Jambos fail to capitalise

Hearts started with Marian Kello in goals after a late injury to number one choice Janos Balogh in training.

St Mirren's earlier victory over Motherwell didn't help the Bairns in their fight against relegation and their situation could have been even worse had Hearts taken the lead after just three minutes but Andrew Driver's header from a David Obua cross went just wide.

At the other end a few minutes klater it looked as though Falkirk would take the lead when Neil McCann sent the ball into the box from the left but Michael Higdonstumbled just as he was about to pull the trigger and the chance was lost.

The Jambos pushed forward again when Calum Elliot and Bruno Aguiar combined to set Lee Wallace free down the left but when he teed up Driver, the little winger opted to try to find Obua instead of have a shot and his misplaced pass was mopped up by the Bairns defenders - mush to the disgust of the Ugandan.

Their best chance of the opening 45 minutes came when they were awarded a dubious free-kick after a tangle between former Hearts skipper Steven Pressley and Elliot. Bruno Aguiar swung the dead ball in from the right flank and Ruben Palazuelos dived in to make contact with his head. That touch took it back across goal but Marius Zaliukas could only take a fresh air swipe at it before Hgdon managed to clear his lines.

The visitors had another chance as time ticked away in the first half, when Aguiar found Driver down the right-hand side and he swung the ball into the box for Obua but Dani Mallo somehow got his hand to the header, which bounced down off the turf and back up towards his net, to tip it over for a corner.

After the break the Bairns pushed forward and came close when Higdon got on the end of a cross from O'Brien from the left byut the big striker's header was a poor one and didn't trouble Kello.

Laszlo's side had caused Falkirk problems without any real penetration and the same was evident when Driver played the ball into the path of Wallace. The defender raced up the left wing but took too heavy a touch on the ball. Driver was racing in behind him though and kept possession for the men in maroon, only to send his effort straight into Mallo's arms.

With time running away from him Laszlo brought on Christian Nade for a fresh pair of legs up front in place of Elliot and the substitute almost made the difference but his close-ranghe effort after latching onto a knock-on by Driver, was defelected wide for a corner.

Falkirk: Mallo, Cregg (Robertson 79), McNamara, McCann, Riera, Pressley, Higdon, Arfield, Barr, Scobbie, O'Brien. Unused subs: Olejnik, Bullen, Holden, McBride, Aafjes, Mitchell.

Hearts: Kello; (l to r) Wallace, Zaliukas, Karipidis, Neilson; Driver, Palazuelos, Stewart (Nade 68), Obua; Aguiar; Elliot (Mrowiec 78). Unused subs: MacDonald, Tullberg, Cesnauskis, Jonsson, McGowan.

Referee: Eddie Smith

Attendance: 6156

Taken from the Scotsman