Falkirk manager John McGlynn has some serious thinking to do as the euphoria of his team’s return to the Premiership gives way to a reality check.
Just two games into their first top-flight campaign in 15 years, Falkirk’s players are discovering that back-to-back promotions count for nothing when they are asked to make the biggest step of all.
Having drawn 2-2 at home to Dundee United on the opening day, they lost 3-1 at Livingston on Saturday in a game that raised big questions about the Bairns.
Perhaps reluctant to mess with a winning formula, McGlynn has done only limited business in the transfer market, with Scott Bain, Lewis Neilson and 37-year-old striker Brian Graham the headline arrivals.
One or two more are in the pipeline, but for now, he is standing by the team who were mostly assembled in League One and rewarding them for their remarkable journey with a chance to go even further.
After all, they have repeatedly risen to new challenges. And they have done it with a brand of attacking football that the supporters love. Who is to say that there is not more room for improvement?
John McGlynn will have to decide soon whether he needs better players for the top flight
Jeremy Bokila takes advantage of poor Falkirk defending to complete a 3-1 win for Livingston
Striker Brian Graham is among the few signings Falkirk have made since winning promotion
The problem is that every team eventually encounters a glass ceiling. And the playing style that served Falkirk well in the lower divisions will not necessarily be suited to the Premiership.
We have seen it before, more so in England, where Southampton and Ipswich lasted only one season in the top flight after sticking too stubbornly to their principles. Might Falkirk pay a similar price for doing the same?
It’s a nice theory, but McGlynn is better than that. Hugely respected for his work across three decades as a coach, he has plenty of time to get it right in Falkirk’s 36 remaining games, perhaps tweaking his tactics in the process.
What he doesn’t have long to procrastinate over is the quality of his players. If he fears that some of them are not good enough, he will need to get ruthless before the transfer window closes in three weeks’ time. A couple of loan signings from England are expected, but will that be enough?
One way or another, his defence must do better. In West Lothian on Saturday, Neilson was caught in possession during the build-up to Scott Pittman’s opener. Then Lewis Smith was given too much space to double Livingston’s lead, albeit with a wonderful strike.
Ross MacIver pulled one back with a clever header, but the hosts sealed all three points when Jeremy Bokila strode through a gaping hole in Falkirk’s back four.
There are no easy games in the Premiership, yet Falkirk would have hoped to take more from their first two, especially against the team who came up from the Championship with them.
It’s only going to get tougher, with a visit to Celtic in the Premier Sports Cup this Friday followed by league matches against Hibs and Aberdeen.
McGlynn has work to do in the days ahead, maybe even some big decisions to make.
