Match Report
Monday, 30th November, 2009
by Paul Forsyth
Falkirk 1 - 1 Hibernian: Calamity goalkeepers steal the show
GOD loves a goalkeeper, especially one who throws the ball into his own net. Yves Ma-Kalambay and Scott Flinders didn't quite do that yesterday, but their shortcomings were responsible for the goals that ignited this game. Falkirk were the first beneficiaries, midway through the second half, Hibs the second, with nine minutes left, and 6,260 spectators the third, enjoying as they did the rousing finale that ensued.
In it, Ma-Kalambay produced two outstanding saves, tipping over Kevin McBride's rising shot, and denying Michael Higdon at the front post, but it was his hesitation in the 69th minute that is likely to be remembered. Kitted out in scarlet from head to toe, the Belgian's cheeks turned a similar hue when Burton O'Brien's searching cross left him in two minds, neither of which he could make up. Caught in no man's land, he allowed the ball to find Darren Barr at the back post, where the Falkirk defender headed in from a tight angle.
The home side deserved their lead, having taken most of the initiative, outpassed their opponents for long spells, and come up short only in the creation of scoring opportunities, but it lasted just 12 minutes. This time, Flinders was at fault, failing to match Rob Jones' jump on the edge of the six-yard box. When the big defender nodded down the cross by Alan O'Brien, substitute Colin Nish was on hand to turn it in.
The goalkeeper furiously claimed that Jones had held him down, but referee Alan Muir disagreed. So did Nish. So did John Hughes, who described Flinders as "flat on his heels". It was all a bit galling for the Falkirk manager, who thought that his team had deserved to win, and lacked only a bit of support for the strikers. He was full of praise for his midfield four, and the way they retained possession, which was perhaps fitting on the day Falkirk had chosen to celebrate Russell Latapy's five years with the club.
When Latapy grew up in Trinidad, moved to Portugal and embarked on a professional career that took him to the World Cup finals, it's a fair bet that he didn't anticipate ending it here, in this half-built stadium on a patch of wasteland, looking out to the smoking chimneys of Grangemouth. It's not over yet, of course, but even the midfielder who joined Hibs at 30, Rangers at 33 and Falkirk at 35 would have to concede that his time is nearly up.
That the 40-year-old still commands a place in the Falkirk squad is impressive enough. That he has prolonged his career in a league that hardly lends itself to the calypso beat is something else again. The gratitude of supporters from both of these clubs was voiced in a pre-match ceremony that inducted him into Falkirk's hall of fame, although the carnival promised extended only as far as some choreographed card-waving and a soundtrack of steel drums.
Hughes wasn't moved to involve Latapy, even as a substitute, but he was more than happy to make do with O'Brien, who hit the side netting early on, tested Ma-Kalambay with a free-kick from 20 yards, and generally came up with enough tricks to warrant comparison with the Little Magician. "He was pulling the strings in left midfield," said Hughes. "If George Burley is looking for anybody on the left side, where Scotland are a wee bit short, Burton O'Brien is your man. He's different class."
Derek Riordan also has a streak of Latapy about him, on and off the pitch. Quite apart from his aptitude with the dead ball, his vision is exemplary, as demonstrated with an early opening of the body that enabled him to slide a teasing pass across Falkirk's defence. When Steven Fletcher laid it back to Dean Shiels, the Hibs midfielder dragged his shot wide.
Hibs spent much of their first half on the back foot, but contrived to come up with the better attempts on goal. When Riordan was felled just outside the box, Fletcher flicked a free kick towards the top corner, only to see Flinders tip it round for a corner. It was the same outcome a few minutes later, this time after Fletcher's bicycle kick hadn't quite packed the necessary power or precision.
After the interval, Falkirk again drove at Hibs, but found themselves vulnerable to the counter attack, as well as their goalkeeper's eccentricities. Twice in the space of a few minutes, Flinders was flapping at a deceptive cross. First, he came sailing out to meet a Riordan corner, missed it completely, and was let off by Sol Bamba's wayward header. Then, when David Van Zanten's deep centre eluded him, Fletcher failed to get enough head on it at the back post.
Hibs fashioned enough chances to win the game, but struggled to pass the ball, and would have been worse off without Jones, who puts himself about at both ends. On one occasion, when he appeared to nut Steve Lovell in the back of the head, it was all the Falkirk striker could do to contain his anger. In the closing minutes, with substitute O'Brien flinging in the crosses, a Jones header hit the woodwork, and the referee this time ruled that he had impeded the goalkeeper. An ironic cheer rang around the stadium.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Burton O'Brien's left foot stood out among what was a crowded midfield. Might have scored early on, and set up Falkirk's goal.
QUICK FACT: Russell Latapy, now 40, has made 193 appearances in five years with Falkirk, who yesterday celebrated his service to the club, and to Scottish football.
TALKING POINT: Hibs' equaliser will have been hotly debated in Falkirk last night, with their goalkeeper, Scott Flinders, claiming he was fouled by Rob Jones, whose header set up Colin Nish.