Falkirk midfielder Mark Millar believes Craig Sibbald will go on to play at the highest level after the teenager’s performance against Hamilton in the Ramsdens Cup Final, further illustrated the potential he has.
The Bairns made history by becoming the first team to win the cup four times after beating Billy Reid's men 1-0 at the Braidwood Motor Company Stadium on Sunday.
The midfielder, who does not turn 17 until May, put in a performance which belied his years showing great composure and confidence on the ball against a formidable Hamilton midfield.
Millar is convinced that Sibbald, who is just back from international duty with the U-17 Scotland team, possesses all the characteristics needed to play at the top level.
“For a 16-year-old to play like that in a cup final is something special - he was unbelievable,” Millar said.
“His composure, touch and passing was brilliant – that's what the wee man can do.
“You see it everyday in training that's why he is in the Scotland set-up.
“He'll be at a massive club in years to come and Falkirk can only benefit from that just now.”
It was Millar's first cup success and he believed the result was made all the more sweeter having beaten a good Hamilton side, who had won their last three consecutive games.
He said: “It's a great feeling, it's my first cup. I won a few medals in the reserve league when I was at Celtic but it was nice to get to a final and beat a decent team like Hamilton.”
Falkirk defender Darren Dods grabbed the only goal of the game after two minutes, heading home Millar’s corner.
And the 24-year-old expressed his delight that the skipper finally had some silverware to show for his distinguished career.
He said: “We proved that we have the bottle and I'm delighted for big Doddsy, that's his first medal and the big man has been terrific all season.
“He gets a lot of stick from the boys because he is one of the older one's but he takes it on the chin.
“Both him and big Muzza (Murray Wallace) at the back were terrific.”
Millar almost doubled Falkirk's lead in the second half with a stunning 25-yard-strike which cannoned off the bar but he admitted he wasn't bothered about who scored as long as they got the result.
“I can hit them well and I've been practising shooting from distance in training but I was just delighted that we got the victory,” Millar said.
“In the end it doesn't matter who puts the ball in the back of the net.”
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