Kilmarnock left stunned as a sensational first-half display earned The Bairns an emphatic 3-1 win. This result sees Falkirk secure successive home league wins as they rise to fifth place in the Scottish Premiership.
First half goals from Ethan Williams, Ross MacIver and Calvin Miller ensured Falkirk were far out of sight by the time Kilmarnock began to fight their way back into the clash.
It was a scintillating start from The Bairns and they were rewarded for their early barrage of pressure with a fantastic goal from Ethan Williams. Miller picked up the ball on the edge of the area before threading a wonderful pass through for Williams who rounded the keeper before slotting it into an empty net. The goal was initially disallowed for offside however, after a lengthy VAR check, the decision was corrected and Falkirk took the lead with seven minutes played.
Kilmarnock really struggled to settle into the game in the early stages and the combination of Ethan Williams and Kyrell Wilson were causing the visitors all sorts of problems at the back.
Falkirk would then double their lead on twenty-two minutes following another onslaught of pressure. This came through Wilson after he picked up the ball with his back to goal on the edge of the area, his magnificent turn allowed him to unleash a strike from range which was well-saved. MacIver was the most alert in the box though, and he made no mistake with the rebound, effortlessly bundling the ball into a virtually empty net.
Chances continued to flow for Falkirk and they looked as if they had no intention of slowing down. Adams came close to adding a third as he flew down the right wing before smashing his effort wide of the top right corner. Williams would also try his luck from range however, his effort was dragged well wide.
Falkirk then soared to a three goal lead with thirty-eight minutes played, and nobody could say it wasn’t coming. The goal came from a swift Falkirk counter-attack as Brian Graham’s flick on found the feet of Williams who would then find Calvin Miller with a wonderful defence splitting pass. Despite the tight angle, Miller made no mistake, slotting a composed finish through the legs of Oluwayemi to cap off an utterly dominant first half display from the home side.
Kilmarnock started the second period positively with a change in personnel and shape clearly having an impact, Robbie Deas saw his headed effort ruled out as he was deemed to have fouled Scott Bain and Bruce Anderson would also race through on goal to net however, his effort was ruled offside and the score remained 3-0.
After a flurry of saves from Scott Bain, and mounting pressure from the visitors, they eventually pulled one back through John-Jules as he turned in the box before confidently converting to give the Kilmarnock faithful something to celebrate.
This gave Kilmarnock a lifeline and prompted a spirited performance in the final twenty minutes in an attempt to spark a fightback.
However, a resolute and determined Falkirk defence proved to be too strong for Kilmarnock whose dismal first half display resulted in a margin that was too large to pull back and The Bairns ran out deserved 3-1 winners.
Falkirk Starting XI: Scott Bain, Keelan Adams, Liam Henderson, Brad Spencer ©, Ross MacIver (22’), Henry Cartwright, Connor Allan, Kyrell Wilson, Ethan Williams (9’), Filip Lissah, Calvin Miller (38′).
Subs: Nicky Hogarth, Brian Graham, Alfredo Agyeman, Gary Oliver, Dylan Tait, Ethan Ross, Scott Arfield, Sam Hart, Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi.
Kilmarnock Starting XI: Tobi Oluwayemi, Dominic Thompson, Robbie Deas, Rory McKenzie, Brad Lyons ©, Marcus Dackers, David Watson, George Stranger, Scott Tiffoney, Bruce Anderson, Ben Brannan.
Subs: Edward Beach, Michael Williams, Greg Kiltie, James Brown, Tom Lowrey, Tyreece John-Jules (69′), Ethan Brown, Kian Leslie, Liam Polworth.
Referee: David Dickinson.
Assistant Referees: Graeme Stewart and Colin Drummond.
Fourth Official: Joel Kennedy.
Attendance: 7,461.
