Match Report

Sunday, 26th October, 2008

by Ewing Grahame

Flinders' fingers help Bairns end losing streak and hang on to vital points

THE Bairns finally stopped the rot after three successive defeats and this victory had the added benefit of lifting them off the foot of the table.

It was a pulsating encounter and one which Kilmarnock didn't deserve to lose. That they ended up with nothing to show for their efforts was largely due to an excellent goalkeeping performance from Scott Flinders.

An early goal would have helped to settle any nerves Falkirk may have had after their losing streak and it almost arrived inside the opening minute.

Steve Lovell, who missed a hat-trick of chances in the defeat to Aberdeen last weekend, celebrated like a prisoner pardoned after he had fired Graham Barrett's cross behind Alan Combe from close range but the luckless striker was correctly adjudged to have been offside.

It took Kilmarnock a little longer to hit their stride but they should have opened the scoring in the 12th minute when Danny Invincibile picked out Conor Sammon, but the Irishman headed straight at Flinders from just six yards.

That summed up the end-to-end nature of the play. It was an open game in spite of the driving rain, strong winds and a treacherous, greasy surface. Falkirk's goal arguably came about as a result of the elements, Alan Combe punching away a Neil McCann corner he would normally choose to catch. That allowed Jackie McNamara to head the ball back into the danger area and Lovell's volley found the net.

This time the strike was legitimate and the striker's relief was as palpable as Killie's frustration when Michael McCurry and his assistants were the only people not to notice that Jamie Hamill's shot from the edge of the penalty area had been deflected wide by a visiting player.

Flinders helped Falkirk maintain their advantage on the stroke of half-time when he managed to push away a Fernandez header from Invincibile's cross which was destined for the postage-stamp corner.

The goalkeeper appeared to be on a personal crusade to deny Kilmarnock a point and he frustrated them again in the 47th minute, diverting Craig Bryson's point-blank shot against a post after Invincibile had once again supplied the ammunition.

Falkirk then made the points safe, scoring the second from a controversial penalty awarded on 64 minutes. There didn't seem to be much in Hamill's challenge on Barrett but McCurry had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Combe was cautioned for dissent before being comprehensively beaten by Scott Arfield.

Lovell's stupidity in blatantly aiming a kick at Hamill following a challenge on the far side of the field deservedly earned him a straight red card. Manuel Pascali collected a booking in the fracas which followed.

Substitutes Willie Gibson and Donovan Simmonds combined to provide Killie with a consolation goal in stoppage time, the former crossing for the latter to glance home.