Inside 'serious' behind closed doors Celtic clash as Premiership club gain from hush-hush Hoops clash

The former midfielder played for the Bairns at last week’s rebooted Tennent’s Sixes tournament but his day-to-day work in Grangemouth is with John McGlynn’s first team. After a top six finish last season, the Bairns have had a tougher start to this campaign, sitting 11th ahead of a home clash against Dundee this Saturday.

Celtic and Falkirk took the chance to keep match sharpness up in a friendly that was held behind closed doors during the three-week Premiership hiatus. First team coach McGinn says the league champions played the game in serious fashion that tested the Bairns players who featured.

Who did Celtic play during the international break?

McGinn said: “We broke off for a week and that was important, even for the manager himself. I get a bit of it with my phone going, but he has been constant with agents and players over the summer. Even for him, it would have been good to switch off after such a busy window.

“We had a week off and then we were back in training before a bounce game with Celtic on Friday. We feel as if we have used the time well. We shared the minutes against Celtic and they took it seriously as you would expect. It became a really good competitive game and we took a lot of positives out of it. We were pleased with what we got out of it.”

Falkirk entered the break with a 1-1 draw against St Johnstone, where they conceded in the last minute, dropping two points in Perth. Still on the same points as they were this time last season though, McGinn is not concerned over where McGlynn’s side are in the league currently, amid a summer of change where Calvin Miller, Dylan Tait and Barney Stewart were amongst those departing.

He added: “I’ve quite enjoyed the nature of this break. We came into it off the back of a sore one against St Johnstone, losing a last-minute goal. But we are on the exact same points as were at this stage last season. And that has been with a lot of changes to the squad, so we can’t be too despondent. We are now really looking forward to the Dundee game.

“We are expecting a tough game against Dundee because all our games against them normally are. The matches have been tight between two organised teams. We know their strengths and weaknesses, and it’s a huge game for us off the back of dropping four points in the last two away games. It’s a massive game and we won’t underplay it.”

The Scottish Football Social Club is presented by BetSBK.com | 18+ | Gamble Responsibly