McGlynn hails battle-ready Falkirk squad after draw with Dundee United
The Bairns won back-to-back promotions under their experienced boss and the fans watched the Championship flag being unfurled before the game, marking their return to the top flight after a 15-year absence.
On-loan Barnsley forward Max Watters scored his first United goal in the 39th minute with a terrific volley, but midfielder Dylan Tait levelled in the 50th minute with a fine finish.
Ivan Dolcek restored the Tannadice side's lead in the 71st minute with his first goal for the club before home defender Ethan Ross equalised with a deflected strike two minutes later for a deserved share of the spoils.
McGlynn said: 'I don't think we've got our eyes closed. We know that the margins are finer in this league.
'We'll all look to learn from that and we will need to learn from that. But there's so many positives to take.
'A lot of these players have played in League One, they've stepped up to the Championship dealt with that, and today, I think they looked like Premiership players against Premiership players.
'We were 15 years out of it, the same group of players almost, stepping up to the challenge, 5700 season tickets.
'Dundee United filled their allocation as well. So great atmosphere.
'People want to come and be entertained. That was entertainment. That was definitely entertainment.'
United boss Jim Goodwin was proud of his under-strength side's efforts in gaining a point after they had advanced to the Conference League third qualifying round against Rapid Wien with a 2-0 aggregate win over Luxembourg side UNA Strassen on Thursday night.
He said: 'It's really strange to be sitting here on the opening day of the season and talking about the number of injuries we have.
'But there's no getting away from it. There's no excuses here.
'We're missing some real key players. Our captain and vice-captain, Ross Graham and Will Ferry. Ferry was a suspension.
'Ryan Strain, Amar Fatah and Kristijan Trapanovski were all missing and they can be great options for us off the bench or starting the game.
'A draw away from home, more often than not in this league, is not a bad result.
'On the back of us playing in Europe on Thursday, with the short turnaround and the lack of recovery time, I think we've got to be satisfied with a point.
'It was only a couple of years ago we were travelling to Arbroath to kick off the Championship season.
'In the space of two years, we're slightly disappointed to pick up a point on the opening day of the Premiership but looking forward to a game in Europe against Rapid Wien.
'When you put things in perspective, we've come a long way in a short period of time.'
Ferry will be back from suspension for the midweek trip to Austria and Goodwin hopes some others will be available, although Trapanovski will see a specialist about his hamstring problem on Monday.
Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News
Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
18 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Man Utd transfer news: Benjamin Sesko boost as Bruno Fernandes makes demand
Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes wants to see more signings before the transfer window slams shut and RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko is their top target Manchester United are looking to bounce back this season after their worst ever Premier League finish. United finished 15th last season and failed to qualify for the Champions League after losing the Europa League final to Tottenham. They have already strengthened their squad with additions of Bryan Mbeumo, Matheus Cunha and Diego Leon, while Marcus Rashford has joined Barcelona on loan and Christian Eriksen and Victor Lindelof have been released. Plenty more incomings and outgoings are expected before the transfer window slams shut, with Ruben Amorim keen to ship out the likes of Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia. Sesko boost Manchester United have received a boost in their pursuit of Benjamin Sesko after it emerged that the striker's RB Leipzig team-mate Lois Openda will not be making the move to Sunderland. United and Newcastle are both interested in signing Sesko, who netted 21 goals in 45 games across all competitions last season. Fellow Leipzig striker Openda had been heavily linked with Sunderland and it is unlikely they would have let two forwards leave in the same window. However, Sky Sports are now reporting that Openda will not be joining Sunderland and that Leipzig are likely to sell Sesko instead. Fernandes' transfer demand Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes has said the club need to add "more quality" in the transfer market this summer. "It's improving, but it's not where we want it to be," Fernandes said after United drew 2-2 with Everton in pre-season. "It's a game of football, there's always passion there. Whatever happens, happens. There was nothing spicy there, it's normal, it is part of the game. It's been positive [the US tour] and it's good to create a bond with the players. "We looked a bit lazy today and we need to change that. We needed more quality to get everyone to step up a bit more and to have more to do to get into the starting line-up. I think that's what the club and the manager are trying to do and hopefully we can get one or two players more to help with that." Shearer verdict Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer is confident that Benjamin Sesko will be a success if he joins Manchester United this summer. When asked if Sesko has the skill-set to thrive in England, Shearer told Amazon Prime: "I do, I think it's a matter of who can afford him. There is no doubt that this football club has a history of making an absolute fortune on transfers and this guy could be the next one to come into the Premier League. "Either foot - left or right - which is great to see. The work rate, the work off the ball, he's got all them things and he's got very good technique, good balance and I don't think there is a doubt in my mind that and he would look very comfortable in the Premier League. I do think he has a lot to learn, but he can learn no doubt."
