Match reports for 31/1/04

Falkirk GHG 4
Watsonians 2

Falkirk momentarily fought their way of the bottom of the league with a solid win over fellow strugglers Watsonians. Smarting from a 7-2 defeat in the first half of the season, Falkirk started strongly, and opened the scoring through Douglas Nicol. Watsonians struck back and quickly equalised, before taking the lead after a breakaway from a Falkirk penalty corner. With both teams going for the win, played sped from end to end, and Watsonians should have taken a 2 goal lead into the break, but their deflected strike from a penalty corner at the end of the half was disallowed by the umpire. At the start of the second half, Falkirk got themselves back into the game with a goal from Ally Wilson, and soon retook the lead as Wilson slotted home his second. Falkirk then scorned a glorious chance to further increase their lead when Wilson's penalty effort hit the upright with the keeper going the wrong way, but solid defending from Dickson and Robertson, and an accomplished display from the ever improving Thomson in goals, meant that Falkirk weren't punished. Wilson completed his hat-trick to give Falkirk a 2 goal lead to defend, and despite Watsonians throwing a kicking back into the game, the local side held on for their 2nd win of the season.

Falkirk GHG 6
Harris 6

Like in the first game of the day, Falkirk were determined to make amends for a 15-5 hammering dished out to them by Harris before Christmas. Harris started the game with a virtual reserve team, and with Falkirk struggling to get into their stride, took the lead, before Chris Anderson equalised after good build up play involving Robertson and Nicol. The substitution of the entire team for the Harris starting 6 ironically saw an upturn in Falkirk's fortunes, as they took the lead. A court length run down the left board from Robertson saw Anderson net his second of the day, before Anderson turned provider to give Stafford Dickson a tap in for Falkirk's third. Anderson missed out on a chance to complete his hat trick when he missed a good chance before half time, but Falkirk took a deserved lead into the break. At the start of the second half, Douglas Nicol extended Falkirk's advantage with an excellent run and finish, but further misses when it appeared easier to score from Watson and Wilson failed to make the most of Falkirk's strong play. A goal from Watson midway through the half was almost immediately cancelled out by Harris, before Wilson and Watson combined for Robertson to score at the back post. Facing a 4 goal deficit, Harris pushed everyone forward, and started to claw back Falkirk's advantage. Despite a series of fine saves from Thomson, Harris got to within 2 goals of Falkirk and with 3 minutes remaining, replaced their goalkeeper with a kicking back to pressure the Falkirk defence. Harris made a better job of this than Watsonians had done in the morning and pulled another goal back with 2 minutes left on the clock. With Falkirk struggling to get out their own half, they managed to hold on until the last 30 seconds, but when possession was given away twice, Harris worked the ball to their extra man at the far post to equalise with the last hit of the game, and rob Falkirk of what would have been another deserved 3 points.

Reivers 4
Falkirk GHG III 6

Jonny Anderson's 5-goal route.

The wintry weather managed to sideline all of Falkirk's outdoor fixtures bar this one, and those who made the trip south over the snow-covered summit of the A7, must have wondered the wisdom of this lest the snow gates be closed to traffic and prevent their return. However, at Tweedbank on the outskirts of Galashiels, they found the pitch clear but in a continuous icy drizzle and biting wind, the game went ahead with the hosts taking the lead after two minutes when a forward ran uncontested from midfield into the circle to score. Waking up from this humiliation, Falkirk took seven minutes to pull it together and regain respectability when Jonathan Anderson began what was to be his goal-scoring extravaganza with the first of five scores, as he ran into the circle and blasted the ball in from the top of the 'D'. Another mazey run saw the Border side level the game but Anderson's immediate response was a carbon copy of his first for the second, and then to rub salt in the wound, added a third in similar manner, for his hat trick. Goal four came from a long corner strike into the circle, which Anderson neatly tucked away, but Gala kept the game tight by pulling one back from a scrambled short corner award ending with a reverse-stick shot into goal. After the break, a poorly directed free hit taken by Reivers gifted the ball to Anderson who clinically made it five. Both teams then huffed and puffed, and Reivers got some hope when they pulled one back, but Falkirk were not finished yet, and chances were there for Iain Cameron, Johnathan Nugent and Craig Callahan. Jamie Ballantine in goal was back to his own self with some nice blocks as Reivers tried to get back into the game, with a nice save off his trailing left leg as he dived for the ball. David Craig showed a new way of clearing the ball from the circle as he his the ball towards the goal for a deflection off the keeper to put it out of the circle - not a move guaranteed to be good for the defence's blood pressure. To tie up the game and put the result beyond doubt, a well tried short corner routine saw Danny Gibney claim the sixth in the dying seconds before the final whistle.

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