FALKIRK midfielder Scott Arfield admits he was glad to be dropped against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park on Saturday to avoid the wrath of manager John Hughes.
Despite having sealed a more than respectable seventh place in the Clydesdale Bank Premier League before they travelled to Ayrshire for the last game of the season, Hughes blasted his players after the 2-1 defeat.
The former Celtic and Hibernian d
efender claimed his men had paid the price for "messing about" and threatened to dump them next season if they failed to shape up.
Arfield, 19, who played in Scotland Under-21's 4-1 defeat to their Norwegian counterparts at the same venue on Tuesday night, was relieved to be left out of the post-match dressing down.
He said: "I was one booking away from missing the first two games of next season so I was on the bench on Saturday. The result was disappointing and what the gaffer said to the media afterwards was fair comment.
"The boys were a bit lacklustre and there was an end-of-season feel to the game but Kilmarnock deserved their win.
"The gaffer came in to the dressing room after the game and told us what he felt.
"Put it this way, for the first time in my career, I was absolutely delighted to have been on the bench."
Hughes has recruited veterans Lee Bullen, Neil McCann and Jackie McNamara to add some experience to his squad for next season but Arfield believes it will be another struggle for the Bairns.
He said: "I think we will be in another relegation battle.
"I know we just missed out on the top six this season but, looking at the standard of squads down in the bottom six, we will be down there again.
"If we could make seventh place again that would be brilliant for us."
Arfield completed his own season against an impressive Norway Under-21 side who were well worth their win at Rugby Park.
Per Ciljan Skjelbred and Alexander Mathisen put the visitors 2-0 up before Scotland striker Calum Elliot was dismissed for two yellow cards.
Although Scotland skipper Scott Cuthbert reduced the deficit, the visitors stretched their lead with goals from Tarik Elyounoussi and substitute Christer Kleiven.
"They ran over us in midfield and it always seemed as if they had an extra player, even before Calum got sent off," Arfield added.
"It wasn't tiredness on our part, all the boys were up for it before the game so there are no excuses.
"They were simply the better team and thoroughly deserved their win."
Meanwhile, Portuguese striker Pedro Moutinho has left Falkirk to return to his home country and sign for Maritimo.
But the 28-year-old hinted he could come back when his two-year contract at Maritimo expires.
Moutinho, who played more than 100 times for Falkirk after joining in 2004, thanked the fans for helping him settle in Scotland and supporting him when he suffered a serious knee injury.
"I am going to keep the house I have in Falkirk and hopefully I'll be back," he told the club's official website.
"I feel that now is the right move for me with a two-year contract but after that I will be a free agent and who knows?
"The fans are great and I will be looking for the Falkirk results on the web. This is not goodbye but see you later."
The full article contains 586 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
