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his afternoon, with no SPL fixtures owing to the winter break, more attention than usual was focused upon the Scottish Championship.
One young Ger, rose to the occasion.
Zak Rudden, hit a 56th-minute winner for Falkirk, away at second-placed Ayr United.

The teenage striker scored at Ibrox during pre-season, before moving out on loan. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

The goal was the teenager’s first in five matches and a crucial one too. It ensured Falkirk leapfrogged Partick Thistle, and moved off the bottom of Scotland’s second division.
Still only 18, the forward is clearly one for the future. It’s impressive how important he has become for the Bairns, in a short space of time.
In fact, Falkirk hadn’t actually won since Rudden last found the net. That was back at the start of December, when he notched an impressive brace away at Inverness.

Ray McKinnon’s side have struggled to accumulate points in the second tier. (Photo by Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)

Clearly, the 18-year-old is vital to Falkirk’s hopes of survival.
With the likes of Ryan Hardie performing well at Livingston and Andy Dallas scoring for fun for the Reserves, the Gers have bags of developing talent in forward areas.
By performing at such a young age, Rudden is bolstering his chances of a long career at Ibrox.

Rudden celebrates a goal for Scotland U19s against Poland at the start of the season. (Photo by Lukasz Sobala/PressFocus/MB Media/Getty Images)

Perhaps the next step will be a loan move to an top tier club, during the 2019/20 season. That would serve as a further test of his credentials.
For now though, the focus will be winning matches for the Bairns. Today, he did just that.

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