Falkirk 2 Dunfermline 0: Comfortable derby delight for Bairns

With Morton losing to Queen of the South and United playing in tonight’s BBC Alba late kick-off the Bairns seized the day for their second win on the trot.

John Baird and Lee Miller were the Falkirk heroes with a goal in either half, each laying the other on for their goals.

The first half was not much to live up to the pre-match build-up in atmosphere though the Bairns did deserve their half-time lead.

In a lovely flowing move from the right the Bairns crossed from Lee Miller and Joe McKee, making his debut, stepped over the cross for Myles Hippolyte to thump at goal but it flew just wide.

In another move Baird was clearly offside when he raced in to meet a cross but headed over even with the flag.

However the little striker, who found his scoring touch again at St Mirren last week converted and sent his side ahead on 34 minutes.

James Craigen – in for Fraser Aird – sent in a good free-kick to the backpost and Lee Miller nodded down. Baird got across his man in the six-yard box to steer the ball in and silence the noisy visitors’ support.

All the Pars had mustered was a Nicky Clark effort that Danny Rogers was down sharply to grasp, and they were complicit in their own downfall in the second half with long booted balls into space and a difficulty in passes finding their own man.

Falkirk had similar little shadows of complacency but the Bairns were mostly assured and composed on the ball and could have been further ahead.

Lee Miller

rose well to meet a wicked cross by Myles Hippolyte

and somehow nodded the header wide when it looked easier to score.

However he made sure from a similar distance with 15 minutes to go, following in to ensure the Bairns second win in a row.

First Craig Sibbald

did well to retain possession and prodded to Hippolyte

and the ex-Brentford trainee who scored against the Pars in the last meeting here sent a wayward attewmpt at goal. Fortunately John Baird was loitering and took the shot as a pass and fired at goal. Murdoch gopt a touch, pushed it onto the bar and when the ball bounced it’s landing wasn’t the right side of the line. Murdoch couldn’t gather and Miller was gambling on another rebound to hammer in from close range.

The Bairns had a late scare though when a clipped Higginbotham cross found Lee Ashcroft completely unmarked but he glanced wide unchallenged.

Peter Houston gave both his match-winning stikers a few minutes less to allow them to take the plaudits and applause from the crowd after an excellent shift and that led to the re-introduction, finally, of Nathan Austin to the first team after a lengthy injury lay-off with a hamstring problem. Both recei ved standing ovatiopns from the home support while the away stand all but emptied before Willie Collum’s final whistle.