GRANT CONFIDENT THAT BAIRNS CAN BATTLE BACK

WHEN it comes to dealing with pressure in the Championship, Falkirk have proven they are more than capable of keeping calm and delivering when it matters. Last season’s journey to the Premiership play-off final, when they edged Hibernian in the semi-final only to then be defeated by Kilmarnock, showed that Peter Houston’s men are dangerous opponents. Expectation levels are high. Repeating the feat will take some doing — and there are signs already it will be a fight until the very end. Saturday’s draw with Ayr United was the type of game the Bairns most probably would have won last season. Despite falling behind to Gary Harkins’ strike midway through the first half, they equalised with the last action of the opening 45 minutes thanks to Peter Grant’s header. That the goal arrived from the resulting corner after Ayr goalkeeper Greg Fleming had saved John Baird’s penalty gave the indication it was going to be Falkirk’s day. But a point was all Houston’s team could earn. It showed they will need to rediscover their battling qualities to be involved in the promotion play-offs. ‘The league is just as hard even without Rangers this season,’ said defender Grant. ‘The likes of Dunfermline and Ayr coming up have shown they can make it tough — even for the likes of Hibs. They’ve got experienced players who have played in the league, but we know the expectation from within our own club is to get back into the play-offs after achieving that last season. ‘We lost a few players, but that pressure was always going to be there. We also made good signings, so we know what we need to do to be in the mix. ‘It’s about getting that consistency and doing the basics right from the first minute until the last.’ Falkirk’s point keeps them in fourth spot but three points behind third-placed Morton, who have a game in hand. Ian McCall’s side occupy the relegation play-off position and sit seven points above bottom-team St Mirren. Grant believes scoring so quickly after Baird’s missed penalty shows the desire within the Bairns. ‘It was a relief to get the equaliser,’ said the 22-yearold, who recently returned to action after missing nearly a year due to a cruciate knee ligament injury he sustained last January. ‘Especially with John Baird missing the penalty, which was a surprise because he has a good record, but that can happen to anyone. ‘That shows the character in this team that we keep going. I’m just disappointed the game ended up a draw because we felt we had done enough with the chances we had.’ Fleming’s spot-kick save was his sixth of the season. Despite his heroics, the goalkeeper insists luck will always play a part. ‘I made a few saves but we dug in well and it’s a decent point because not many teams will take points at Falkirk,’ he said.