Monday verdict: Bairns ‘Keane’ for more from team after Falkirk’s 0-0 draw with East Fife

Supporters had to predict the time of the first goal in the match with East Fife... only it never came.

Does that sum things up? We’ll only know that in hindsight months down the line, and though it’s felt like this takeover has been dragging on it now appears the deal is progressing and edging closer to completion.

Mr Campbell watched the optimism and demolition of Forfar two weeks’ ago from the directors’ box. He paid in and watched this one from the crowd. He’ll have his own ideas for sure, and there’s a fair chance that, to steal some lyrics from the band, ‘everybody’s changing, and I don’t feel the same’ because the optimism of that win was contrasted by Saturday’s booing off of the Bairns. Not by Mr Campbell, but by a vocal section of the home support.

No goals was an option selected by one lucky winner in the Twitter contest but it seemed a harsh reaction to an entertaining 90 minutes where East Fife put up more of a challenge than a combined 22 from Forfar and Stranraer could have in the weeks prior.

But it was a lesson to the Bairns that only wins will do for a demanding home support. Getting out of this league and back to, as Keane might say ‘somewhere only we know’ is the aim of this season and 3633 were there, expectant, to back them to it.

Let that sink in for a minute – 3600 at a Scottish third tier match – a crowd that could have filled the Usher Hall to see Keane last night and still leave almost 1500 waiting outside.

The result desired by the vast majority of the audience at Westfield may not have materialised, but it wasn’t for the want of trying and in terms of a contest, this was as good as League One matches could be expected to be. All that was lacking was goals.

Louis Longridge smacked the top of the post in the first half and Cammy Bell did his level best to keep out a stunner from Scott Agnew to rival the long-distance efforts of Michael Doyle and Morgaro Gomis of previous weeks. As is now becoming a Bairns custom too, captain Gregor Buchanan had a goal-bound effort obstructed by his team-mate, this time Mark Durnan a yard out. The chances were there but the goals did not come.

But neither did they come against. The back-line looked assured and Bell’s concentration was spot-on when called upon after an all but idle few weeks.

Falkirk have to turn possession into goals. The industry of Gomis and Telfer in the midfield and on this occasion Aidan Connolly, deserve an end product. And they’ll get it once Declan McManus gets on a roll again.

Performances like this one, plus goals, and Falkirk will ensure that, as Keane would also sing ‘this is the last time’ for their healthy crowds to spend Saturdays watching legaue one football and the bright lights of Edinburgh are not too far away.