Declan McManus reckons the effort Falkirk put into their Scottish Cup match with Hearts should have resulted in a replay.
The Bairns went down valiantly to the Jambos, losing 1-0 to the Premiership side. A Sean Clare penalty was all it took to separate them both as wind and rain made life difficult for everyone involved.
It’s the first defeat of the Lee Miller and David McCracken reign but it was perhaps one of their better performances. All that was missing was a goal, although Falkirk did strike the woodwork three times after Clare’s vital strike.
McManus was unlucky not to score, hitting the Hearts frame and putting in a tireless shift in attack. He believes that Falkirk didn’t get what they deserved from the game.
“We knew we were playing against a good team. No matter where they are in the Premiership, they are still a team with a lot of talent and experience,” said McManus. “I thought we handled it well. I’ve hit the post, Gaz has cracked the bar. It’s one of those where a wee bit of luck gets us back in the game and we might even go on to win it.
“The penalty is a mistake but it happens and we reacted to it well. We more than gave a good account of ourselves. We were definitely hard done by, most people would agree with that. We deserved at least a replay.
“This is a sleeping beast of a club. It’s up to us to make sure we are in the Championship next year and have a crack at going all the way the following year.
“It’s the plan for Falkirk to get back to the big time and it’s definitely a club that deserves to be there.”