Raith Rovers 1 Falkirk 1: The Verdict - inconclusive

Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Cautious Falkirk kept pace with league leaders Raith Rovers on Tuesday and edged closer towards an end of season league cracker.

Declan McManus cancelled out Steven MacLean’s second half score to keep the gap between the top two at a point.

There has been little to separate the sides all season and so too in this game which began quietly with both sides testing the other gently before a rip-snorting second half where they picked holes in each other’s weak areas and made the most of them.

HOW IT HAPPENED: Matchnight blog

But still neither could be separated and with nine games to go the League One title still hangs in the balance, but tipped slightly to the east.

For such a big game, and so much at stake – the Bairns could have fallen four points behind with a defeat, remember – Falkirk switched up the formation, playing McManus up front in a 4-1-4-1 set-up. But they were concertinaed into their own half for long spells of the first half aiming to frustrate the Rovers – a far cry from the free-flowing football that stung Forfar for six and a three month-long unbeaten run that ended on the last day of February.

MATCH REPORT: Raith Rovers 1 Falkirk 1, on the whistle report from David Oliver

For the biggest league match of the season so far, to alter the methods and the ingredients to a run which, until last unsavoury Saturday, had brought some sweet success could have been bold, or foolish, from the management duo. In the end it was neither. The reaction to the experiment was neutral – a point gained away from East Fife and Montrose behind the Bairns but no further forward in their pursuit of John McGlynn’s Rovers.

Infact the experiment was a success for the simple fact it didn’t fail. It could have been bubbling along nicely or it could have exploded in their face – and almost did with Robbie Mutch dropping a Danny Armstrong effort and Kyle Benedictus and MacLean both hitting the woodwork in quick succession.

MANAGERS’ VIEWS: John McGlynn and David McCracken

But Mutch also made a brilliant save from an Armstrong free-kick and Lee Miller could have scored with a left foot effort that he sent into the stand, likewise stikes from Mark Durnan and Mo Gomis from distance.

It was that kind of night, for every action there was a neutralising reaction, for every Raith Rovers attack there was a packed Falkirk area crowding them out.

Kieron Bowie, Rovers’ great young hope, barely got a sniff. Neither did Gary Miller in a compact unit of Falkirk players whose best attacking outlet in the first half was up the flanks where the Rovers marshalled.

In the second half, after MacLean’s opener Falkirk had to open out, and they did.

YOUR VIEWS: “A good point no matter what the boo brigade say”

Pitching Lee Miller in gave a different option and within seconds they were level and the game was on.

End to end chances, woodwork struck, glaring opportunities, the works for a tie between the teams at the top of the table and gunning for a title and promotion. And it was 45 minutes worthy of it.

The first half had begun as slowly and tentatively as this match reflection and the result is inconclusive.

We’re no further forward in finding out who will win League One, but Falkirk are no further from Raith Rovers either.