Smith finishes his time at Falkirk

Alex Smith spent last night toasting the Falkirk fans for the way they cheered him at the end of his time as caretaker manager.

The 77-year-old ended his two-game spell with a second successive victory and hands over the reins to Paul Hartley.

Chants of: “There’s only one Alex Smith!” were belted out as the Bairns sealed their place in the next round of the Irn Bru Cup.

He’s seen it all in football, but the former St Mirren and Aberdeen manager was clearly delighted by the fond farewell.

He said: “It was nice. I’ll have a glass of wine to that.

“It’s usually, ‘Alex Smith get to –’.”

Smith steadied the ship at Falkirk after a difficult start to the season.

He believes Hartley can now benefit from a new surge of confidence in the squad.

“We haven’t looked like losing a goal in the last two games and that always gives you a base to go on and win,” he said.

“We were playing too loose, but we’ve tightened things up and that’s made a difference.

“It was important to get a second win before handing over to Paul.

“We’ve created a bit of momentum and hopefully we can get back into the area of the league where we should be competing.

“I spoke to Paul after the game and he was happy with the way we played. He will increase the confidence in the team and he knows how to take the momentum forward.

“Football is a complex game.