Hearts 2 Falkirk 1

FALKIRK left Tynecastle Stadium pointless despite Steve Lovell's opener.
HEARTS 2
Aguiar 19, Driver 59

FALKIRK 1
Lovell 16
(HT 1-1)
Attendance: 13,009

The Bairns striker found the net after 16 minutes but a quick reply from Bruno Aguiar and Andrew Driver's strike after the break handed Hearts victory in Edinburgh.
Boss John Hughes was forced to extensively reshuffle his side for this encounter due to a number of injuries.
Out were Scott Arfield, Jackie McNamara and Dean Holden, while Graham Barrett dropped to the bench.
And in their place came Patrick Cregg, Arnau Riera, Chris Mitchell and Dermot McCaffrey, with the boss opting for a 4-1-3-2 formation.
Hearts threatened first in the seventh minute when Cregg was dispossessed by Driver on the bye-line and Christian Nade was allowed to cut the ball back to Eggert Jonsson, but he hesitated in front of goal and his shot was blocked by Darren Barr.
Four minutes later Nade was again the supplier, this time for Aguiar whose first-time volley from the edge of the box screamed inches over the crossbar.
Hearts continued to push forward in the opening stages and had the Bairns pinned back in their own half.
But Riera's clearance from yet another Jambos' attack picked out Michael Higdon on the half-way line and he became the architect of Falkirk's unlikely, but fantastic lead after 16 minutes.
The big striker's excellent through ball sent Lovell racing through on goal and with keeper Janos Balogh running to intercept, and defender Marius Zaliukas diving in, he toe-poked the ball through from 20 yards and it eventually nestled in the net.
However, Falkirk's advantage lasted just three minutes after captain Barr was harshly penalised for what appeared to be a legitimate challenge on Nade 20 yards from goal.
And Aguiar piled on the misery further by sending the resulting free-kick superbly around the defensive wall and past Scott Flinders, despite his feint touch, into the top right corner.
As the action flowed from end to end, Higdon was next to try his luck with a turn and shot that went high and over the bar.
Mitchell was then inches away from putting Falkirk back in front on the half hour mark with a free-kick from 20 yards, which went narrowly past the left post with Balogh beaten.
Aguiar then set up Christophe Berra at the other end and his powerful header flashed inches over.
Falkirk played out the final minutes of the first half on the ascendancy but failed to test Balogh and it ended on level terms.
Two minutes after the re-start Mitchell had to be alert to block Driver's shot and then Lee Bullen was fortunate not to give a penalty kick when the same Hearts player drilled in a cross seconds later.
In the 56th minute Hearts broke forward again and Driver set-up Christos Karipidis for a left-footed shot that Flinders was mightly relieved to see trickle past his left post.
But it was Driver who eventually gave the Edinburgh side the lead with an excellent solo effort as the match neared the hour mark.
A short pass by Riera to Bullen allowed him to gain possession and he skipped past one challenge and then Barr, the last defender, before rounding Flinders and shooting into an empty net.
Falkirk soon got a grip on proceedings and enjoyed plenty of possession but were not making inroads on the home side's goal. So Hughes, in an attempt to add more of a cutting edge, sent on Barrett in place of Cregg.
But it took another 13 minutes for Falkirk to threaten the Jambos' goal, although it was a little fortunate – Mitchell's swerving cross from wide on the right catching out Balogh and forcing him to turn the ball away for a corner as it headed for the top corner.
Then, from the resulting set-piece, Bullen rose highest and his header was also destined for the back of the net before Aguiar cleared the ball off the line.
As the seconds ticked down Aguiar, now at the opposite end, attempted a left foot shot that whizzed past the upright.
However, Falkirk came closest to scoring again in stoppage time with a well-worked move that ended in Mitchell sending a dangerous ball into the box.
But Higdon's powerful headed effort sailed inches past the right post and the Bairns were beaten for the first time in seven games.
"I'm disappointed that we didn't hold onto the lead and conceded so soon after," said Bairns boss Hughes. "We shot ourselves in the foot.
"Michael Higdon may have got an equaliser late on but it wasn't to be.
"I have also seen us pass better through the midfield.
"Yet, in terms of effort and playing the game in the right manner, I can't fault the boys.
"With seven players out injured, I thought Dermot McCaffrey and Chris Mitchell, making their first starts of the season, did well.
"Hopefully we will have more players available next weekend but, if not, it gives someone else a chance and the younger ones who came in today showed they can stand up to it when called upon."
Hearts manager Csaba Laszlo said: "It's satisfying to win four games in a row.
"Immediately after the opening goal we showed composure, went for the equaliser and got it.
"Falkirk also had a great chance at the end and I must compliment them as they did not sit back and tried to hit us on the counter-attack."

FALKIRK: Flinders, Mitchell, Barr, Bullen, McCaffrey, Riera (M. Stewart 85), McBride, Cregg (Barrett 67), O'Brien, Higdon, Lovell
NOT USED: Olejnik (GK), Lynch, J. Stewart, Moffat, Staunton
BOOKED: Bullen, Mitchell

HEARTS: Balogh, Wallace, Berra, Karipidis, Neilson, Palazuelos, Aguiar, Driver, Nade (Makele 90+2), Jonsson (Obua 60), Zaliukas
NOT USED: MacDonald (GK), Thomson, Mole, Templeton, Brown
BOOKED: Wallace

REFEREE: Eddie Smith