The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Mixed feelings for Mo over close-run defeat
Montrose boss Stewart Petrie admitted he had mixed feelings after watching his side push the title favourites to the limit at Falkirk Stadium.
Josh Skelly’s early opener briefly threatened an upset, but a double from Irish striker Conor Sammon turned things around and sent the Bairns to the top of League 1.
“Falkirk are a right good side and they’re worthy favourites to win promotion,” said Petrie.
“If anybody finishes above them, they’ll be very close to winning the league, but we’ve come here and run Falkirk close.
“We scored a very good goal through Josh and we looked OK at that point, although it was a pity we didn’t stay in front for longer.”
Falkirk’s 56th-minute winner came about in freakish fashion when goalkeeper Allan Fleming’s clearance hit Sammon before spinning into the empty net, and Petrie admitted: “I didn’t really see what happened, but it seems to have been one of those bizarre goals. You don’t often concede when you’re in possession of the ball. I expected to see it go up the other end, and the next thing it was in the back of our net. That was a sore one to take, but our reaction was good and we did well to stay in the game at 2-1 down.
“We put some pressure on them near the end and we had a free kick that went close, so I thought we were a bit unlucky not to take something from the game.”
The search for a first league win of the season continues against deposed leaders Raith Rovers on Saturday, but Montrose may have to go to Kirkcaldy without Andrew Steeves and Paul Watson after both went off injured at Falkirk Stadium, Watson with a suspected cracked rib and Steeves with a damaged collarbone which required hospital treatment.