NEIL McCANN today admitted his disappointment at missing out on Scottish Cup glory – but hopes that he and under-fire manager John Hughes will be back at Hampden in 12 months' time to go one better and lift the trophy.
The former Hearts winger, who has won the competition five times before, was gutted to collect a runners-up medal in the showpiece finale to the Scottish season this time around after losing 1-0 to Rangers. A single strike from Nacho Novo, just 29 se
conds after being introduced as a half-time substitute for Kris Boyd, was enough to separate the two sides.
McCann had twice been unfortunate not to have given his side a first-half lead, one effort only being denied by Neil Alexander's crossbar with the Rangers keeper beaten, and his side pushed Rangers right to the end of the 90 minutes.
Boss Hughes has been targeted by a section of the club's supporters this season, with a group writing a letter demanding his resignation during their battle with relegation. But he and his players were given an ovation by the Falkirk fans at the end of a match in which the Bairns gave everything they had and were unfortunate not to take the tie to extra-time at least.
McCann said: "I had a couple of close things that on another day might have gone in. It just never dipped enough in time, I tried to hit over it a bit to make it dip because the balls are quite light and then with the right-foot shot later in the first half, it just didn't quite come off either.
"It's a sore one to take, considering how well we played, and the fact that their goal came from a half chance at best. We had done well up to that point and we came out after the break feeling confident and buoyant, we felt that we were fully focused but, within a few seconds, Nacho has got a knack of coming up with fantastic goals for Rangers and unfortunately he managed to do it again.
"On another day Steve Lovell's shot towards the end of the game would have come off the post and gone in instead of going the other way, the offside goal could have been given. There are so many things that could have been different and changed the course of the game. That makes it even more difficult to take but we've done well to get to the final and I was proud to play in a Falkirk jersey at Hampden.
"It could have been us lifting that trophy, it really could be. But we live to fight another day and we will draw on our experiences and maybe we will be able to go one step better next year."
And if they do make it back to Hampden for the final next May, McCann, who has another year left on his Bairns contract, would love to do it with Hughes by his side: "I absolutely hope that the manager stays, without a doubt. Only time will tell if that actually happens or not but I know that the gaffer has got another year on his contract as have myself and Jackie McNamara and we can only wait and see if he stays here.
"I certainly hope that he does and hopefully we will all be back at Hampden, same time, same place, next year."
Former Livingston player Burton O'Brien had to endure a low on Saturday but he had at least savoured a win at Hampden, having won the CIS Cup with the Almondvale outfit in 2004.
A shock 2-0 win over Hibs that day gave O'Brien and his Lions team-mates one of the most memorable days of their careers and the midfielder admitted that he was gutted to have missed out on another winners' medal. O'Brien said: "It was a huge disappointment. I think that anyone watching that game would agree that we played very well and that we gave a good account of ourselves but unfortunately we just didn't take our chances when they came along.
"In the end, Rangers won the cup with a special goal but I suppose if you give them time and space they have got players who are capable of producing finishes of that quality.
"After playing so well in the first half it was disappointing to lose a goal so quickly after the restart because we came out confident that we could push them all the way. It was a real setback for us but, having said that, I thought that we did well to come back and throw so much at them.
"Rangers had the better of us for maybe 15 minutes of that second half but when we recovered from the goal I thought that we gave it a good go and had the shot that came off the post and the one that was chalked off for offside.
"I don't know whether it was or not but at the end of the day, at least we know that we gave it everything we've got. I think towards the end of the game Rangers looked that little bit apprehensive but the ball just wouldn't fall for us at the right place or time."
O'Brien thought that McCann had given his side the edge in the opening 45 minutes, only to see his dipping effort scrape the top of the crossbar on its way over and he added: "I was right in line with it when Neil hit that one and you could see it dipping but it hit the bar instead. It was really unlucky and then he had another one in the first half with his right foot but unfortunately that one didn't come off for us either.
"It just wasn't to be our day. When I was standing watching the Rangers players go up to collect the trophy I was thinking that it could just as easily have been us walking up those stairs as winners.
"But it's about scoring goals and winning games and that's what Rangers did, even when they're having an off day they can produce results and I suppose that's why they have won the League and Cup double."
Team-mate Gerard Aafjes conceded that a lack of goals has cost his side dear this season and was disappointed not to have been able to find their cutting edge on the final day of the season. Aafjes, who praised the Falkirk fans for their vociferous backing at Hampden, said: "We are disappointed with the result because I think that they had one shot on target and from that they got the only goal of the game.
"Novo's goal was a good one but for us it was really bad luck because we believed that we could win it. There wasn't much in it and I think that was the same for the rest of the games that we have played against Rangers this season.
"I think that we did brilliantly and we played them off the park but the whole game comes down to one split second and unfortunately we lost out. The problem for us is that you need to score goals and we have not been able to do that often enough.
"The fans were brilliant for us and it is just disappointing that we were not able to bring the cup home for them."
Aafjes was another who gave his backing to Hughes to remain as manager for next season and added: "I think it is good for the club if the manager stays, you saw on Saturday and throughout the rest of the season the way that we can pass the ball when we are on top of our game.
"It is important that Falkirk try to keep him at the club."
