.19 xG, landing his first on target.

Falkirk were dangerous down the left flank, generating 0.35 xG from 20 attacks, with attacks from the centre a key area of productivity, creating 0.37 xG from 13 attacks.

The right flank saw the same volume as the left, 20 attacks, but only led to chances worth a combined 0.14 xG.

Defence

Killian Phillips scored both of the visitors’ goals, in the 11th and 86th minutes; he was responsible for 1.07 of St Mirren’s 1.69 xG, taking five shots and hitting the target with four of them.

Falkirk’s overall pressing figure, PPDA (passes per defensive action), was 5.97, so the intensity of their press meant that St Mirren could only put together roughly six passes before there was a turnover, whereas St Mirren’s PPDA was at 11.2. This shows that the visitors were more comfortable allowing Falkirk possession, compared to the Bairns, who were trying to win the ball back more aggressively when they did not have it.

The hosts registered 106 ball recoveries compared to St Mirren’s 88, and won 54% of their duels compared to the visitors’ 45%, demonstrating their appetite and desire to get back into the game after going behind early on.

Scott Bain pulled off three saves in the match and was only beaten by Phillips’ close-range opener and his late finish from a counter-attack, with the latter taking a big deflection to take it out of his reach.

Possession

Falkirk had 58% possession, but were unable to produce their best on-the-ball moments in the St Mirren penalty area; they completed nine of 29 attempted passes in the box, where the visitors were more clinical in that aspect, completing 13 of their 22 in the Falkirk box.

This can be seen in the success rate of passes into the final third as well; Falkirk completed 34 of 60 attempted (57%), and St Mirren completed 28 of 43 attempted (65%). Both sides were patient in possession, with Falkirk going long with only 15% of their passes and St Mirren doing so with just 13%.

Set pieces

Both sides won seven corners; the Bairns had two shots from their seven, and they defended St Mirren’s corners well to ensure the visitors did not register a shot from a corner in the match. 

Crossing accuracy was an area to improve on for the hosts, finding a team-mate with five of their 22 crosses (23%), compared to St Mirren’s more accurate crosses reaching a team-mate nine times from 17 attempts (53%).

Players

It was a busy encounter for Ryan Strain, who was involved in 69 actions, and won 12 of his 19 duels; his 68th-minute shot was Falkirk’s highest xG chance of the match. 

Liam Henderson won 13 of his 19 duels and completed 55/59 of his passes (93%). Finn Yeats had the most shots of any Falkirk player, three, and can carry that attacking potency into the trip to Motherwell on Sunday.

Conclusion

Falkirk had the greater share of possession and passed the ball with more accuracy, but St Mirren created the better chances and had the player, Killian Phillips, who took them. 

The intensity was there out of possession, with a PPDA figure of 5.97 displaying the pressure they applied on St Mirren without the ball, but in the end they could not recover from going behind 11 minutes in.

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