Monday Verdict: Falkirk win crucial rather than memorable

Some football games don’t take a lot of recollection to reflect upon. Others, like this one, require studious poring over stats and notes.

Not that there were too many made in this Falkirk win on Saturday.

Of course, Declan McManus was central as he often is to Falkirk wins, scoring the winner after earning the penalty and then clawing a certain Montrose goal off the line with his hand and being sent-off, an act as effective as scoring another at the opposite end in earning the win.

Morgaro Gomis was busy, Robbie Mutch was good too, as again he so often is too. He saved the spot-kick and handed the Bairns three points.

But that aside, on another bitingly cold Saturday at The Falkirk Stadium, there was not much to write home about.

An ugly win one reader online described it as. ‘A hard fought win’, said another while a social media post appealed ‘please don’t play like this again’.

It was all of those. Unpretty. Stuffy and tough.

Lit up by two dramatic moments from the penalty spot at the north end of The Falkirk Stadium and a second half rampaging run from captain Gregor Buchanan. It ended with a scuffed shot and a rueful smile, but for a few seconds of excitement the captain’s long wait for a goal seemed to be ending and in dramatic style as he glided by lunging opponents like a pony-tailed Zlatan Ibrahimovic in navy blue. The finish, taken a few seconds too early perhaps, was more ‘Aye, Gregor’ than ‘I, Zlatan’.

But it was three points, a reward equal to the buccaneering 6-0 successes over Forfar and Dumbarton.

More had to be applied than those wins, Montrose coming to Falkirk with win percenatge of 66 per cent sicne the end of September. But again Falkirk saw them off by a single goal margin having won 2-1 and 3-2 previously.

Russell Maclean, a local trained forward, thought he had given the Mo a point when he converted from close range in the melee following McManus’ save on the line. But Grant Irvine’s whistle had sounded before the ball crossed the line and he was handed a second opportunity from the penalty spot to take a point. Mutch was equal to his effort this time though.

McManus’ dismissal and subsequent suspension for this weekend’s trip to Clyde is the sacrifice for the three points, and while he’ll be a miss, he hasn’t managed to score against the bully Wee in either game this season.

Neither have the Bairns though and while three points has kept them on the coat-tails of Raith Rovers ahead of next Tuesday night’s meeting, a break for the prolific hitman might not be the worst idea in the world approaching this make-or-break period in Falkirk’s season.

Then looking back ugly wins like this might not be memorable, but they’ll be crucial.