Match Report

Sunday, 25th January, 2009

by Gavin Berry

SPL: Motherwell 1 Falkirk 1

JOHN HUGHES watched Falkirk rescue a valuable point then insisted his timid Bairns must toughen up quickly to stay in the SPL.

The Falkirk boss put his pretty passing philosophy on hold and it paid off with Dean Holden's wonder equaliser after the break.

But Yogi admitted his players struggled to adapt to the direct approach and wants themto win ugly in the relegation dogfight.

Bairns were trailing to David Clarkson's first-half header before rolling their sleeves up and earning a draw thanks to Holden's stunner.

It was a point they scarcely deserved in this blood-and-thunder clash but every little helps, especially with bottom dogs Inverness losing.

Hughes said: "I never lose my principles of how the game should be played but my job is to keep us in the SPL and it can't always be pretty.

"Our style of play in the first half was wrong. We were trying to play a football style but the pitch wasn't conducive to that.

"We changed it in the second half and tried to get the ball forward quicker.

"It's difficult because everything we do in training is about passing the ball. It's repetition stuff and we hammer it in to them every day.

"It's alien to our guys to take the ball out of their feet and and bang it forward.

"It took 10 or 15 minutes before we started doing that because the players were still trying to play wee passes through the middle and they were just bobbling up.

"But Dean hit a fantastic strike and we're delighted to get a point.

"It's going to be like that from now on - we'll be hard to beat, resolute and dig it out."

Bairns could have taken the lead early on when Mark Reynolds made a hash of a clearance that went straight to Kevin McBride but the Well defender made a superb recovery tackle.

At the other end more comedy defending, this time from a Falkirk backline without Darren Barr - who played in right midfield - saw the home side almost gifted an opening goal.

It stemmed from a long hopeful punt upfield by Paul Quinn that Robert Olejnik raced from goal to try and meet. The keeper misjudged it completely, leaving Chris Porter to shoot with the goal gaping.

Lee Bullen bailed out Olejnik with a goal-line clearance but the ball fell toMarc Fitzpatrick who blew his chance by heading over.

The Steelmen looked more likely to smash the stalemate in the first half and Quinn was next to try his luck, firing over from a tight angle after a neat one-two with Jim O'Brien.

But the breakthrough arrived two minutes before the break.

Steven Hammell was the provider with a good cross from the left and Clarkson got above the Bairns defence to send a looping header beyond Olejnik.

The striker could have added a second just five minutes after the restart when great play from Porter teed him up on the edge of the box but Clarkson's deft chip hit the bar.

For all Well's superiority Bairns showed it only takes one strike to level things - and it was a goal fit to grace any stadium in the world.

Scott Arfield's 53rd-minute cross from the right went deep to the far post and Holden caught it sweetly to volley past a helpless Graeme Smith.

Even a booking for whipping off his shirt in celebration couldn't sour his joy.

Porter had the chance to almost immediately restore the lead when he was clean through only to pull his shot wide.

Mark McGhee's men were then dealt a blow when Hammell was stretchered off after a clash with Barr.

That didn't deter the home side who went agonisingly close to a winner when O'Brien's shot thundered off the underside off the bar.

The ball rebounded out to Porter who somehow headed wide before Quinn drilled a low shot off target in injury time.

REF WATCH: CRAWFORD ALLAN was far too lenient and almost lost his grip on this game. Falkirk benefitted most from dodgy calls. Rating: 4/10.