Falkirk vs Rangers; Scottish Premiership
Falkirk vs Rangers. Scottish Premiership.
Falkirk StadiumAttendance7,652.
Falkirk 1-1 Rangers: Russell Martin sacked after Henry Cartwright's stunner earns Bairns a draw
Report as Falkirk come from behind to draw with Rangers and Russell Martin is sacked; Bojan Miovski opened the scoring before break; Henry Cartwright's stunning strike earned a point for the Bairns; Martin needed a police escort to his car
Sunday 5 October 2025 22:08, UK
Russell Martin was sacked by Rangers after his side let slip a lead to draw 1-1 with newly-promoted Falkirk.
The former Southampton manager's exit was confirmed hours after Sunday's draw, which left Rangers eighth in the Scottish Premiership with only one win from seven.
Martin was looking for back-to-back Premiership victories for the first time, but John McGlynn told his Bairns to take advantage of an under-par Gers side.
And they did. Djedi Gassama's early goal was ruled out for offside, but the hosts were the better side even though Bojan Miovski gave Rangers hope with the opener before half-time.
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A stunning equaliser by Henry Cartwright just minutes after he came off the bench was the least Falkirk deserved as Jack Butland produced a big save late on to salvage a point for the struggling Ibrox side.
Rangers have not kept a clean sheet away from home since a 3-0 win over Ross County in December 2024 - a run of 24 games - and it is just one of the statistics that ultimately made Martin's tenure untenable.
How Martin was pushed to the brink
Rangers fans again needed picking up following the European defeat to Sturm Graz on Thursday night but the 900 or so travelling fans took the time before the game to chant for Martin to leave the club, and repeated it intermittently.
It was another shaky start by the visitors but Gassama had the ball in the Falkirk net in their first real attack, only for Mikey Moore to be ruled offside in the build-up.
Falkirk looked at ease on their artificial surface and in the 16th minute Gers keeper Butland brilliantly saved a close-range flick from home striker Ross MacIver before Swansea loanee Kyrell Wilson, making his first start, fired the loose ball wide.
Then, after Rangers midfielder Nicolas Raskin lost possession at the edge of the box as another attempt to build play broke down, Ethan Williams dragged a shot a yard wide.
However, four minutes from the break, in a rare moment of Ibrox danger, Derek Cornelius' cross from the left was met at the back post by Miovski who slid the ball into the net - and again the Gers fans almost immediately turned their ire on Martin.
McGlynn's men started the second half on the front foot but could not get all the way through to Butland, although in the 66th minute MacIver leapt high at the back post to connect with an inviting cross from substitute Alfredo Agyeman but missed the target.
However, when Cartwright surged forward after brushing off Gers substitute Mohamed Diomande, the Bairns fans urged him to shoot and the 20-year-old midfielder duly obliged, his powerful drive appearing to take a nick off defender John Souttar and flying behind Butland.
Butland saved from another Falkirk substitute, Brian Graham, in the 88th minute, to prevent defeat but it will surely not be enough to stem the tide for Martin.
'We are improving'
Russell Martin speaking to Sky Sports in what turned out to be his final interview:
"Today's a difficult pitch, different conditions. We're 1-0 up, we should go on and score a second, and we don't and it costs us.
"But there have been improvements. Maybe not in results but performance a lot, but I know everyone just wants to win games.
"I hear everyone saying it all the time, you just have to win. You also have to have a way to learn and grow and develop.
"You can't just win sustainably, in my opinion. You can't just win. Also you can't just win if you don't have a team of seasoned men with thousands of games under their belt collectively that no-one understands.
"We haven't got that. We've got a lot of young players that are growing into it and they need a lot of help.
"My job is to keep trying to help them and I'll do it until I'm told not to."
Boyd: 'It's only going to get worse'
Sky Sports' Kris Boyd was at the Falkirk Stadium:
"Rangers looked disjointed and no doubt, anxious in the second half.
"Something has to change because this is not good enough.
"They've not been to Tynecastle, Easter Road, Celtic Park, Pittodrie, Tannadice or Rugby Park.
"This is only going to get worse if it doesn't change."
