Tom Lang on fantastic Falkirk, Ross MacIver's position shift and being 'so close' to match fitness

Tom Lang revealed that he was ‘so close’ to being invovled on trophy day after being named on the bench for Falkirk’s 2-2 with Alloa Athletic – with that result seeing the Bairns seal an unbeaten League One campaign.

The ex-Raith Rovers defender, 26, was a surprise inclusion on the bench as John McGlynn’s invincibles came from two goals down. Goals from Aidan Nesbitt and Brad Spencer cancelled out Conor Sammon’s first-half brace.

And watching on, Lang was full of praise for his teammates’ performances on the day, singling out striker Ross MacIver for filling in at centre-back alongside Sean Mackie.

He said: "It wasn’t great to watch from the sidelines. I just wanted to be out there to help the team. I wanted to head every ball and go in for every tackle!

“Rosco (MacIver) is such a pain to play against. He is some striker but it made sense for him to play at centre-half too. He did really well. His ability is second to none.

“He could have crumbled under the pressure of it all. What a player. I can’t speak highly enough of him.

“I mean to be fair, if there was a Falkirk way to do it, we hit the nail on the head. Things went against us and we did it the hard way but we managed to do it.

“Going two-nil down, I didn’t think we were out of it. When Nizzy (Aidan Nesbitt) scored I just knew that we would score again.”

Lang added: “The fans deserve so much praise for what they have done for us this season to get it over the line. I am just so proud of all the boys. I’m grateful to part of it.

“The gaffer (John McGlynn) and Smudger (Paul Smith) are just so good at what they do and they are a joy to work under.

“I come into work everyday having a laugh with my mates, that’s how it feels. It is the best place to be.”

Having been named on the bench, returning Lang, who has been out since picking up a meniscus tear back in March, also revealed that he is just about back to his best – and will be more than ready for the League Cup group stages.

“I’ve had downs in my career due to injury but every single time I have came back stronger,” he said. “When I was injured this around I knew it wouldn’t be any different.

“I’ll be back for pre-season ready to go and I honestly can’t wait for it already. It won’t be long until I am back on the pitch.

“It is a real shame that the season has ended now because I am actually so close to being back. I wasn’t too far away. But I know next season can be just as special.”