Peterhead 5 Falkirk 3: Rory McAllister runs riot

Rory McAllister outshone the second coming of Lee Miller as Peterhead knocked last year’s Scottish Cup finalists out of the Petrofac Cup.
Peter Houston's side lost five goals to one man on Tuesday nightPeter Houston's side lost five goals to one man on Tuesday night
Peter Houston's side lost five goals to one man on Tuesday night

McAllister scored all five of his side’s goals in a sensational rout that looked highly unlikely early on.

But the Blue Toon were clinical in their sensational show and delighted their nosy band of followers – just about the only spectators left in the Stadium come full-time.

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Yet the Bairns had started brightly and were handed a penalty to start when Ally Glichrist punched the ball in the box.

But Graeme Smith was the Blue Toon hero by beating away the spot-kick. His opposite number, perennial Bairns sub Graham Bowman, had a completely different night.

The Bairns continued to plough forward after the miss and scored a lovely opener when Blair Alston’s driving run fed in to David Smith. The ball sat up nicely for him after his first touch and he floated a high shot over Smith and into the net.

More was to follow from Falkirk as Watson headed in the second, though McHugh standing in the goalkeeper’s path at the corner-kick also claimed a touch.

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He could have certainly had his goal when Smith broke into the box and cut-back but the former Motherwell man blazed over.

It had been all Falkirk.

Then Peterhead scored. It was contested by the Bairns who not only felt it was offside - a claim proven to be true by Falkirk TV cameras at the interval - but also that McAllister had controlled the ball with his hand before lobbing Graham Bowman in goals.

The sub-turned starter had an awful first half and was rooted to his goal-line when Jordan Brown skimmed a pass across the six-yard line and McAllister tapped in a second.

The Bairns were rocked and failed to recover by the time McAllister had sealed his hat-trick.

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The defence was in disarray as McAllister twisted and turned in the box. Shooting at Bowman but reclaiming the rebound and tucking it in through a cluster of bodies on the goal-line frantically trying to keep the scores level.

The Bairns ears must have been ringing from a half-time dressing down, as well as the chorus of boo’s that met the half-time whistle, and emerged and immediately tested Graeme Smith with a drive from his namesake Davis which was pushed just outside of the upright.

Throughout all the defensive frailties Lee Miller looked a classy presence up front and just the frontman Falkirk have been seeking for several seasons.

The Bairns huffed and puffed and finally got level through Alex Cooper’s header seconds after he’d come on as a substitute. On a night for goalkeeping howlers Graeme Smith let the ball slip through his arms and the Bairns were level.

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The errors weren’t over yet though and McAllister restored the Blue Toon’s lead with a thunderbolt from around 35 yards after a punt from Smith. It was route one football at it’s best and caught Bowman unsighted again.

There was no let-up for the young keeper as Will Vaulks was booked at a corner in injury time and McAllister stroked the spot-kick in for his fifth.