Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers showed his class after the Hoops’ 5-2 win over Falkirk in the Premier Sports Cup by entering the Bairns’ dressing room to personally praise their players. Despite eventually succumbing to Celtic, Falkirk gave the champions a real scare, leading 2-1 with 30 minutes to go, before Rodgers called on his bench to turn the tide.

In what could have been a deflating night for Falkirk, Rodgers’ gesture lifted the spirits of the team, with Bairns boss John McGlynn revealing how much the praise meant to his players.

“Big plaudits to Brendan, he came in after the game in our dressing room and complimented our players,” McGlynn told RecordSport. “A great thank you to him for doing that. That will help our players as well. We’ll take the belief that we came here and scored two goals against Celtic – nobody else has done that.”

Falkirk pushed Celtic closer than any side has this season, and Rodgers recognised that effort, taking the time to personally acknowledge the work McGlynn’s men put in. His move to enter the Falkirk dressing room speaks to the respect Rodgers has for opposition teams, regardless of their division.

McGlynn added: “We can take great belief from having come here and played the way we played… Celtic had to make four changes around the hour mark to try and turn the game in their favour, which they did.”

With Falkirk leading 2-1 deep into the second half, Rodgers turned to his bench to change the game including our £11m bhoy Arne Engels, a nod to the Bairns’ resilience and tactical organisation on the night. However, after the final whistle, it wasn’t just about Celtic’s win for Rodgers. He wanted to make sure Falkirk knew how impressed he was by their performance.

For Falkirk, while the result may not have gone their way, Rodgers’ kind words and classy gesture could provide a huge boost to their morale as they now turn their attention to their league campaign.