Falkirk coach Stephen McGinn said Scott Bain's performance in a 2-0 win over Celtic proved he is the best Scottish goalkeeper, after the shot-stopper saved all nine shots on target he faced.
"We've thought for a while we had the best Scottish keeper. Today just proves it," McGinn said after the match.
Bain's display was backed by strong statistics. Celtic registered an expected goals (xG) of 2.9, their third highest of the season, and created 11 clear-cut chances. Bain saved all nine shots on target and kept a clean sheet.
Outstanding Numbers
Bain had 48 touches of the ball, the second most of any Falkirk player behind midfielder Brad Spencer. He has now gone 342 minutes without conceding for Falkirk, a run that has coincided with the team moving up to fourth in the Premiership table. He has four clean sheets this season, with only Ivor Pandur at Rangers having more.
Going into the game, Bain had made more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premiership. Aside from one costly mistake at Celtic Park in August, he has been a reliable performer.
Eye Test and Praise
During the match, Bain made a series of saves, including parrying a shot from James Forrest at his near post before denying Benjamin Nygren on the rebound, and turning Mika Baur's long-range shot round the post in the closing stages. A chant of "Scotland's number one" went up in the home end.
Falkirk boss John McGlynn said: "We needed Scott Bain to have the game of his life, he made so many saves. To get the 2-0 advantage was huge and I think Scott Bain had two outstanding saves. He had to continuously produce in the second half so a huge thank you to him for the game he's had."
Bain's form comes as Scotland boss Sebastien Pocognoli considers his goalkeeper options, with Angus Gunn out of form in the MLS and Jon McCracken relatively inexperienced in the third tier of English football.
Falkirk have now won four games in a row and are considering whether they can improve on their sixth-placed finish from last season.
