Dumbarton manager Stevie Farrell has begun the mid-season rebuild of his Sons squad after watching his players slump to a fifth defeat in a row on Saturday.

Farrell completed the signing on Monday of former Scotland under-21 winger Gregg Wylde, who played as a trialist in Saturday's 6-2 defeat at Falkirk.

The 30-year-old made his senior debut with Rangers in 2009 and moves to Dumbarton from East Kilbride.

Wylde's arrival follows the departure of goalkeeper Calum Erskine, whose time with Sons has been affected by injury, and striker Ryan Schiavone, who has returned to Hearts after his loan spell came to an end.

Sons manager Stevie Farrell told the club's website: "Gregg is a vastly experienced player who has performed very well for East Kilbride in the first half of this season.

"He is ready for a return to the SPFL and has a lot to offer us. We look forward to having him with us for the rest of the season."

Farrell's side remain in the relegation play-off spot in League One after Saturday's heavy defeat, in which the Bairns were handed four goals on a plate – and a frustrated Faz says the mistakes need to be cut out.

Falkirk started brightly and led by three at the break; Anton Dowds tapped in in eight minutes before capitalising on Edin Lynch’s poor touch to set up Callumn Morrison for the hosts’ second.

And Dowds made the most of Carlo Pigniatiello’s loose pass to drill in number three seconds before the break.

Aaron Taylor-Sinclair prodded home the Bairns’ fourth early in the second half, and though Paul Paton’s strike and Stuart Carswell’s penalty reduced the deficit, Aidan Keenan flicked in Charlie Telfer’s free kick to make it five before Lynch’s slack pass set up Dowds for his hat-trick late on.

Speaking after the match, Farrell said: “I don’t know what to say because you can’t say anything that justifies that performance or that result.

“We left ourselves too much to do. If you keep making the individual errors that we’re making then you’re never going to win football games.

“You can go on a pitch on a coaching session and work so hard and then the goals that we gave away today. We’re standing on the ball, we’re passing the ball back to them. It’s just horrendous.

“I can’t sit here and make any excuse. I know what I’m getting just now and now it’ll be ten times worse.

“You’ve just got to take it like a man. Forget being a manager, you’ve got to take it like a man. I’ve got to stand up and take everything that’s coming my way and get back on the training field.

“I don’t feel pressure. Real pressure in life doesn’t come on a football pitch. Other people are going to apply pressure to me and other people are going to be shouting for my head just now, which they’ve got every right to do so. You can’t be in this run of form and not.

“The only saving grace is of that bottom half of the league, not many are picking up points.”

With Wylde's signing now confirmed, Farrell also hopes to add one or two more new faces ahead of this week’s visit of bottom side East Fife.

He added: “Gregg was very comfortable on the ball, and played balls into good areas of the pitch, and he’ll just get better.

“We’re actively trying to bring in players. I want to bring in three or four players because we need a real freshen up. I’m optimistic of getting players in for next week.

“We had a goalkeeper that was meant to be coming in, and it got pulled on Thursday, so we’ve revisited that and we’re also looking at the right-back area, the centre-back area and the top end of the pitch.”