The race to finish in seventh place is unlikely to get the juices flowing for even the most ardent of supporter, but Falkirk moved another step closer to showing they are the best of the rest.

This win saw them leapfrog Heart of Midlothian to the top of the second tier of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League as they edge ever closer to back-to-back seventh-place finishes.

Had it not been for an uncharacteristically poor spell in front of goal in March and April, Falkirk would have secured their first top-six finish and such fixtures as Saturday’s would have been a thing of the past. If Hughes can add a bit more firepower to his young team then a place in the top five is not beyond them next season.

Michael Higdon, Falkirk’s old-fashioned targetman, broke the deadlock after 28 minutes before they went on to claim a decisive second through Carl Finnigan after 69 minutes. Barry Wilson, the Inverness midfield player, scored a consolation goal from the penalty spot in injury time after he had been fouled by Thomas Scobbie.

Carl Finnigan, the Falkirk striker, revealed the unique preparation methods that have helped them push up the table having, at one point, looked as though they would finish in a lowly tenth position. The hardcore dance music from the home dressing-room was easily heard in the nearby press room, as Finnigan explained: “We’ve had that music on for the last two games and it seems to work for us as we’ve won both times. Everyone’s dancing in there and the kitman, Steven “Cheb” Sproule, is in there giving it his all. He gets up on the table before the game and dances his heart out for the lads. It’s our lucky charm.”

A victory at Kilmarnock on Saturday would confirm Falkirk’s place at the top of the bottom six with John Hughes, the manager, adding: “It was a very, very young team so I’m pleased. Hopefully, we can get that victory next week.”

For a side that had taken six goals off Gretna the previous week, Inverness looked surprisingly bereft of ideas. Craig Brewster, the manager, took the opportunity to restore youngster Michael Fraser as his goalkeeper in place of the experienced Zibi Malkowski and now Fraser hopes his display will help him to secure the first-choice position.

“We were looking to get a good result and it didn’t happen after we had a slow start. We did better in the second half and just when we changed our formation a little, Falkirk got their second goal. The poor first half killed us, to be honest, and I think it’s natural that you start to wind down at this time of year, but we’ve still got plenty to play for. It was great to be back in the team after Malkowski played last week and although you want to play every week, the gaffer explained that he’d been playing well in the reserves and wanted to give him a game.”

Falkirk (4-3-3): S Supple 6 – C Mitchell 6, J Aafjes 7, D Barr 8, T Scobbie 7 – K McBride 6, P Cregg 7, S Arfield 5 (sub: R Latapy, 59min 5) – P Moutinho 6 (sub: K Moffat, 76), C Finnigan 7 (sub: J Stewert, 86), M Higdon 6. Substitutes not used:R Olejnik, J Ross, G Barrett, S Bradley.

Inverness Caledonian Thsitle (4-4-2): M Fraser 7 – R Tokely 6, D Proctor 6, R Hastings 6, R McBain 6 – B Wilson 5, I Black 5 (sub: R Duncan, 46 5), D Cowie 6, D Imrie 5 – R McAllister 5 (sub: G Bayne, 71 4), M Niculae 5 (sub: I Vigurs, 80).Substitutes not used:Z Malkowski, R Hart, D Wyness, G Kerr. Booked: Proctor, Bayne.

Referee S Somers
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