Falkirk edged out a struggling Kilmarnock side to earn a priceless three points away from home. The result sees The Bairns move twelve points clear of the drop zone, ensuring they head into Christmas on a high.
Both sides lacked any real quality in the opening forty-five minutes and, for the most part, it was pretty devoid of any entertainment.
Brian Graham registered Falkirk’s first shot of the game as he carried the ball 20-yards before hitting a low strike from distance. It was a comfortable save in the end but a promising sign with only ten minutes played.
Each team really struggled to get their foot on the ball long enough to mount any serious attacks and with half an hour played, there had not yet been a clear cut chance.
Lissah did well to block an initial strike from John-Jules before James Brown came close to opening the scoring from the rebound. He fired wide of the top right corner though, and the scores remained level.
The hosts then ramped up the pressure just before half time, enjoying a range of opportunities just before the break.
Bruce Anderson struck his effort over the bar from close range, following a great cross from James Brown. Greg Kiltie then had another great chance to break the deadlock however, he failed to find the net.
The Bairns opened the scoring early in the second half after a wonderful attack resulted in Finn Yates picking up the ball wide on the left wing. He clipped a dangerous ball in to Kyrell Wilson whose attempted scissor kick dropped perfectly for Brian Graham, he made no mistake from close range, hitting it high into the roof of the net to break the deadlock and send the travelling Bairns into raptures.
Falkirk carried on with this momentum and dominated the next ten minutes, coming close on a couple of occasions but not doing quite enough to double the lead.
The game became very scrappy from here as the majority of play was broken up by fouls or players requiring treatment. Both sides were attacking in numbers however, they were struggling to create anything of substance.
The Bairns then had two quick-fire chances with five minutes to play, the first of which came when Calvin Miller managed to outrun his man and have a run in on goal. He was forced into a tight angle though, and fired just wide of the post. Ethan Williams then found Agyeman in acres of space just inside the box, but his effort was well saved and the score remained a slender 1-0.
Kilmarnock came close to finding a leveller early into stoppage time as Ben Brannan sent a curling cross into Dackers. He made good contact with his header but it flew just over the bar much to the relief of the Falkirk defenders.
A robust defensive performance from Falkirk in the dying stages of the game meant that Dackers’ chance was the last real opportunity of the clash and The Bairns take all three points back to FK2.
Kilmarnock Starting XI: Tobi Oluwayemi, Dominic Thompson, Lewis Mayo, Robbie Deas, Brad Lyons ©, Greg Kiltie, David Watson, James Brown, Bruce Anderson, Tyreece John-Jules, Liam Polworth.
Substitutes: Eddie Beach, Zac Williams, Marcus Dackers, George Stanger, Scott Tiffoney, Tom Lowrey, Jack Thomson, Ethan Schilte-Brown, Ben Brannan.
Falkirk Starting XI: Scott Bain, Leon McCann, Liam Henderson, Brian Graham (53’), Brad Spencer ©, Henry Cartwright, Connor Allan, Dylan Tait, Kyrell Wilson, Filip Lissah, Calvin Miller.
Substitutes: Nicky Hogarth, Alfredo Agyeman, Finn Yeats, Ethan Ross, Ethan Williams, Ryan Edwards, Scott Arfield, Samuel Hart, Trey Samuel-Ogunsuyi.
Referee: Ryan Lee.
Assistant Referees: David Roome and Alastair Mather.
Fourth Official: Peter Stuart
Attendance: 5,708.
