The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Bollan hails battling Forfar after loss to Hippolyte-inspired Bairns
Forfar manager Gary Bollan praised his players’ battling qualities last night after they followed Saturday’s home defeat to Stirling Albion with a demanding 90 minutes at Falkirk Stadium.
The Loons trailed 4-0 early in the second half and were only spared further damage by Marc McCallum’s brave goalkeeping and an act of mercy from Bairns boss Peter Houston.
The Bairns boss brought off hat-trick hero Myles Hippolyte with over 20 minutes still to play but with their third straight win and a place in the next round already assured. Nathan Austin was Falkirk’s other scorer.
Veteran defender Simon Mensing sent a free header wide at 1-0, while Marc Scott was fractionally off-target with a secondhalf effort, but lack of firepower could be a problem for Forfar this season.
Midfielder Mark Millar, with two stoppage-time strikes, is still the only player to have found the net for them this summer, a stat that will need to change if they are to compete in League One.
“It was always going to be difficult coming here against a good Falkirk side,” pointed out Bollan.
“We knew it would be tough and it was. All four goals could have been avoided and that’s disappointing, but the boys stuck together and never gave up.
“We have a lot to do, though, and we need to be a lot better defensively. It’s a 4-0 defeat and we’re disappointed, but we had one or two wee half-chances and there are a few positives to take out of the game.”
Falkirk: Thomson, Muirhead, Watson, Gasparotto, Gallacher, Craigen, Kerr, McKee, Hippolyte (O’Hara 68), Loy (Miller 68), Austin (Shepherd 46).
Forfar: McCallum, Travis, Mensing, Munro, Malone, Cox, Millar, Easton (Aitken 74), Bain, Lister (See 68), Scott.