DEREK Gaston has held his hands up after Saturday’s defeat to Falkirk — admitting he should have kept out Joe McKee’s match-winning free-kick.

McKee fired in a long-range set-piece that beat Gaston at his post but the stopper insists he backed himself to save any effort before the midfielder took aim.

With only a one-man wall in position, Gats challenged McKee to try his luck and said he was disappointed to be beaten from such a distance when his ex-team-mate let fly with a zipping strike that squirmed through his arms.

He told the Tele: “I’ve had the option of putting a wall there but I’ve believed in myself that I’d be able to save a shot from that distance. I’ve played with Joe long enough to know that he’s got a great strike on him and I knew what he was capable of.

“But I fancied myself to make the save from that far out. Unfortunately it’s squeezed in at the post and I’ve been unable to keep it out, so I’m disappointed to be beaten from there. I’ll learn from it.

“I was maybe a wee bit over-confident in my own ability but it wasn’t as if I’m a cocky guy who thinks he can save everything. 

“I was brave and decided to say ‘go on, hit it’. It has gone in so I hold my hands up and say that I’ll learn from it and hopefully nothing like that will happen again.”

Ton boss Jim Duffy absolved Gaston of blame after the 30-year-old’s impressive recent form, saying in his post-match comments that he felt his side still had plenty of time to haul themselves back into the game after the opener.

But Gats insists neither side created much in the way of chances — believing a goalless draw to be the fairest outcome.

He said: “It’s never nice to lose a game but I don’t think we played to our strengths. There were very few chances in the game, which was a bit like the Livingston match last month, and they’ve managed to get away with a 1-0 win as well.

“Falkirk’s goalkeeper has made a great save in the first half from Ross Forbes and there were a few long-range shots but nothing too clear-cut. 

“It’s one of those games that can make a big difference if you can scrape a 1-0 win but it’s a bit of a problem if you always end up on the wrong side of a 1-0 defeat in a so-called 0-0 game.”