Rangers fans shouldn’t blame Dujon Sterling for Falkirk absence as explanation given
Rangers supporters shouldn’t blame Dujon Sterling for not playing against Falkirk, as it’s been revealed he missed the game due to the playing surface.
It looked as though Rangers were going to rue his absence on Sunday too, as Danny Rohl‘s side went down by two goals before the half hour mark.
However, inspired by a second half formation change by switching to a 4-4-2, Gers fought back in style to win 6-3.
As a result, they’ve kept the pressure on Hearts and Celtic in the Scottish Premiership title race, as we now enter the split for the final five games of the season.
Rangers have numerous players injured at the moment, but one of those isn’t Sterling, which is why there was some confusion as to why he wasn’t part of Rohl’s matchday squad to face Falkirk.
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Why Dujon Sterling didn’t play in Falkirk vs Rangers
Sterling has a history of injury problems, with his most severe being when he suffered a serious Achilles injury back in April last year.
The 26-year-old suffered a freak injury when he stepped on a sprinkler in Rangers’ Europa League quarter-final tie with Athletic Club, from which he snapped his Achilles and had to be stretchered off the Ibrox pitch.
| Sterling’s Achilles injury absence | Games missed |
| Spent 229 days injured | 32 |
He was forced to undergo surgery as a result of that, and wasn’t seen back in a Rangers matchday squad until 30 November 2025, but didn’t get back on the pitch until 11 December last year.
Sterling has suffered injury setbacks again this season, and is someone Gers chiefs want to go out of their way to protect given that when he’s fit and playing, he’s proven himself to be a quality player.
Posting via his X account prior to kick-off on Sunday, Rangers Review editor Joshua Barrie confirmed why Sterling wasn’t in the squad against Falkirk.
“Dujon Sterling is not in today’s #Rangers’ squad due to the surface,” Barrie explained.
Why Falkirk’s pitch was a problem for Sterling
Falkirk use an artificial pitch, which the SPFL have granted them an extension to continue using until the summer of 2027.
After that, however, they will be expected to install an grass surface for the 2027-28 season, despite the fact that a vote was passed in May 2024 that will see artificial pitches banned in the Scottish Premiership from next season onwards.
So, with the nature of an Achilles injury, it’s totally understandable why Sterling didn’t want to risk anything playing on a turf pitch on Sunday.
This is because artificial surfaces are much harder and have considerably less give in them as opposed to natural grass pitches, which are naturally softer and are far kinder on the muscles when it comes to shock absorption.
Anyone who has played on turf and grass knows the difference, and how much more stress the artificial surface puts on the Achilles area as opposed to grass, so with that context, Sterling shouldn’t be getting stick for taking this sensible stance.
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