Falkirk 2-1 Hearts

Martin Conaghan

Goals either side of half-time handed Falkirk victory over Hearts in the Scottish Premier League.

Tam Scobbie opened the scoring for the Bairns in first-half injury time with a close-range, left-footed strike.

The home side's lead was extended seven minutes after the break when Carl Finnigan headed home unmarked.

Hearts fought back 13 minutes from the end when Deividas Cesnauskis blasted in a tight-angled drive, but his strike failed to ignite a concerted revival.

Falkirk's Scott Arfield was first to threaten in the opening minutes with a right-footed shot from 12 yards out, but Christophe Berra managed to block.

Another 20 minutes passed before either side threatened, Laryea Kingston volleying in a left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area, but Falkirk keeper Shane Supple managed to parry wide for a corner.

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Hearts striker Gary Glen was unlucky not to be awarded a penalty when Gerard Aafjes appeared to fell him on the edge of the penalty area, but referee Stuart Dougal waved for a free-kick.

Pedro Moutinho replied quickly at the other end with a low strike from 18 yards out, but Steve Banks managed to smother.

With three minutes of injury time added before the break, Scobbie flighted in a free-kick from the right-hand edge and Michael Higdon sent in an ambitious overhead kick, but Banks pushed it out.

The deadlock was broken from the resulting corner when Moutinho delivered a neat ball to the heart of the penalty area and Scobbie was left unmarked to stroke home with his favoured left foot to give Falkirk the lead.

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Seven minutes after the restart Finnigan extended Falkirk's lead with a simple close-range header when Scobbie nodded on a long-range cross.

With 15 minutes left on the clock, Deividas Cesnauskis' claims for a penalty were waved away by Dougal when the Lithuanian midfielder went down all too easily and earned himself a yellow card.

Moments later Cesnauskis took his revenge when he broke free inside the Falkirk penalty area and smashed home a high, right-footed drive from a tight angle to give Hearts some hope of a recovery.

Falkirk's Scobbie then sent a long-range effort over the bar in the 82nd minute and Kingston wasted an opportunity at the other end with a wild lob that flew wide of the mark.

Falkirk: Supple, Mitchell, Scobbie, Aafjes, Barr, McBride, Moutinho (Latapy 72), Arfield, Cregg, Finnigan, Higdon. Subs Not Used: Olejnik, Clarke, Barrett, Bradley, Stewert, Staunton.

Booked: Aafjes.

Goals: Scobbie 45, Finnigan 52.

Hearts: Banks, Thomson, Goncalves, Berra, Karipidis, Kingston, Jonsson, Mikoliunas (Wallace 39), Elliot (Cesnauskis 67), Palazuelos, Glen (Mole 34).

Subs Not Used: Ridgers, Stewart, Zaliukas, Screpis. Booked: Thomson, Mole, Cesnauskis, Palazuelos.

Goals: Cesnauskis 77.

Att: 4,638

Ref: S Dougal

Taken from the BBC