Falkirk made a stunning comeback to earn a well-deserved point against Hibernian.
Ethan Williams shone under the lights with two fantastic assists, as the sides battled out a thrilling 2-2 draw at The Falkirk Stadium.The Bairns started the game brightly with a Calvin Miller breakaway. He managed to swing in a low cross to Ethan Williams who forced a great save from Sallinger to keep the scores level. A promising start from Falkirk with only a minute played.
This kickstarted a fiery opening fifteen minutes with both sides creating opportunities to open the scoring. There was a chance for Hibs as Jamie McGrath’s corner found the head of Kieron Bowie, however the striker couldn’t generate enough power to truly test Bain and the score remained level.
Hibs then created another opportunity through a Nicky Cadden cross which found the head of Bowie. This time his header did test Bain and it was clear to see that the combination of both Cadden and Bowie would cause the hosts some serious problems throughout the 90 minutes.
The visitors really settled into the game and looked by far the better side following the opening twenty minutes. McGrath slid through Hibernian skipper, Martin Boyle, on the left hand side and his effort forced Scott Bain into another decent stop.
A mix-up at the back from Falkirk would allow Bowie a golden opportunity to put his side ahead. Bain came up with a great save once again though and, despite the scores remaining level, Hibs were really knocking on the door.
Hibs finally opened the scoring through a controversial penalty with 30 minutes played. The penalty was awarded following a handball from Ethan Williams as he rushed out to block a cross before the ball was thumped at him from close range. Boyle made no mistake from the spot and slotted the visitors into a deserved lead.
It wasn’t long before Hibs doubled their lead, this time through Jamie McGrath. It was a good move from the visitors as they worked the ball nicely into the box before McGrath took advantage of Falkirk’s failure to clear, taking the ball on the turn before dispatching a tidy finish into the bottom-right corner.
It was a near instant response from the Bairns though who were certainly not going down without a fight. Ethan Williams skipped down the right wing and delivered a dangerous cross into the Hibs box, which was met by Ross MacIver who showed a true strikers instinct, burying it from close range to give the hosts a lifeline on the stroke of half-time.
Falkirk came out guns blazing in the second period and Hibs really struggled to gain back control of the game. Both sides knew the next goal in this game was crucial and as the hour mark approached, the Bairns were by far the more dangerous of the two.
The hard work would eventually pay off for Falkirk, as Ethan Williams delivered a brilliant cross following a short corner which found the head of Liam Henderson. His header left Sallinger with no chance and flew into the bottom-right corner, sending The Falkirk stadium into raptures and commencing the hunt for a winner.
Hibs battled hard to get back on top however, it seemed Falkirk’s momentum was simply too much to handle. It wasn’t long before Sallinger was forced to make another great save, this time denying MacIver with just over twenty minutes to play.
The home crowd were really making their voices heard now, pushing the Bairns to try and snatch a late victory. Falkirk were really gunning for the three-points too, and McGylnn’s late triple change featuring three attackers showed he had no intentions of holding out for a point.
Unfortunately, despite all of Falkirk’s late pressure, they were unable to find the winner which they probably deserved. However, a point against a strong Hibs side, especially coming from two goals down, is no mean feat and John McGlynn was rightfully delighted with his teams performance ahead of a tough visit to Tynecastle on Saturday.
Falkirk Starting XI: Scott Bain, Keelan Adams, Leon McCann, Liam Henderson (63’), Brad Spencer ©, Ross MacIver (45+1’), Lewis Neilson, Henry Cartwright, Dylan Tait, Ethan Williams, Calvin Miller.
Substitutes: Nicky Hogarth, Brian Graham, Alfredo Agyeman, Gary Oliver, Connor Allan, Filip Lissah, Scott Arfield, Sam Hart, Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi.
Hibernian Starting XI: Raphael Sallinger, Warren O’Hora, Kieron Bowie, Martin Boyle © (pen 30’), Miguel Chaiwa, Jamie McGrath (42’), Nicky Cadden, Josh Mulligan, Jordan Obita, Daniel Barlaser, Rocky Bushiri.
Substitutes: Jordan Smith, Grant Hanley, Dylan Levitt, Chris Cadden, Jack Iredale, Thibault Klidje, Junior Hoilett, Josh Campbell, Rudi Allan-Molotnikov.
Referee: Calum Scott
Assistant Referees: Alastair Taylor and Scott Anderson
Fourth Official: Grant Irvine
Attendance: 7,491
