Paul has a point to prove in new derby
Magic knows Bairns gaffer will be fired up for clash with his Pars side
PAUL HARTLEY was just a happy spectator the last time Falkirk beat Dunfermline on the eve of him taking charge of the Bairns in October.
This time he’ll be in the dugout and opposite number Allan Johnston expects him to be desperate to put his stamp on yet another derby stage.
Both bosses are no strangers to the passion of local rivalries as battlehardened veterans of the Old Firm clash, Edinburgh derby and – in former Sunderland man Johnston’s case – the Tyne-Wear derby.
So Johnston knows the strength of feeling that today’s trip to Falkirk will generate and reckons few people will relish that more than Hartley.
He said: “I’m sure Paul will want to set down a marker in his first game as manager against Dunfermline. He’ll be desperate to get a result.
“But we’re desperate to get a result as well. We’ll have a big following there and we have to make sure we don’t let anybody down by putting in a performance to get the points. When I first came to the club that was one of the things I noticed. There’s such a big rivalry that both clubs are desperate to outdo each other.
“Falkirk have had the upper hand over the last couple of years. It’s important we turn it round this year, get the results and performances against them to kick on.
“We let ourselves down against Inverness last week. It wasn’t good enough. The game was a wee bit scrappy and you need to do the ugly side of the game as well – you have to win your battles. You have to outwork the guy you’re playing against.
“That was maybe just a wake-up call to make sure that we get back to the standards we set earlier.”
Falkirk will be boosted by the addition of Hamilton striker Louis Longridge, recruited from the top flight this week on an emergency loan deal.
Along with fit-again Rory Loy, Longridge could pose a potent threat to the Pars rearguard and he is on a mission to make the most of some long-overdue regular game time.
Longridge said: “At this stage I’m looking for starts and racking up as many minutes as I can, rather than coming on in games and trying to exert influence that way.
“I’ve had game time at Hamilton already this season so I hope to hit the ground running. This is a big opportunity at a big club and hopefully I can help the team jump up the league. “I had a successful spell at Raith Rovers in this division, and before that I was at Hamilton where we managed to get up through the play-offs. So I know about the league. “My brother Jackson plays in it too (with Livingston) so I’m always keeping track of things. “I’m a bit surprised at Falkirk’s position but they’re a big club. I hope to score goals get some assists and help them shoot back up the table where they belong.”