Match Report

Wednesday, 29th October, 2008

by Gary Ralston

CIS Cup: Falkirk 1-0 Inverness CT

FALKIRK remain on course to rewrite history as Craig Brewster claimed the script deserved a different ending.

The Bairns reached their fifth semifinal of the Co-operative Insurance Cup competition since the League Cup came into being after the Second World War.

But they have never lifted the silverware, coming closest in 1947 when they lost 4-1 to East Fife after a replay.

Neil McCann scored the only goal of the game last night, 10 minutes before the break, as Caley Thistle insisted it should never have stood.

Brewster was lectured by referee David Somers for arguing that former Scotland winger McCann was offside as he nodded the winner into the empty net after a shot from Michael Higdon - whose position also looked suspect - hit the bar.

Caley Thistle were also harshly treated early in the second half when Adam Rooney appeared to be upended in the box by Gerard Aafjes, but Somers didn't want to know.

Falkirk weathered some Caley Thistle pressure around the goalmouth in the first half but after the spot-kick claim comfortably held on in a second half that was, somewhat surprisingly, pretty much a non-event.

The refinery at Grangemouth, twinkling like a toxic Christmas tree, won't be bothering the cover of the People's Friend any time soon.

But Westfield looked splendid, its lush playing surface a dream for professionals, despite the temperature hovering in the relegation zone of the stadium's thermometer.

Falkirk lost to Caley Thistle here earlier in the SPL season and looked keen to avenge that 2-1 reverse. They almost opened the scoring after only three minutes.

The ball broke to McCann on the left and he raked a diagonal pass over the top of Richard Hastings and on to Graham Barrett's toes. Barrett's first touch was heavy but he still poked a shot over the diving Ryan Esson.

Grant Munro had seen the danger, darted behind his keeper and stuck out a long leg to knock the ball off the line.

Falkirk had started at pace, although their speed on the park wasn't matched off it and Yogi Hughes emerged from the dugout and playfully put a ball boy over his knee and smacked his behind for not retrieving the ball quickly enough.

Mind you, Yogi was almost rushing on to the pitch to dish out the same treatment to his dopey defenders as Caley Thistle almost snatched the lead in 12 minutes.

They were caught out by a long ball over the top from Dougie Imrie and although Don Cowie reacted quickest and rounded Scott Flinders, the angle was too acute and he knocked his effort into the side net.

The Bairns were enjoying the bulk of possession but it was Caley Thistle who carved out the next best chance in 20 minutes when Rooney rose to meet across from Munro only for Flinders to throw himself to his left and palm the ball to safety.

Next up it was the turn of Roy McBain to cut in from the right and let rip with a fierce drive from 25 yards.

Flinders was happy to see it fly past.

The keeper didn't know much about Caley Thistle's next attack as a long ball into the box dropped to Jamie Duff and he fired an instinctive left-foot effort towards the corner.

Flinders, on loan from Crystal Palace, saw it late but still managed to stick out his left forearm to divert the ball away for a corner, which came to nothing.

Caley Thistle again moved forward menacingly when McBain once more played in Cowie, who took one touch on the run before firing a right-foot volley just over the top.

The Caley Thistle defence are so well marshalled you would think it was Wyatt Earp, not Brewster, in charge of team affairs, although Falkirk were admittedly missing suspended striker Steve Lovell.

That's why the Bairns' opener in 35 minutes came as such a surprise as McNamara played in Higdon as Munro and Co appealed in vain for an offside flag that never came.

The Scouse striker, one on one with Esson, struck his shot against the bar but the ball bounced out to McCann to nod into an empty net from six yards.

Caley Thistle were fuming and Brewster earned a touchline rebuke from Somers for launching a string of verbals against linesman Willie Conquer.

If Caley Thistle were upset at the opener, they had every right to feel equally aggrieved eight minutes into the second half when Rooney burst clear on the left.

His run took him into the penalty box and Dutch midfielder Aafjes appeared to catch him with a clumsy sliding tackle as the striker tumbled to the turf.

However, Somers turned his back and the Bairns heaved a sight of relief.

They were almost breathing easy four minutes later when a McCann cross from the right dropped at Darren Barr's feet but the skipper could only knock the ball on to the base of Esson's post from six yards.

The defender came to his team's rescue minutes later when a high cross from Imrie was lost in the floodlights by Flinders.

The ball landed at Rooney's feet but Barr made a last-gasp tackle to knock it to safety with the goal gaping.

It's the time of year when the leaves drop from the trees but two evergreens were planted into the action after an hour when Russell Latapy and Barry Wilson appeared from the bench, with Brewster also throwing on Andy Barrowman.

The Bairns were beginning to boss the action but Esson, given a run-out in Caley Thistle's previous two cup ties this season in place of Michael Fraser, was hardly overworked.

Falkirk were weaving some pretty patterns but the majority of fans in the pitifully poor crowd of only 3007 knew the home side were far from home and dry as it came without a cutting edge in the final third.

In saying that, Latapy almost sealed it in 80 minutes when he was played in by Higdon but the Falkirk veteran has lived too rich a life to be adept at racing clear of opposition defences and Esson rushed from his line to nip the ball from his toes.