In pictures: QOS 2 Falkirk 2: Falkirk fail to capitalise

Falkirk were let off the hook by other scores after charging into a two-goal lead and only leaving Palmerston with a point.
Blair Alston heads in the opener. Picture by Michael Gillen.Blair Alston heads in the opener. Picture by Michael Gillen.
Blair Alston heads in the opener. Picture by Michael Gillen.

Hibs failed to make ground on the Bairns by drawing at St Mirren and Peter Houston’s side should have extended their dominance in the race for second place.

They started in that vein with a dominant performance and stretching into a two-goal lead thanks to Blair Alston and John Baird.

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But Derek Lyle pulled one back before Iain Russell snatched a Doonhamers’ point at the death with a 92nd minute equaliser.

Falkirk shaded the first half but rarely tested Robbie Thomson after Lee Miller had a close-range blast within the first minute. The keeper also made a point blank save from Miller again before the break.

However he did have to pick the ball out of the net on the stroke of the interval when a long throw from Will Vaulks was headed in by Alston for his tenth goal of the season.

If there’s any chance of the midfielder staying beyond his current contract, the Bairns will need to be in the Premiership - and even then it’s far from certain – but Alston’s rich vein of form is keeping the Bairns in with a shout of achieving their promotion aim.

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And just seven minutes after the interval Falkirk were 2-0 up when Vaulks again turned provider, charging down a defensive clearance from Darren Brownlie and getting the break of the ball on the edge of the box. The English midfielder though had the presence of midn to roll the ball behind him and into the path of John Baird who silenced his former fans with a low shot past Thomson.

Falkirk had been forced into a first half switch with Paul Watson being substituted for Kevin McCann, and Aaron Muirhead moving to centre-back to accomodate the right-back.

A deflection off Muirhead led to Queen’s pulling one back, with the ball falling for Derek Lyle in the 72nd minute. The striker controlled in the six-yard box and smashed the ball low past Rogers and a cluster of bodies.

Falkirk though were showing more urgency than their hosts, and had more to play for given Hibs were trailing St Mirren in Paisley.

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Craig Sibbald flashed a shot just wide of the post after coming on as a sub in his 192nd Falkirk appearance. The sub also hit the side-netting with ten minutes to go, at a croner won by a John Baird strike tipped round the post by Thomson.

Falkirk looked set to be the only of the top three sides to win, but Iain Russell slipped in an equaliser in the second minute of injury time after the ball broke to him at the backpost through a collision of bodies in the Bairns penalty area.

Just three minutes earlier the Bairns had seemed set to extend their lead over Hibs, Rangers looked to be champions, but late goals in each of their games, one from ex-Bairn Farid El Alagui, changed the outlook at the top end of the Championship back to as you were with a point apiece.

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