After a dominant first half, Falkirk were left to settle for a draw after conceding an agonising late equaliser. Brian Graham’s early penalty wasn’t enough to secure the three points and The Bairns are still chasing an elusive win against Livingston.
The Bairns played well and were unlucky not to come out with the three points against a well-drilled Livingston side. A draw still means McGlynn’s men rise to third and they sit in a strong position heading into the international break.
It was a sharp start from The Bairns as Ethan Williams broke away down the left wing before driving into the box and forcing a good save from Prior. His save almost dropped into a dangerous area but Danny Wilson was quickly on the scene to clear the danger.
Livingston raced up the other end a few minutes later and worked the ball to Stevie May. His effort from range wasn’t a bad one but Scott Bain was more than equal to it and the score remained 0-0.
Falkirk then replied with a swift counter-attack which quickly became a 3 on 1 situation spearheaded by Calvin Miller. He managed to squeeze a pass through to Kyrell Wilson but his strike from range was deflected behind from a corner.
The resulting corner was cleared after a dangerous effort from Connor Allan was blocked. However, despite Livingston mounting their own attack, the game was called to a halt during the next break in play as the VAR team had spotted something in the penalty box. Ross Irvine was quickly summoned to the monitor and, after a swift check, it was deemed that Stevie May handled the ball as the corner was swung in and The Bairns were handed a golden opportunity to take the lead from the spot.
Brian Graham stood over the penalty and dispatched it in emphatic fashion, smashing it past Prior who was left with no chance despite diving the right way. However, with only fifteen minutes played, there was still an extremely long way to go in this clash.
Falkirk seemed to settle from here and began to control large parts of the game. Livingston were still posing a threat though and Lewis Smith came close to a screamer when he unleashed a venomous strike from distance which flew inches wide of the top left corner.
Brad Spencer then fired back with a long range effort of his own after Graham’s lay-off set him up nicely. His strike dragged just wide but was close enough to cause the Livingston keeper to scramble to his right post in a panic.
Mohamad Sylla then produced the best chance of the game so far for the visitors. Sliding a ferocious effort just wide from the edge of the box.
Falkirk were next to create a scoring chance as Calvin Miller set Williams free following a wonderful ball over the top from Brad Spencer. Williams broke into the box but found himself at a tight angle, despite this he still managed to force a strong save from Prior, and The Bairns were looking good value for a second.
The rest of the half seemed to fizzle out and Falkirk took a well deserved 1-0 lead into the break.
The Bairns started the second half well, piling on some early pressure but struggling to create anything clear-cut. That was until Filip Lissah found himself in a great position on the left wing before curling in a great cross in search of Brian Graham. He stretched to get on the end of the cross, but fired wide.
Livingston replied instantly though and came close after some incredible footwork from Jeremy Bokila saw him find himself in a great position in the box. He scooped his effort over the bar from close range though and Falkirk remained in front for the time being. This chance kickstarted a nice spell for the visitors and left The Bairns with some defending to do.
Falkirk fought back with a nice passage of play as Kyrell Wilson was slipped through on goal, his shot took a wild deflection and looked destined for the top left corner but a backpedaling Prior managed to pull off a wonderful save to keep his side in it with twenty-five minutes to play.
The next twenty minutes were quiet as both sides battled in the middle of the pitch, trying desperately to force a chance.
Livingston managed to force that chance, as a set-piece in a dangerous position gave them a golden opportunity to level the game with only two minutes left to play in regular time. The stadium held their breath as they awaited the delivery and much to the home fans dismay, Livingston skipper, Danny Wilson, flew in at the back post to head home an equaliser.
This was a real hammer blow for The Bairns as they looked to end their disappointing streak against the West Lothian side.
Arfield did come close to a heroic stoppage time winner but it wasn’t to be in the end as Falkirk fell to an agonising 1-1 draw despite dominating most of the game. The result may feel like a loss to some fans however, the bright side is that it leaves Falkirk sitting in third which is a fantastic position for the club at this stage of the season.
Falkirk Starting XI: Scott Bain, Keelan Adams, Liam Henderson, Brian Graham (15’), Brad Spencer ©, Connor Allan, Dylan Tait, Kyrell Wilson, Ethan Williams, Filip Lissah, Calvin Miller.
Subs: Nicky Hogarth, Alfredo Agyeman, Henry Cartwright, Gary Oliver, Ethan Ross, Ryan Edwards, Scott Arfield, Sam Hart, Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi.
Livingston Starting XI: Jerome Prior, Mahamadou Sissoho, Lewis Smith, Steven May, Jeremy Bokila, Daniel Finlayson, Mohamad Sylla, Cristian Montaño, Daniel Wilson © (89’), Joshua Brenet, Tete Yengi.
Subs: Jack Hamilton, Robbie Muirhead, Graham Carey, Andrew Winter, Junior Robinson, Andrew Shinnie, Macaulay Tait, Sam Culbert, Samson Lawal.
Referee: Grant Irvine.
Assistant Referees: Frank Connor and Alastair Mather.
Fourth Official: Daniel Graves.
Attendance: 7,176.
