Scottish Championship strugglers Falkirk have named Paul Hartley as their new manager.

The former Alloa and Dundee boss has put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Falkirk Stadium and will begin work on Monday.

Hartley told the official club site: "I am absolutely delighted to be back in management and to have been given this opportunity with a club the size of Falkirk.

"Throughout my discussions with the club it is clear to me that there is massive untapped potential here and I am looking forward to working with the players, staff and board to deliver on that as soon as possible.

"I am coming to a club with an impressive infrastructure, stadium and fanbase. All the discussions I have held so far have been extremely positive and I am excited to get to work with the players."

Margaret Lang, chair of Falkirk, added: "We are thrilled to be able to announce Paul as our new head coach. His passion for football shone through throughout all of the discussions we had and the board and I firmly believe he is the man capable of leading the club forward.

"We have big aspirations and ambitions for the club and in Paul we see someone who shares those and can help us realise our target of reaching the Premiership and most importantly staying there for the long term."

Alex Smith will remain in interim charge of the first team for Saturday's Challenge Cup match against Dunfermline, before Hartley takes over officially on Monday morning.