16 hours ago
Brad Spencer reveals the Falkirk title message from Brian Graham moments after Patrick Thistle heartbreak
The then-Thistle striker had dealt a hammerblow to the Bairns title hopes - before joining them in the Premiership for the new season
Brad Spencer trudged off the pitch with his head spinning and Brian Graham's consoling arm draped round him – but kind words were the last thing on his mind in Maryhill.
A stoppage-time sickener from Partick Thistle substitute Terry Ablade had sealed a 2-1 defeat – Falkirk 's third winless clash – putting the title party on ice and giving Livingston a shot at reeling them back in.
The Bairns had looked nailed on for the crown at the outset of April but as the whistle blew at Firhill, Spencer could only stew.
Then came Graham, Thistle's co-boss and the man who had opened the scoring, offering a few words of solace.
Spencer's first instinct may have been to tell him where to go – little did he know that place was Falkirk in a summer double deal along with former Celtic keeper Scott Bain.
John McGlynn's men held their nerve a week later for title glory and a long-awaited return to the top flight as Spencer, now 29, capped it all by being named PFA Scotland Championship Player of the Year.
Looking back, that chat with Graham didn't sting for long – in fact, he's grateful for it now.
The vice-skipper said: 'Brian came up to me after the game at Firhill. I was speaking to him before about the Player of the Year and stuff like that.
'He said something about it being a great year for myself and then 'just go on and win it', he's 'desperate for us to win it', we deserve to win it and 'you'll go get the job done next week'. In the end we did.
'I definitely had different words in my head than those that came out at the time to tell Brian just because I was annoyed at how the game went!
'He was being professional, it was lovely words and in the end there were people who were rooting for us to go out and do the job because we consistently were the best team in the league. It was nice from Brian.
'Looking back now, it was the best way we could've done it – at home in front of our fans and enjoying the night like that was magic.
'Taking it into the last game obviously wasn't good at times for people's nerves but we always had strong belief in the squadwe would get it done.'
Now Spencer reckons the old guard – 37-year-old Graham, 36-year-old Scott Arfield and 33-year-old Bain – can form a solid spine for a young squad stepping into the big time.
He added: 'I've known Brian for a while. Playing against him, you get to chat.
'Scott seems a lovely lad also, another good character the gaffer has picked. He's got a knack of picking good players to have around the dressing room. It would be daft not to lean on their experience.
'They've both been around the game for a long time, along with Scotty. It's an experienced group, compared to last year when we were a wee bit younger.
'We've got a wee bit of a mixture – we've got pace, we've got experience. It's exciting.
'We had success last year against a couple of Premiership teams and still played our way in those games. At times wehad to sit in, soak up a wee bit more pressure and rely on a wee bit of luck or Nicky (Hogarth) to make saves.
'So it's going to be different. We just need to add different strings to our bow and try to find the best way to win games.
'The gaffer has always stressed about keeping the continuity and feelgood factor around the place. If you start ripping everything apart, you're starting from the bare bones.
'Whereas we're two, three years into our journey. We know what to expect from the gaffer and Smudger (assistant Paul Smith) which suits a lot of us.
'It has worked. That's how we get the best out of people like myself, Dylan (Tait), the wingers and everybody else.
'There's no point in coming up and being spooked. It's just about trying to continue what we've done that's got us success.'
No one can say Spencer's had it easy as he gets set for his Premiership debut seven years after exiting Kilmarnock without a top-team appearance. The midfielder, who spent his youth career in the States withPortland Timbers and Houston Dynamo, said: 'I've certainly taken longer to get to the Premiership than I'd have liked.
'But everybody's got a different path, there are late developers. I came back from America and I was wet behind the ears, didn't know enough about professional football and playing the men's game.
'It shows there are people out there who just need a chance and they can do well.'
