Falkirk manager John McGlynn has set a target of 15 points from his team's first 11 Premiership games ahead of their trip to face Aberdeen FC at Pittodrie on Wednesday night. A victory would achieve that goal, which McGlynn described as a huge opportunity for his newly assembled squad.
McGlynn's side currently sit seventh with 12 points from 10 matches, a strong start for a team that brought in 17 new players over the close season. "That’s the target though, we have to aim for that," McGlynn said. He noted his team managed 15 points from every 11-game block last season, and with one fixture remaining in this first segment, a win at Pittodrie would see them equal that benchmark.
McGlynn's selection posers
Integrating so many new signings has created selection dilemmas for the manager. Midfielder Ben Krauhaus is expected to be fit again after injury, while Finley Barbrook impressed in an advanced role in his absence. Defender Deniss Melniks also earned praise after slotting into a deeper midfield position alongside Brad Spencer in Saturday's 3-0 win over Kilmarnock. McGlynn singled out both Barbrook and Melniks, admitting their performances have given him a positive selection headache for the Aberdeen game.
Falkirk's recent form has been encouraging, with back-to-back wins against Hibernian and Kilmarnock moving them up the table. They travel to face an Aberdeen side that sits ninth with 11 points from its opening 10 games, fresh from a 3-2 defeat at Dundee United last Thursday. Aberdeen's record of three wins and two draws from their ten games leaves them 16 points behind leaders Celtic. Their overall form across the last five matches shows two wins, one draw and two defeats.
For Aberdeen, the focus will be on bouncing back at home, where they have won three of their five league matches this season. Their top scorer Kevin Nisbet, who has four goals this campaign, found the net in the loss at Tannadice. The Dons have scored 12 goals this season but conceded 13, leaving them with a negative goal difference. The Dons will aim to use their home advantage against a Falkirk side that has already shown it can compete, having won and drawn on their two visits to Pittodrie last season. The match kicks off a busy period for both clubs as they look to climb the standings.
McGlynn believes reaching the 15-point mark would be a significant statement for his evolving team, helping to pull them further from the lower reaches of the division. The fixture concludes the first round of 11 games for Falkirk, offering a clear measure of their progress under the manager's rebuild.
This story first appeared at heraldscotland.com
