Brad McKay on coming back into the Falkirk team, the Scottish Cup run and banishing his 'forgettable' first season

The centre-half came back into the team on Monday night after a period out injured, and played a big part in helping John McGlynn’s side defeat Ayr United 2-1 in the quarter-final tie.

Dipo Akinyemi fired the away side in front early on, but second-half goals from Callumn Morrison and Kai Kennedy sealed the comeback victory.

“The manager put me back in because he wanted that extra physical presence,” McKay told the Falkirk Herald. “They were going to be strong from set-pieces. As a centre-half you pride yourself in being strong and winning headers and I think myself and Coll (Donaldson) did that well. We kept Dipo Akinyemi quiet enough.

“I took a hefty one during the Darvel game and the dead leg took a long time to settle down. Sean Mackie has done exceptionally well since he came into the side and it is down to me to win a place in the team again.”

The draw has paired the Bairns with McKay’s old club Inverness Caledonian Thistle and he believes reaching the final is more than achievable, and that is would a go a long way to making up for the last campaign – which he admits was a ‘low point’ in his career.

McKay said: “Everyone including me wants to leave last season behind us – I don’t want to be remembered at this football club for the season I had last year. To play a big part in taking the club to Hampden feels brilliant and it has been some journey.

"Going up to Wick and driving up and down cliffs to get there, getting a goal at Alloa and turning the game around, beating Darvel and Ayr on the television. We’ve had some great trips and you’ll remember this run for sure.

"Invneness will be thinking the same as us in that the game is winnable and missing out the Old Firm gives you the best chance of reaching the final. We have been given a real opportunity."It was bedlam in the changing room after the game when we found out we’d got them, but that is no disrespect.

“And they would have been feeling that same emotion. I know the club really well and I spent five years there. It is a one-off game and anything can happen.

"We have a deep squad now with real quality and we can use the semi-final as real motivation for sure. The guys on the bench could easily be starting matches.

"The previous Tuesday night was a real sore one for us, there is no getting away from that, and we are asking other teams now to do us favours. Dunfermline are unlikely to slip up too many times.

"But we will keep fighting and having this match coming up now keeps everyone on their toes because you want to be in the team for that game at Hampden.”