BY ALAN TEMPLE – @CCP_Sport
Falkirk star Aaron Muirhead insists claiming a shock promotion with the Bairns would top his title win at Partick Thistle.
The 25-year-old was a key man for the Jags when they romped to First Division glory in the 2012/13 campaign, finishing 11 points clear of Morton to secure their top-flight return.
While a title tilt proved a bridge too far for Falkirk this term given the might of champions Rangers, Peter Houston’s men are still battling Hibs for second spot and retain real aspirations to go up through the playoffs.
And, considering the financial power of their Championship rivals, Muirhead concedes going up this term would be even “sweeter” than his experience in Maryhill.
The versatile defender said: “When I was at Partick we were the team that had the games in hand, like Hibs do now, so I’ve been on the other side of this situation. There’s a lot on pressure to do the business when those games come around. Thankfully we managed to get on top and stayed there.
“That was an amazing experience to be a part of and I’d love to do the same thing here and clinch promotion, albeit through the playoffs this time. We have a good squad here and there’s no reason why we can’t do that.
“If you look to the budgets and resources, what they have at Hibs and Rangers is far superior to what we have at Falkirk. When you consider that, it would make it a little bit sweeter this time.
“But it’s not about budgets. We have plenty of ability and we have posted some brilliant results this season. We should have belief we can get second spot and then go up through the playoffs.
“It’s a great dressing room – the best I have ever been involved with. Everyone is singing off the same hymn sheet and it would be amazing if we are partying together at the end of the season with a promotion!”
The crunch clash with Hibs at Easter Road on Tuesday night will be a pivotal evening on the race for second spot, with three points currently separating the sides and the capital club boasting two games in hand.
And Muirhead has emphasised the need to see off Falkirk this afternoon to ensure they still have an advantage over the Hibees heading to Leith.
He added: “If we can win against St Mirren then that ensures we will definitely be in second spot going into that Hibs game and, mentally, that could be something that benefits us.
“You would rather be the team in second place, with the points on the board, going into a game of that size. But the bottom line is we only have four games left until the end of the season and our aim has to be to win them all.”
