I WILL TAKE BAIRNS UP
PAUL HARTLEY last night insisted he’ll settle for nothing less than Premiership football after taking on the Falkirk job.
The former Dundee and Alloa boss has penned a three-year deal with the Championship strugglers, replacing axed Peter Houston after a disastrous start to their campaign.
Veteran caretaker Alex Smith will still be in charge of the side for their Irn-Bru Cup clash with Dunfermline on Saturday.
But Hartley knows the stakes and is ready to hit the ground running as the Bairns bid to resurrect their promotion challenge.
Currently nine points out of the play-off places and 12 points behind St Mirren at the top of the table the 40-year-old former Scotland midfielder said: “Falkirk is a club that’s geared up to be in the Premiership.
“We have everything in place – a fantastic stadium and fanbase. It’s just about trying to get over that final hurdle and win promotion. Hopefully I’m the person to do that.
“That’s the goal – to get to the Premiership. I’m not coming here for anything less. That’s where we need to be. We don’t want to be a Championship club.
“Due to the time the club has spent in this division that’s how people view Falkirk now but there is an ambitious board and one of the best youth academies in the country, producing a lot of players who have gone to a higher level.
“We’ve had a slow start to the season but the aim is to be in the top four this year. I was clear on my ambitions to take the club forward when I spoke to the board and that matched what they expected.”
Bairns haven’t been in the top flight since relegation in 2010 but Hartley, who won the Championship with Dundee in 2014, believes the squad is there to climb the league.
He said: “I’m surprised at the start to the season. I know a lot of the boys and I have worked with some of them before. It’s about confidence though and there’s a long way to go.
“The club has everything going for it and we believe we have a squad capable of challenging at the top of the league.
“The last few years they’ve run teams close, lost out in the play-offs, so they just need to make that last step.
“Alex and the guys will be taking the team on Saturday. I’ll be here. Hopefully we can build on the good result from last week.”