The Bairns' News

After the disappointment in Dumfries 2 weeks ago, Coach Wilson was desperate for the squad to get back to competitive action and today’s trip along the M9 to Edinburgh to face Hutchieson Vale was the perfect opportunity to get back to winning ways.

A more solid look saw the ladies in a 4-1-4-1 formation as they took to the field.

The opening exchanges saw both sides eyeing one another up as they looked to get the upper hand. The strength in this Falkirk side is the direct style of attacking football that the players try to deliver week in, week out.

The first clear shot on goal after 8 min found Emma Lyons on the edge of the box but her resulting shot trickled into the keeper’s hands and the chance was gone. Falkirk forced their first corner on 15 min as Roy Houston fired the ball into the penalty area however the home defence cleared the danger.

A bizarre incident on 25 min saw Arlene Livingston concede a free-kick well inside the Hutchie half and as the defender tried to take a quick free kick she only succeeded in firing the ball off Arlene and set Laura Yuill racing away on goal. As the keeper narrowed the angle, Laura fired the ball wide and high over the crossbar.

As both sides struggled to take control of the game, the chances being created were few and far between. Ashley McDonald did try and create some space in the home side’s penalty area after 32 minutes but her weak right foot shot was easily gathered by the keeper.

A long hopeful ball played into the wide left area of the Falkirk defence looked to be dealt with by Becky Robertson however she rather recklessly dived in with both feet and a free kick was awarded. As the ball was fired into the penalty area the Falkirk defence was posted missing and the Hutchie striker had time and space to fire past Keeper Melville to open the scoring (1-0).

This was, like previous weeks, the wake up call for the Falkirk Bairns to get out off 1st gear as to many players were just going through the motions on the pitch, much to Coach Wilson’s annoyance.

The remainder of the game saw the ball spend a fair amount of time in a midfield game of tennis and the referee brought proceeding to a halt for half-time.

Half-Time:
Hutchieson Vale (1) V (0) Falkirk Ladies.

For a squad of individuals who appear to have aspirations to reach the Premier League they looked like a group of players who hadn’t played together during the first 45 minutes. Coach Wilson demanded that they raised the tempo of the game and show a great deal more passion than they demonstrated in the first 45.

The second half started a little better as Jennifer Dick and Ashley McDonald linked well down the left side on 47 minutes but Ashley’s resulting shot went wide of the mark.

A double substitution on 50 minutes saw Alana Marshall and Fiona Kane introduced to the action as the expense of Laura Yuill and Nicole Letford.

On 63 minutes Roy and Alana worked a short corner and as the ball was played into the penalty area Fiona Kane managed to get a free header but the ball went wide of goal and the chance was gone.

The ladies were starting to get frustrated with the lack of opportunities that were being created and it was starting to look like they could have played all day and not found the back of the net.

As the ladies continued to press forward they were always susceptible to the counter attack and that was to prove fatal on 85 minutes. A long ball over the Falkirk defence saw the home side’s striker race away from Arlene Livingston and calmly slot the ball past Keeper Melville to make the game safe (2-0).

The home side weren’t finished with that as they could see the wind had been knocked from the Falkirk side. On 88 minutes Fiona Kane clipped the heels of a Vale midfielder and a direct free kick was awarded by the ref. The young Hutchie player lifted a superbly placed shot over the wall and beyond Keeper Melville to rub salt in the wounds (3-0).

This was to be the last action and thankfully the referee brought this horror show to an end.

Full-Time:
Hutchieson Vale (3) V (0) Falkirk Ladies.

Coach Wilson Commented:

This is without doubt the poorest display of my short time in charge at Falkirk Ladies. We failed to create any real clear opportunities and too many players flattered to deceive in their performances. There are a few players need to give themselves a good shake and get their game back on track and quickly.

I have the difficult decisions to make regarding next weeks selections as the current League Leaders, Inverness Ladies, stroll into town next Sunday. It is safe to say that the same 11 who started today will not be starting next week as I can’t afford another below par performance. Ultimately I will take the responsibility for today’s result as I am the one who makes the team selections.