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ROSS COUNTY 1 (Kenny Gilbert); Falkirk 1 |
Ross County captain Kenny Gilbert grabbed a last-gasp goal as his side earned a 1-1 draw to scupper Falkirk's 100% league record.
After controlling most of the first half the Bairns took the lead in the 58th minute when Owen Coyle crashed home a Jamie McQuilken cut-back.
But County kept buzzing away and the home side grabbed a deserved equaliser in the 88th minute when GILBERT forced his way through a ruck of players to steer a Steve McGarry cross over the line from close range.
Alex Bone had the ball in the Falkirk net 10 minutes earlier after a sustained spell of County pressure, but he was ruled offside.
Ross County: Bullock; Robertson, Irvine, Perry, Canning, Wood (Gethins, 65), Gilbert, McGarry, McCulloch, Bayne and Bone. Unused Subs: Fridge (gk), McKay, Webb and Cowie.
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Falkirk 2; ROSS COUNTY 0 |
Football is much about the past as it is about the future. Ian McCall for one understands this and the tradition which makes a club tick, and few would dispute he is not the right man to be leading Falkirk at this transitory period in their history.
Yesterday he gave eulogy to Brockville and declared in the match programme that he was delighted to be staying there for the rest of the season. "This old stadium, although regarded as unsuitable for the modern era, has seen great moments and hopefully we can add even more colour."
McCall can be assured that he is already doing that in his stint as manager as the club continued to surge ahead at the top of the division. After stuttering briefly with a couple of draws they swept aside Alloa last week abd now set about disposing of Ross County.
McCall felt that they had been over-elaborate against the Wasps, holding on to the ball too long and had obviously urged his team to move it about more quickly. There was far greater pace about theor game with wing-backs Jamie McQuilken and Steve Tosh injecting pace on the flanks.
Indeed it was McQuilken who had Falkirk's first clear-cut opportunity in the 18th minute when he got in behind the County defence to bring down a John Henry cross, but he could only hook his shot over from eight yards.
However, it was not as if the centre of midfield and strike force were not playing their part as well and a HEnry lob in the 11th minute followed immediately after by Lee Miller's free kick stretched Tony Bullock in the County goal.
Their rhythm was not interrupted even when captain Kevin James was taken off in the 16th minute to be replaced by Steven Rennie who took his place in the back three.
Falkirk went ahead in the 24th minute with Miller's opportunism and speed of though catching out the static County defence. Mark Kerr played the ball over the wall and it took one bounce before Miller moved on to it, saw Bullock coming off his line and headed the ball over the advancing 'keeper.
The home side almost went further ahead in the 33rd minute when McQuliken again burst through but Bullock managed to parry his low drive.
However, County started to show that the midweek upheaval at the club with the resignation of Neale Cooper had not affected their resolve on the park.
After the break they began to hold on to possession for long periods with Steven Ferguson and Don Cowie's graft in midfield earning its reward. They were aided by Paul Deas who had been moved up from left back to operate effectively as a midfielder.
The introduction of Alex Bone also added more urgency up front. Indeed, he had the best opportunity in the 80th minute when he was put through by Deas with only Alan Ferguson to beat. However, as he tried to pass it beyond the 'keeper Ferguson stck out a leg and the ball was deflected for a corner. That resulted in more panic in the home defence as substitute Graham Bayne's downward header was blocked by Ferguson and finally scrambled away.
Falkirk had opportunities to kill the game as they hit County on the counter attack but their strikers were too wasteful in front of goal. Both Miller and substitute Collin Samuel should have done a lot better when in spave with only Bullock to beat.
However, Falkirk did finally wrap up the game in the final minute. Kerr neatly dispossessed Ferguson in midfield and put Samuel through again. Bullock, though out-psyched the striker by standing tall and Samuel's effort cannoned off him for a corner. It was left for Miller to make amends by leaping high to power Owen Coyle's corner into the net.
Anotherone, no doubt, for the stock of special Brockville memories McCall referred to in the programme, at least for the striker anyway. McCall had also said much of such occasions: "They make us look back and agree it wasn't such a bad old place after all." Indeed, it was not such a bad old game either.
Ross County: Bullock; Irvine, Canning, Perry, Deas (Robertson, 82), Cowie, McKay (Bayne, 77), Ferguson, McCulloch, McGarry and Hislop (Bone, 46). Unused Subs: Fridge (gk) and Webb.
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