Killie Challenge awaits Bairns in away cup clash

Falkirk's Lee Miller tackles Killie's Miles Addison during the sides' last meeting in 2016. (Pic: Michael Gillen)

The Bairns will take a break from League One duty as they take on the Championship team in the Challenge Cup.

Both sides go into the match in the same boat as Killie are smarting after also suffering their first league defeat of the season.

The Ayrshire side had won their first three games before – much like Falkirk – they faced a top-of-the-table clash away at Inverness Caledonian Thistle but returned from the Highlands pointless after a 1-0 defeat which saw Billy Dodds’ side open up a three point gap in first place.

Kilmarnock now sit in third place on the same points as second place Partick Thistle but with an inferior goal difference.

They were set to play Falkirk in the Betfred Cup last season but chose to forfeit the tie after three players had tested positive for Covid-19 then the whole first team squad went into isolation.

Falkirk were awarded a 3-0 win by the SPFL.

But for the last time the two sides met proper you have to go back to 2016 when they faced off in the Premiership play-off final.

An injury time goal from Will Vaulks at the Falkirk Stadium gave the Bairns a precious 1-0 advantage going into the second leg at Rugby Park, but they never recovered from the hammer blow of conceding two early goals and Killie would go on to win 4-0 and retain their Premiership status, which they finally lost at the end of last season.