2018 Falkirk 2 Dunfermline 4

Memorable Match #47
Ladbrokes Championship
The Falkirk Stadium, 29th December 2018

The final league match of 2018 was a local derby against the Bairns at their Falkirk Stadium. The home side sat bottom of the table seven points behind their visitors in seventh. Dunfermline sorely wanted the three points that could kick start their hopes of securing a play off place while Ray McKinnon’s Falkirk were seeking their first home league win of the season.

In the quest for goals Allan Johnston gave former Bairn Myles Hippolyte a start in place of Faissal El Bakhtaoui. Falkirk were without the suspended, future Pars captain, Paul Paton.

The home side kicked off through Zak Rudden, attacking the goal in front of the 1463 strong travelling support. It was to be Rudden who teed up Joe McKEE on the left side of the box to allow the Falkirk no.22 to stroke the ball past the advancing Lee Robinson. Just 95 seconds on the clock and 1-0 Falkirk.

Dunfermline’s first real response was in eighth minute when Kallum Higginbotham pumped a high ball in from the right but Aidan Keena at the far post could only head the ball into the hands of keeper David Mitchell.

Then three minutes later Joe Thomson accepted a lay back from James Vincent, the Pars midfielder took the ball to his right before crashing a shot from 20 yards out that screamed over the crossbar.

The Fifers pressure paid off in 13th minute when Tom Beadling’s header sent HIPPOLYTE in on goal. The defence tried to stop him and looked like they might have, but Myles twisted round again and poked the goal past Mitchell. 1-1

The Pars were to turn it all around and go ahead just four more minutes into the game. Higginbotham delivered a free kick from the left approx 30 yards out, his diagonal pass was not cleared as it travelled through the penalty box and Tom BEADLING popped up at the far post to stab the ball in with his red boot at the right post. 1-2

Keena had a shot in 24 minutes that ended up narrowly wide left and next Hippolyte bent a free kick around the five man defensive wall but Mitchell had it covered dropping to his left to hold. The Pars fans by this stage were maintaining a constant noise and they had plenty to sing about. There followed a penalty box tangle with ultimately Keena getting away a shot but somehow the Bairns survived.

Mitchell miscued his clearance to hand Beadling a 37th minute chance but his shot from 25 yards out went wide left. Higginbotham lobbed in a free kick from the same area that had yielded the Pars second but this time, although Ashcroft got in the header, the referee blew up for something he saw.

After the shock of losing the early goal Dunfermline ran the game and created many chances that resulted in no less than 11 first half shots.

Half Time: Falkirk 1 Dunfermline 2

The second half was only six minutes old before a touch of class provided the Fifers third goal. Following slick play between Higginbotham and Longridge on the left side in line with the edge of the Falkirk box, Higgy emerged with the ball and as he reached the box fed the ball in for BEADLING in a central position who picked his spot. 1-3

Midway through the half Dunfermline were to go further ahead prompting their fans to chant about how easy it was. James VINCENT certainly made it look easy accepting the ball from Keena on the right side of the box and firing clinically across goal to find the net just inside the left goalpost. 1-4

It was seven minutes later when Falkirk defender HARRISON found the net with a shot from the left side 18 yards out. 2-4

A good performance by Dunfermline who despite not winning a corner all match had 17 shots, to see out the final 16 minutes and take home all three points. It was the third successive, and of course the most recent, away win against the Bairns.

Four goals against Falkirk on their own ground for the first time since 1965, three different goalscorers and three very welcome points. Falkirk remained bottom of the table, Dunfermline seventh.

FALKIRK: David Mitchell: Jordan McGhee, Scott Harrison, Aaron Muirhead, Tommy Robson, Patrick Brough (Cieran Dunne 72), Joe McKee, Ruben Sammut (Andrew Irving 54), Prince Buaben (Jason Jarvis 88): Zak Rudden, Denton Lewis.
SUBS NOT USED: Tom Dallison, Mark Russell, Marcus Haber, Leo Fasan (GK)
SCORERS: McKee (2), Harrison (74)
YELLOW CARD: Sammut (26), McKee (58)

DUNFERMLINE: Lee Robinson: James Craigen, Lee Ashcroft (c), Danny Devine, Jackson Longridge: Tom Beadling (Robbie Muirhead 79), Joe Thomson, James Vincent: Myles Hippolyte (Malaury Martin 87), Aidan Keena (Faissal El Bakhtaoui 72), Kallum Higginbotham.
SUBS NOT USED: Ryan Williamson, Lewis McCann, Mark Durnan, Cammy Gill (GK)
SCORERS: Hippolyte (13), Beadling (17, 51), Vincent (67)
YELLOW CARD: Thomson (74)

REFEREE: Colin Steven
WEATHER: Clear 9C
ATTENDANCE 5786

NEXT MATCH: Ladbrokes Championship (home) v Alloa Athletic, Saturday 5th January 2019, 3.00pm kick off at East End Park

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