Falkirk so close to sealing Scottish Championship title after five-star win over Greenock Morton

Falkirk were dominant from start to finish in a home performance which ensured that their eight-point lead at the Championship summit would stay intact after second-placed Livingston also won.

It didn’t take long for the league leaders to open the scoring as Calvin Miller’s quick feet allowed him to break into the Morton box down the right wing and fashion an angle for a shot.

His effort was saved but the rebound landed kindly for Arfield who fired it off the floor and high into the roof of the net, giving Falkirk the lead after five minutes while also securing his 100th career goal.

The Bairns continued to pile on the pressure and Miller, who was unlucky to not double the lead, was causing all kinds of problems for Morton’s defence.

He was swiftly rewarded for his efforts and scored cracker to double Falkirk’s lead following a long ball which the Morton defence failed to deal with.

Miller would capitalise on the visitor’s blunder, taking a swift touch out of his feet before driving a low effort back across goal from just inside the centre of the box.

This left Morton with a mountain to climb after just fifteen minutes and the hosts were showing no signs of slowing.

John McGlynn’s side then delivered a hammer-blow on the stroke of half time with former Rangers ace Arfield once again popping up with an all important goal.

A storming run down the right wing from Keelan Adams allowed him to square the ball for Arfield, with his initial attempt blocked but he made no mistake on the second time of asking, smashing it high into the roof of the net again to give Falkirk a three-goal advantage.

Falkirk didn’t take the foot off the gas in the second half either and it wasn’t long before their lead was extended to four.

This time it was Ethan Ross who would jump in on the action with a stunning free-kick from twenty-yards which looped up and over the wall into the top left corner, leaving the Morton keeper with absolutely no chance.

The hosts were in complete control and they thought they had made it five on the hour mark.

Adams was unleashed down the right hand side and drove into a dangerous position before striking a low and hard effort across goal.

His attempt was palmed right to the feet of Miller who tapped home into an open net only to see the flag raised for offside as he wheeled away in celebration.

The goal-fest wasn’t over yet and this time around, Falkirk’s fifth would count.

Substitute strikers combined when Ross MacIver found himself in space on the right wing and crossed to the head of Barney Stewart.

He found the top left corner with his first touch of the ball since being introduced and rounded off what was a brilliant Falkirk performance.

The Bairns now head to Scott Brown’s Ayr United on Friday night knowing that a win there coupled with Livingston dropping points the following afternoon would seal a second successive league title – and promotion to the Premiership.

Teams

Falkirk: Nicky Hogarth, Liam Henderson, Coll Donaldson ©, Brad Spencer, Gary Oliver, Keelan Adams, Dylan Tait, Ethan Ross (54’), Sean Mackie, Calvin Miller (16’), Scott Arfield (5’, 44’).

Subs: Ross Munro, Tom Lang, Miller Thomson, Ross MacIver, Aidan Nesbitt, Alfredo Agyeman, Barney Stewart (79’), Luke Graham, Eamon Brophy.

Greenock Morton: Gary Woods, Cameron Ballantyne, Zak Delaney, Jack Baird, Morgan Boyes, Owen Moffat, Alister Crawford, Arron Lyall, Grant Gillespie ©, Nathan Shaw, Tomi Adeloye.

Subs: Ryan Mullen, Dylan Corr, Cameron Blues, Cameron Keay, Jordan Davies, Lamar Reynolds, Michael Garrity, Niall McGinn.

Referee: Grant Irvine.

Assistant Referees: Gordon McCabe and Liam Duncan.

Attendance: 6,128.