The Bairns were surprisingly defeated on penalties to League One opposition Alloa Athletic, ending their chances of progressing to the latter stages of the Premier Sports Cup.
With Tuesday’s away trip to Alloa Athletic being the penultimate group stage fixture for the Bairns, nothing less than a victory was vital for John McGlynn’s side.
Falkirk took the lead late into the first half with a wonderfully worked goal, Brad Spencer with a perfectly weighted lofted ball into new summer signing Scott Tanser, who guided it past the Alloa Athletic keeper from just inside the box.
Midway through the second half of play, hosts Alloa Athletic got their equaliser through Kyle Glasgow, in what was a goal to forget for new Falkirk man, Jack McMillan. A dismal throw from inside the own half was cut out by Alloa Athletic midfielder Grant Marchant, quickly playing the ball to Rangers loanee Kyle Glasgow, whose effort from outside the box found the bottom left-hand side of the net.
In the dying stages of the game, Falkirk pushed and pushed for the winner, forcing Ross Stewart to make several good saves. But ultimately, the Bairns failed to find the back of the net. A penalty shootout was in store for the two sides.
Brad Spencer and Ben Parkinson were successful from the spot for Falkirk, however, with misses from new man Ryan Strain and Liam Henderson, combined with an excellent showcase of penalties from the Wasps, Falkirk lost 4-2 on penalties to League One Alloa Athletic.
Here’s what Falkirk manager John McGlynn had to say post-game:
John McGlynn on the game:
“It’s a massive disappointment. We’ve qualified previously for three out of the four seasons.”
“We are in transition, you know, there’s no magic wand to this its going to take a bit of time, it’s the biggest turnover in players that we’ve had.”
“This is going to take a little bit more than any of us would like, so I know were disappointed and frustrated, but we still got to stick together, hang in there. We’ve not even kicked a ball in the league yet, so we have to knuckle down.”
“We got one game against Stranraer. It’s now impossible for us to qualify, so we’ve got no pressure on ourselves just to go and produce a performance that’s worthy of putting that jersey on.”
It has been a frantic summer window for the Bairns and John McGlynn, with the departure of several key players who all made last season so successful, and an influx of new arrivals. The start of the 2026/27 Scottish Premiership season is fast approaching for John McGlynn, who will know how vital it is to get his new squad ticking in time for the start of the new season.
Falkirk kick off their Scottish Premiership 2026/27 campaign in just over a week, hosting Saint Mirren on Saturday, the 1st of August.