John McGlynn sees the disarray at Hibernian as Falkirk's prime chance to secure their first away league win of the season. The Falkirk manager wants his side to capitalise on the unrest surrounding their hosts when they visit Easter Road this weekend.
McGlynn pointed directly to the recent fan protests and the club's decision to ban its Block Seven Ultras group for three home matches, including this one. "For a club like Falkirk, going away to Easter Road is one of the biggest games," he said. He aims to turn the atmosphere to his team's advantage, adding, "We want to try and take the game to them and put them on the back foot and make them nervous."
Falkirk's away struggle
Falkirk remain the only Premiership side without a victory on the road this campaign, having drawn three and lost one of their four away fixtures. They sit 11th in the table with six points from eight games, one point and one place behind Hibernian. Their most recent outing was a 1-2 home defeat to Dundee last weekend, a result that extended their recent form to just one win in five matches. The Bairns have conceded 14 goals in their eight league games so far, an average of 1.75 per match. Their top scorer, Callumn Morrison, has netted four times, accounting for a significant portion of their total of nine league goals.
Hibernian in crisis
The Easter Road side are in a precarious state, having taken just one point from their four home league games this season. The club announced the ultras ban on Thursday following incidents after their loss to Dundee United, which also triggered fan protests. Hibernian have also failed to keep a clean sheet in 14 consecutive Premiership matches, their longest such run in five years. Their defensive frailties are reflected in the goals against column, where they have let in 16 goals, the second highest tally in the division. Despite this, they have scored 12 times, with striker Myziane Maolida contributing five of those goals.
Historical context heavily favours the hosts, with Falkirk winless in six top-flight visits to Easter Road since a 1-0 victory in September 2006. Hibernian have lost only one of the last 14 league meetings between the sides, though that was a heavy 4-1 defeat at Falkirk's stadium last January. The Bairns travel to Edinburgh aiming to frustrate their troubled hosts and finally break their away duck in the league.
