Peter Houston urges ex-Hearts defender Jordan McGhee to use Falkirk move as ‘platform’ in promising career

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PETER HOUSTON insists Jordan McGhee should look to use Falkirk as a springboard in his career – and earn the club another transfer windfall in the process.

The 21-year-old joined the Bairns on a one-year deal from Hearts for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day last month and has earned praise from Houston for his performances.

The highly-rated defender, along with fellow new recruit Conrad Balatoni, has helped steer his new club to a win over Sligo Rovers and draws against Brechin City and Dundee United as they bid to turn around a winless run in the league.

And Houston reckons the Scotland under-21 cap, who was loaned out by Hearts to Middlesbrough last season, can kick-start his career again at Falkirk after falling out of favour at Tynecastle.

Houston, who revealed the Bairns have the option of a 12-month extension to McGhee’s deal, said: “Our two centre-backs who have come in have been outstanding. They’re unbeaten and we’re unbeaten since they came in, which is a positive.

“Jordan has been great, he just needed to play first-team football again.

“I’ve said to him that at his age he should be using this as a stepping stone, a platform, to go and produce; play here and who knows what will be at the end of it?

“We do have an extra year’s option for him to stay.

MONEY

“He’s a player who, like Alex Harris, could eventually make this club money further down the road.

“They’ve had good groundings at Hearts and Hibs.”

Winger Harris, who joined Falkirk in the summer after nine years on the books at Hibs, has been a stand-out for the Bairns in recent weeks and Houston has urged the 23-year-old to maintain his current standards.

He added: “We’ve said all along since I got the chance to bring Alex in that he is a talented football player.

“He needs to add consistency to his game and what we need this Saturday is Alex Harris playing like he did last Saturday, that’s all.

“He’s a boy who came in lacking a bit of confidence, but we’ve worked with him and I think we’ve given him that. He’s an exciting player.”