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Hearts back up Tony Bloom's bullish talk with opening win over Aberdeen
The Brighton owner, who recently completed a deal to invest in the Edinburgh club, had inadvertently cranked up the pressure on Derek McInnes' side with a string of bold declarations in the 24 hours leading up to their league opener, including stating that he felt they could crack the traditional Old Firm stranglehold in Scotland by finishing in the top two this term. Bloom, who had his name sung by Hearts supporters lapping up his ambitious intentions for their club as he watched on from the main stand, avoided any early egg on his face as the Jambos dug out a deserved victory to move top of the fledgling Premiership table on goal difference. McInnes' men seized the initiative through an early own goal by Dons captain Graeme Shinnie and then overcame a rocky spell after the break to seal their win with a header from Stuart Findlay. McInnes, taking charge of his first league game 11 weeks after being headhunted from Kilmarnock, named summer signings Christian Borchgrevink, Findlay, Oisin McEntee and Claudio Braga in his starting line-up. Tomas Magnusson was on the bench after his transfer from Valur was completed hours before kick-off, and the Icelandic midfielder came on in added time. The Dons, in their first competitive match since winning the Scottish Cup in May, included debutant trio Adil Aouchiche, Kusini Yengi and Nicolas Milanovic in their starting XI. With conditions relatively calm following concerns earlier in the day that the game might fall victim to Storm Floris, Hearts started strongly and made the breakthrough in the 11th minute when Harry Milne's low delivery from the left was turned into the net by the unfortunate Shinnie on his 34th birthday after Dimitar Mitov had made an excellent save to deny McEntee. The hosts had the wind in their sails and almost doubled their lead when Milne smashed a ferocious strike off the bar from the angle of the box. The Dons' only clear chance of the first half came in the 16th minute when Yengi knocked a close-range effort against the post. Hearts captain Lawrence Shankland had a stunning strike ruled out just before the break after team-mates Frankie Kent and Craig Halkett drifted offside in the build-up. Aberdeen started the second half with renewed purpose and Yengi spurned a golden opportunity in the 50th minute before Milanovic saw an effort saved by Zander Clark. McInnes, wary of the Dons' growing threat, made a quadruple substitution and switched from 3-5-2 to 4-4-2 in 70th minute. The move seemed to work as the Jambos doubled their advantage within three minutes when Findlay arrived at the back post to nod home from close range after Dons defender Mats Knoester was unable to deal with Milne's inswinging free-kick from the right.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
AFL premiership coach Simon Goodwin sacked by Melbourne Demons
Simon Goodwin, Melbourne's only premiership coach in the past 60 years, has been sacked by the Demons. The former Adelaide champion, who led the club to the drought-breaking 2021 flag, has been let go by the Demons following just seven wins this season. Taking over from Paul Roos in a succession plan for the 2017 season, Goodwin led Melbourne to their first premiership in 57 years. But off-field turmoil and dwindling performances on the field placed the 48-year-old's job in jeopardy. Sign up to From the Pocket: AFL Weekly Jonathan Horn brings expert analysis on the week's biggest AFL stories after newsletter promotion More to follow.
