Falkirk have appointed former Hearts star Danny Grainger as their new assistant head coach as life under Paul Sheerin starts to gather momentum.
The pair played together in the 2009/10 season at St Johnstone and have been reunited with the task of gaining Falkirk promotion from League One at the third time of asking.
The Bairns finished last season in disastrous form that saw them lose their grip on the League One title sitting in first place, before going on a woeful run of form that saw them slip down to fifth and miss out of a promotion playoff spot.
Falkirk finished the season with sporting director Gary Holt at the helm, following the dismissal of co-managers David McCracken and Lee Miller.
The appointment of Grainger not only reunites him with Sheerin but also adds a high level of experience of playing in Scotland and managerial experience in the non-league in England. During his playing career Grainger turned out for Gretna, Brechin City, Dundee United, St Johnstone, Hearts, St Mirren and Dunfermline, before hanging up his boots with his boyhood Carlisle United.
He scored the third goal in Hearts’ famous 5-1 Scottish Cup Final victory over Hibs in 2012 and remains a popular figure amongst the Jambos support.
Speaking regarding the move to become assistant to Sheerin, Grainger believes the move is a no brainer for him and that he can not wait to get started in his new role, he said:
“I am looking forward to, hopefully, pushing the club forward. As soon as I spoke to Paul I knew it was the right move for me and I can not wait for the challenges ahead and to work alongside him.”
His managerial experience with Workington will prove to be valuable in his new role at Falkirk and to gaffer Paul Sheerin, who recently joined the club from a coaching role at Aberdeen which he held for seven years. Sheerin does however have managerial experience of his own, coming back between 2010 and 2014 where he guided Arbroath to their first ever league title by lifting the Third Division in his first season in charge.
Grainger is joined at Falkirk by Tony Craig, the previous Livingston goalkeeping coach, who also enjoyed a spell as co-interim manager alongside David Martindale at Livingston. Craig, has held coaching roles at Carlisle United, Hartlepool Town and Bury before joining Livingston in 2019. The former Hibs and Gretna shot stopper brings a wealth of experience with him and will be a welcome addition to the team that is being built with Sheerin and Grainger.
Falkirk kick off their season in the Premier Sports cup with a home match against Albion Rovers before facing off against Hamilton Accies, Edinburgh City and Ayr United. Their opening league match of the season comes away to fellow title rivals Cove Rangers, with a trip to the Balmoral Stadium to face off against former Falkirk manager Paul Hartley.
