Falkirk travelled to Mossedge Village on Sunday to take on St Mirren. Fighting for promotion, it was a must win match for Falkirk to keep the pressure on their competition in the league.
Right from the beginning, St Mirren were on the attack. Multiple attempts from the opposition challenged the Falkirk defence, who had to be switched on to deny St Mirren any chance at an early goal. Despite their best efforts, St Mirren ended up giving away a free kick in the 10th minute. Lauren Simmons’ resulting effort was saved by the St Mirren goalkeeper who parried the ball out for a Falkirk corner. This would be the first of four goals for Falkirk as Kirsty Gilbert’s corner kick found Suzanne Wyatt, who headed the ball home to give Falkirk the lead.
The remainder of the first half saw more chances for both sides, however neither team was able to find the back of the net before half-time.
Falkirk came out stronger in the second half, eager to score more to secure three points. Three minutes after the break, their efforts paid off as Falkirk managed to double their lead. This time the goal scorer was Eva Rule, who received the ball at the edge of the box and smashed the ball past the helpless St Mirren goalkeeper.
It took just nine minutes for Falkirk to extend their lead further. It was Wyatt again, getting on the end of an Eva Rule cross to score her second of the game and her 27th of the season. Falkirk wasted no time after scoring, nicking the ball from St Mirren immediately from the restart and would have scored again had it not been for the goalkeeper.
The 82nd minute saw Kirsty Gilbert make way for Ellie Murray, who quickly made an impact on the game. Eight minutes later, she found herself challenged by multiple St Mirren players all of who she managed to fight off before sending a shot straight past the keeper to score her first ever competitive goal. The referee called proceedings to a halt shortly after.
Falkirk remain second in the League One table, five points clear of third placed Stenhousemuir. With three matches left to play, the promotion race could come down to the final day.
This Sunday, Falkirk travel to Meadowbank Stadium to take on Edinburgh Caledonia.
LINE-UP: Rachel PIrie, Vicky Wood, Lauren Simmons, Eva Rule (sub Avril Johnstone), Suzanne Wyatt, Ellie Roberts, Iona Bridges, Bryony Ross, Mhari Smith (sub Teri-Louise Deegan), Kirsty Gilbert (sub Ellie Murray), Aimee Lenathen.
UNUSED SUBS: Amy Rafferty, Lauren Shaw, Sarah-Louise Waugh, Megan Black.
By Lois Smillie
