Watch it Again Weekend: Falkirk 4, Livingston 1, Sibbald and Loy centre-stage as the Livi lions are tamed

You voted to re-live the 2013's impressive home win over Livingston for Gary Holt's Bairns on Falkirk TV this afternoon. Here's how we reported the action from The Falkirk Stadium.
You voted for Falkirk's 4-1 win at home to Livingston in 2013 as today's Watch it Again matchYou voted for Falkirk's 4-1 win at home to Livingston in 2013 as today's Watch it Again match
You voted for Falkirk's 4-1 win at home to Livingston in 2013 as today's Watch it Again match

Mark Millar’s billing didn’t quite come true - but if Saturday is anything to go by, he’ll make it happen.

As the midfielder departed The Falkirk Stadium for the final time in May 2012,he left words of encouragement for Craig Sibbald. “He can be the main man in there next year.”

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A stop-start season hampered by injury followed for the teenager, while Millar experienced a similarly frustrating time at Tannadice.

Millar’s back and so is Sibbald’s confidence and the youngster gave his best showing of the season to put Livingston to the sword. ButSibbs’ brilliance was just one element of a terrific team performance in the second half.

It wasn’t just Sibbald who looked confident-they all did, and rightly so.

On this evidence, Gary Holt has a selection headache ahead of the trip to Dens Park with Ollie Durojaiye nearing match fitness and Blair Alston also seeking a start.

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Who will they dislodge after a rampant second half which included goals for Sibbald, Vaulks and a Rory Loy double?

The latter is certainly not a contender to make way anytime soon after netting another double.

That’s now nine goals for the ex-Rangers forward in all competitions, after a pep-talk from gaffer Gary Holt at half-time.

“I told him to stop getting frustrated because he’d fallen over a few times and given the ball away, so I told him to take the positives and you saw that after the break.

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“He’s a very good player, and you see that when he takes the positives from his game and how well he did after the break and he scores good goals.”

Holt though was less happy with the goal conceded, even though it had no bearing on the match and was unavoidable from Will Vaulks stumbling the ball beyond Michael McGovern.

We know they’re a young squad and they’ll make mistakes, and we’ve got to allow for that and let them learn – the goal they got was poor but you can’t castigate kids for making mistakes and that’s what they are–most are teenagers.

You’ve got to give them a bit of lee-way and hopefully they learn.

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“If we get at them and castigate them and criticise too much you can maybe scar them from playing football and that’s something we cannot afford to do.

“We need them to play to make us better team and themselves better players.”

Sibbald certainly took advantage and gave his best performance in a while.

There was also a typically excellent show from fellow midfielder Conor McGrandles and in truth, the Falkirk defence were given little chance to exhibit their prowess as Livingston rarely threatened.

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Instead Will Vaulks was in on the action notching his first ever goal for the Bairns, by calmly side-footing a loose ballintothe net from 10 yards on 36 minutes.

It could easily have been two after a great lofted ball from McGrandles met a sprint by Phil Roberts and the striker took the shot first time but screwed it wide.

After the break the Bairns came into their own confidently spraying passing, often first-time passes across the park in sweeping moves.

Rory Loy pulled one shot from the edge of the box wide but was on target to give the Bairns an unassailable lead on 52 minutes before Craig Sibbald started and ended a left wing move with Roberts and McGrandles by intercepting possession moving forward and lashing the latter’s cutback past Darren Jamieson for the third.

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Jamieson saved Jay Fulton’s effort after a brilliant series of flicks and passes from the Bairns, but he wasn’t able to keep Rory Loy out with the rebound which netted him a fourth double of the season.

The game lost, Livingston threw caution to the wind and Martin Scott found joy down Falkirk’s left-wing several times before finally forcing Will Vaulks to bundle in an own goal.