Cap call-ups disrupt Falkirk’s bid to climb

Falkirk

manager Ray Mckinnon has admitted his hopes of lifting the Bairns off bottom spot in the Championship for the first time since he arrived in August have taken a hit due to international call-ups. A home win today over

would see Falkirk leapfrog the Jags but their attack has been blunted.

Zak Rudden is with Scotland Under-20’s and Deimantas Petravicius has been called up

Partick Thistle

by Lithuania’s full team. “Getting off the bottom of the table is a great incentive for us, so it is a real blow to be without two of our strikers,” said Mckinnon. “Moving up to ninth is not something Falkirk should be celebrating but it is the prize that is on offer and I would prefer to be at full strength.”

Thistle assistant manager Brian Kerr saw enough in last weekend’s defeat by Inverness to suggest better results are in their grasp, despite manager Gary Caldwell having a played five and lost five record.

Kerr said: “We can take belief from how we played and use that to build on. There is a bit of pressure attached to this game as we are a club who want to be moving up the way, not down.” Leaders host a

side they beat 5-1 in September. “That was a great victory but it was a bit of a false score-line as Morton had a penalty at 1-1 with half an hour left so the game could have turned out differently,” said Ayr boss Ian Mccall. “I would settle for a 1-0 win in this one.”

host

Morton

Ayr United

Queen of the South Inverness Caledonian Thistle

at Palmerston and will be lookingtoendthehighlanders’ 24- game unbeaten run.