BY IAIN COLLIN – Capital City Press
Lee Miller admits he feels like an excited bairn again after returning to Falkirk with dreams of helping his first club win promotion back to the Premiership.
The 32-year-old has set his sights on a season to remember, having endured one to forget amidst injuries at Kilmarnock last term.
After the worries of being without a club this summer following his exit from Rugby Park, the Scotland cap penned a short-term deal with Falkirk earlier this week and made his second ‘debut’ in Tuesday’s 5-3 Petrofac Training Cup defeat to Peterhead.
And, whilst that ‘homecoming’ may not have gone according to plan, the former Dundee United, Aberdeen and Carlisle United striker – who left the Bairns for Bristol City in 2003 in a £300,000 move – has lofty ambitions for the Scottish Cup finalists.
He said: “I’m on a high and I’m trying to feed that through the dressing room and get the boys going and buzzing.
“It’s just great to be back in amongst it, in amongst the changing-room, in amongst the boys, and back playing. Tuesday was my first 90 minutes in a good while and the crowd made me feel welcome, which was great.
“When I was at the club the first time, it was tremendous. Brockville was a fortress, it was brilliant back then.
“There’s just a good, family feel to the club and it’s always been like that, ever since Brockville and they’ve brought it here as well.
“Last season wasn’t a good season for me. I had injuries at the start of the season and the end, and it was frustrating.
“But when I was fit I didn’t feel I got the opportunities that my play deserved. That happens, the team were on a decent enough run at the time, but I never played as many games as I should have.
“It was a season to forget, as they say, but hopefully this will be one to remember.
“I’ve got a lot to prove to myself and there are doubters out there, but I still feel I’ve got a right good few years left in me.
“Falkirk holds a massive place in my heart. Having come through from the youths all the way to the first-team, I’ve always kind of been a supporter, I’ve always looked out for the results.
“It would be great to go that step and get them promoted.
“I know it’s early in the season to say that but we’ve got to be striving for a play-off position and it’s a lot to ask but, once you’re there, it’s anybody’s game.”
Miller’s return to Falkirk reunites him with Mark Kerr, another with links to the club all the way back to their old Brockville home they vacated in 2003, the year Miller left for Bristol.
Kerr left the same summer to join ex-Bairns boss Ian McCall at Dundee United and Miller hopes it will be a fruitful reunion with Kerr, who re-signed for the club in January.
He added: “It’s crazy that both Mark and I are back at the club at the same time. We both started off at Falkirk; I was in the under-15s and Mark was the year above me.
“It’s great to be back and to see loads of people to catch up with, from Alex Totten and Alex Smith to people right through the rest of the club behind the scenes.
“I’ve signed until January and we’ll see how I get on. Obviously, if it benefits the club and myself then we can see what happens in January.”
@IainCollin
