Kerr ready to fend off challenge for second

AFTER getting their noses in front of Hibs in the Championship, Mark Kerr knows Falkirk must now cope with the adjustment of going from the hunter to the hunted. Victory over bottom side Alloa put them two points clear of Alan Stubbs’ men in second place, making the most of the Easter Road side’s hat-trick of league defeats and their involvement in yesterday’s Scottish Cup quarter-final. With Hibs also on League Cup Final duty this Sunday, that advantage could stretch to five points if Peter Houston’s outfit can claim victory against Dumbarton this coming weekend. Although veteran midfielder Kerr insists the word ‘pressure’ has not yet been uttered in the Falkirk dressing room, he confessed they will have new stresses and strains to deal with as they bid to hang on to the runners-up spot. ‘We’re there, we’ve handled the pressure and we’re above Hibs now, so we just need to look forward to next week and try to get another three points on the board,’ said the 34-year-old. ‘It doesn’t matter who you’re playing against, home or away, we need to handle that. ‘Nobody’s spoken about feeling the pressure or anything like that. But there is pressure there, because when Hibs were second they had that tag where we were trying to claw them back and get ahead of them. ‘We’ve managed to do that now, so we just have to enjoy it and work hard, and hopefully do the business this week. ‘Hibs will have games in hand but if we can get the points it’s better to have them on the board, especially at this stage of the season.’ Kerr ended any lingering hopes Alloa had of taking something from Saturday’s match when he curled in a magnificent second goal in the 36th minute, climaxing a sweeping counter-attack with a superb finish from the edge of the box. Just eight minutes earlier, Paul Watson had headed in the opener from a Blair Alston corner to ensure the Bairns would not pass up the chance of going second.