Falkirk 3-0 Clyde: Bairns continue unbeaten start to League 1 season with impressive win

The victory was as comfortable as it gets in truth with three second half goals doing the damage, via Paul Dixon's brilliant strike and a Calumn Morrison double, the first of which was a penalty.

Falkirk manager Paul Sheerin told the Falkirk Herald: “I’m delighted. Obviously we needed to show more patience first half when Clyde played deep and made it difficult for us to break them down.

"They took the tempo out the game at times which is credit to their organisation. We have preached the fact that we need to stay patient.

"We probably scored sooner than we thought which obviously helps. Once you get that goal and they change their shape a wee bit then you get the two goals close together.

"I’m really excited. The clean sheet is the biggest thing for me. We are pretty exciting in forward areas and we will score goals.

"We just need to make sure we keep it tight at the back. I thought Ben Hall and Gary Dicker were excellent.

"You know how much of a threat Goodwillie is, the goals he scores. You know if you can keep him quiet you’ve got a chance and that proved to be the case today.”

Falkirk started the stronger side and within 35 seconds of kick-off Aidan Keena headed over Morrison’s cross from the right.

The Bairns continued to press and Seb Ross had a shot blocked by a defender before Keena’s effort was deflected over.

Dixon looped a header over from a Charlie Telfer corner before away keeper David Mitchell raced off his line after Nesbitt’s long ball forward and didn’t gather but the ball was cleared.

Clyde gradually came into it and home keeper Robbie Mutch was almost dispossessed by Paul Kennedy in a rare nervous moment.

Falkirk’s ascendancy continued before half-time with Leon McCann and Craig McGuffie both producing fine crosses which weren’t finished.

The Bairns finally got the goal their play merited after 56 minutes when defender Dixon produced a great run forward and sent a brilliant long range shot into the bottom right corner.

The dangerous Nesbitt then showed his trickery on 61 minutes before McGuffie shot over.

It was then 2-0 Falkirk on 66 minutes. Keena was wiped out in the box and Morrison confidently tucked home the penalty.

It was all the Bairns now and Keena’s left footer came back off the left upright after a McGuffie pass.

McGuffie’s long range left footed drive then flew beyond Mitchell’s left post.

On 81 minutes, Telfer was close to knocking the ball home after some trickery from Nesbitt on the left.

It was 3-0 Falkirk in injury time when Morrison gathered a cross from the right and took his time before crashing the ball in with his left foot.

The win puts Falkirk onto 10 points from four league games, only behind leaders Montrose on goal difference.

The Bairns fans look to be in for a treat this season with the amount of excellent attacking footballers in the team.

Sheerin said: “It’s probably a wee bit sickening for teams when you see the subs we make and that energy that you bring onto the pitch.

"I’m not hiding from the fact that we’re a full-time club and they’re a part-time club.

"Our fitness levels, with the greatest of respect to them, should be higher and we should be able to play at a higher energy and I think at the minute we’re finding that.

"They’ll be tests to come, I’m not shying away from that either. And it’s just when those tests come, are we ready to stand up to them?

"We need to make sure we are.”

Falkirk: Mutch, Dixon, Hall, Miller, Morrison, Nesbitt, McGuffie (Weekes 85), McCann, Ross (Krasniqi 64), Keena (Wilson 78), Telfer.

Clyde: Mitchell, Elsdon, Cunningham, Rumsby, Kennedy (Docherty 85), Gomis, Nicoll (Jones 60), Goodwillie, Cuddihy (Andrew 75), Munro, Mortimer.

Referee: Colin Steven

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