I expect Tons of abuse but I’ll grin and Bairn it
MacLean called Judas online but it has been worth it to reunite with boss Ray
FALKIRK forward Ross MacLean admits he is bracing himself for a torrent of abuse at Morton tonight after being branded “Judas” by their fans on social media.
The 21-year-old returns to Cappielow for this evening’s televised clash just a month after ending his loan stint at Ton from Motherwell to join the Bairns on a permanent deal.
Despite struggling for game time under Jonatan Johansson in Greenock, the switch did not go down well with supporters furious with the youngster for reuniting with manager Ray McKinnon.
McKinnon controversially quit Morton in August after just three months at the helm to move to the Bairns who were later fined £60,000 by the SPFL for making an illegal approach for the 48-year-old manager.
And MacLean concedes that the bad blood between the sides is certain to make him a target for fans on the pitch.
He said: “It will be interesting, I’m expecting some stick from the fans in the stand but I’m looking forward to it.
“I was having a wee laugh with the gaffer and I told him that I would be taking some of the heat
off him this time. I said: ‘You should be delighted with that.’
“With the way the gaffer left Morton that probably adds a wee extra spice to it but it’s football and it won’t bother me at all.
“It will give me a lift on the park because when the crowd is against you then you want to prove them wrong.
“I’m also taking a wee bit of stick on social media so that will drive me forward.
“They’re just trying to wind me up, calling me Judas and snake, that kind of thing.
“You need to just bite your tongue and take it but it’s hard not to respond to it.
“I just need to keep a cool head and hopefully we get a positive result then I can enjoy myself a wee bit.”
MacLean, who is hoping to help Falkirk move out of the relegation zone this evening, admits he had no hesitation in making the switch when gaffer McKinnon got in touch.
He added: “I loved every minute of my time under him (McKinnon), we were sitting top of the league at Morton and everyone respected the gaffer.
“I wanted to get that feeling again, you want to play for the gaffer – you enjoy training and you wake up in the morning wanting to go to training. So I feel it was the right move.”
Ton gaffer Johansson is looking to use their 1-0 win over Queen of the South as a platform.
He said: “We want to build on that win. It was important as we had gone five games in the league without a success.
“We had to ensure that did not become too negative and we did just that.
“We deserved to win and now we go again against Falkirk. It would be great to get the three points that push us into the top half and further away from other issues.”
Morton miss the injured Rory McKeown, Denny Johnstone and Gary Oliver.
You have to bite your tongue but it’s hard not to respond ROSS MacLEAN