Falkirk Rugby Club: Stand-off Glen Faulds hugely excited at prospect of winning league and gaining promotion this weekend

Faulds, 24, and his second-placed mates will visit title rivals Glasgow Accies – who are third – this Saturday, knowing that victory in their final Tennent’s National League Division 2 game of the season would see Falkirk leapfrog leaders Newton Stewart to claim the title and a coveted spot in National 1 for the first time in six years.

The stand-off and his brother Connor, who also plays for Falkirk – at fullback – are sons of Falkirk club president Bill Faulds.

Glen told the Falkirk Herald: "I’m a Falkirk boy, I’ve grown up playing for Falkirk so it would be phenomenal to go up to National 1 as champions after the journey the club has been on.

"Especially in the last 12 months or so when a bit of work has gone on off the field. Unfortunately we’ve lost a few club stalwarts this season, Jimmy Hardwick and Jimmy Connor, guys that built the club from the ground up.

"Personally and collectively, winning the league with the first team is the kind of thing you dream about since you’ve been playing in the mini section and the juniors growing up.

“It’s such a close group of players and everyone loves their rugby club so it would be fantastic if we could jump over the last hurdle.

“I think we’re in a nice position. Within our group we definitely believe we are favourites, we definitely believe we can win the league.

"But I think Newton Stewart and Glasgow Accies will also see themselves as favourites because we’ve not really been involved at the top of the league at all this season.

"Those other two sides have been the teams that have been in first and second place for the majority of the season.

"But in terms of that we’re happy to have the underdog status. It puts the pressure on Glasgow.

"I don’t think either team is going to go out and absolutely blow one another away.

"It’s just about coming up with a game plan and executing that game plan. Internally we back ourselves to beat anyone in this league if we get it right on the day.

"We need to keep cool heads in attack, be solid in defence and hopefully see it through.”

Falkirk remain in firm contention to win National 2 after last Saturday’s topsy-turvy 27-24 home win over Preston Lodge (match report on page 72) which was a hugely eventful match for Faulds personally as he landed a try, two conversions and a penalty as well as being yellow carded late in the first half for not getting back onside after making a tackle and then making another tackle inside his 22m line.

He added: “It definitely was a lively game for me. Preston Lodge are fighting for their league status next season so they’re fighting for their lives and they’re a decent team as well so they were always going to put up a good game.

"It’s the first time where we’ve been in that pressurised environment where we’re pushing for the league when playing them so I said to the boys before the game that there was going to be a bit of chaos out there and that certainly came into fruition.

"It was an eventful one and we got pushed all the way but at this stage of the season the team that wins the league is the team that finds a way to win and we managed to do that on Saturday so it was a good result for the boys.”

The league standings going into the final weekend are:

1st Newton Stewart P 22, Pts 87; 2 Falkirk P21 Pts 85; 3 Glasgow Accies P21 Pts 82.

Falkirk, who will be backed by three busloads of supporters at Glasgow Accies this weekend, will again be without skipper Harry Russell who is on honeymoon.

This means that the side will instead be led by Stewart McCulloch, who won his 150th cap for Falkirk last Saturday.