Falkirk secured their first three points of the season following a statement 2-1 victory over Hearts at The Falkirk Stadium.
An energetic midweek display from The Bairns resulted in a great win and a thoroughly deserved three points.
Falkirk took the lead early on the night after a sublime long ball unleashed Ryan Strain down the right wing, the defender drove into the box and picked out Ben Krauhaus with a brilliant cut-back; the midfielder made no mistake and smashed it beyond Beau Reus to give The Bairns the lead with eight minutes played.
The early goal left Hearts stunned, and they struggled to settle into the game for the opening twenty minutes.
Despite their lack of creation, the visitors found an equaliser after just over twenty minutes. This came after Josh McPake drove to the byline and fired it across goal for James Wilson, who stabbed it home from close range to level the game.
The Hearts duo linked up again moments later, as McPake found Wilson in space inside the box once more. This time, the striker couldn’t keep it down as his mishit effort sailed over the bar.
The next big chance of the game came the way of Falkirk after half an hour as Owen Eames pounced on a loose ball and set off towards the Hearts goal with explosive pace. The winger opted to search for Murrell in the box, but it was cut out by Stuart Findlay, who knocked it behind for a corner.
There was not much to report from the rest of the half, but it was a strong display from The Bairns as they dominated the majority of the half.
A frantic start to the second half saw Falkirk go agonisingly close to retaking the lead as Finley Barbrook almost doubled his tally from just over twelve yards out following a brilliant team move.
A huge opportunity for the visitors came minutes later when towering striker JJ Williams was picked out in the box, his effort from point-blank range was denied by an excellent save from Scott Bain, who showed exactly why he has made the latest Scotland squad.
A brace of big chances came for Falkirk just after the hour mark, Owen Eames came close with the first chance as his effort was deflected just wide of the post before Jacob Murrell saw his volley saved by the keeper.
The Bairns retook the lead with just over twenty minutes of normal time to play as a loose ball from a Hearts defender was swiftly cut out by Owen Eames, the young winger squeezed a low effort beyond the keeper and in off the post to claim his first goal in Navy Blue.
The Falkirk defence were solid throughout the rest of the game, and Hearts struggled to come close to pulling back on level terms.
The game was coming to a close, and Hearts had thrown bodies forward in search of a late equaliser, which allowed The Bairns to mount a dangerous counter as the ball was worked out to Ethan Ross, he smashed it against the post before the rebound was fired wide by Fodrey.
After three additional minutes, the final whistle sounded and Falkirk secured their first victory of the league campaign.
Falkirk now prepare for a trip to Perthshire on Saturday as they face St Johnstone.
TEAM INFORMATION:
FALKIRK XI: Scott Bain, Leon McCann, Liam Henderson, Brad Spencer (C), Lewis Neilson, Finley Barbrook, Ryan Strain, Ethan Ross, Jacob Murrell, Ben Krauhaus (8’), Owen Eames (68’).
BENCH: Nicky Hogarth, Jack McMillan, Ben Parkinson, Ross MacIver, Craig Sibbald, Scott Tanser, Deniss Melniks, Aodhan Doherty.
HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN XI: Beau Reus, Jamie McCart, Calvin Miller, Claudio Braga, Josh McPake, Stuart Findlay, Harry Milne, James Wilson (22’), Jordi Altena, Yan Dhanda, Laurent Mendy.
BENCH: Ryan Fulton, Christian Borchgrevink, Stephen Kingsley, JJ Williams, Pierre Landry Kabore, Sabri Guendouz, Sabah Kerjota, Rogers Mato, Amadou Ba-Sy.
REFEREE: John Beaton
ATTENDANCE: 7034
Match Report by Robbie Hill
Cover Image by Ruby Adam
