NEXT STOP: PARTICK THISTLE (H)

The Navy Blue Train remains at The Falkirk Stadium this weekend as we take on Partick Thistle in the second of three massive consecutive home games.

Kick-off is at 3pm, Saturday 8th February.

We are at home again this weekend as we welcome Partick Thistle to The Falkirk Stadium.

The two sides meet for the third time this season and both teams will be looking to make a return to winning ways.

Our last clash with Partick Thistle ended in a 1-1 draw, despite The Bairns doing more than enough to win the game with 25 attempts on goal to Partick’s eight. Despite plenty of action throughout the 90 minutes, the only goals in the game came in a two minute period, with Brian Graham’s strike cancelling out Ethan Ross’ 59th minute opener.

Falkirk are aiming to bounce back after a frustrating loss to Livingston last Friday night that saw us drop to second in the league standings.

Falkirk started the match the better of the two teams, controlling the game and seeing a few chances go their way. Against the run of play, however, it was the visitors who scored the opener. When a quick counterattack ended with Nicky Hogarth bringing down Macaulay Tait in the box, Robbie Muirhead stepped up to take the resulting penalty, tucking it away in the 13^th minute.

The Bairns pushed for an elusive equaliser as Livingston’s antics broke up the flow of the game and frustrated them. 30 minutes, three bookings, and a lot of going to ground later, the visitors scored their second in the fourth minute of added time. It was Reece McAlear who got the final touch as the ball got caught up in a scramble in the six-yard area following a corner kick.

Falkirk managed to pull one back 10 minutes into the second half. Calvin Miller slid in Barney Stewart after a driving run down the left. The young striker managed to touch the ball past Ryan McGowan, before the defender took him down with a clumsy sliding challenge. Brad Spencer then converted the penalty to get his side back in the game. Falkirk threw everything at their opponents for the remainder of the game but were unable to find the equalising goal.

Thistle hosted Greenock Morton last weekend hoping to right the wrong of losing to Dougie Imrie’s side thanks to a last minute Cameron Blues goal back in December. Partick looked on course to complete their mission when they were awarded a penalty in the 19th minute. Brian Graham was the obvious man to take it, and in very un-Brian Graham-like fashion, Brian Graham missed it.

Morton made Partick rue their missed opportunity before the half time break when Nathan Shaw put the visitors a goal up in the 45th minute. The Jags finally got their first goal in the 61st minute thanks to Daniel O’Reilly, but Morton retaliated just eight minutes later through Filip Stuparevic. Things weren’t going to plan for Partick but, this time, it was their turn to score a last minute goal, with Logan Chalmers rescuing a point for his side in injury time.

Partick Thistle remain in the top four despite only winning once in five league games. They sit nine points behind Livingston and seven points ahead of Queen’s Park.