It was not a strong start for Falkirk who were caught out within two minutes of play when St Mirren managed to play the ball through and score an early opener. With Westdyke’s match being postponed, Falkirk’s chance to go second in the table was now in jeopardy.

St Mirren didn’t let up following their opener, putting pressure on the Falkirk defence and creating further chances. The hosts saw chance after chance go their way but solid defensive work from Iona Bridges and some terrific saves from Rachel Docherty kept the Paisley side at bay.

Unfortunately for Falkirk, the pressure proved too much to handle and St Mirren finally doubled their lead. Falkirk now had a mountain to climb if they were total anything from the game.

It went from bad to worse for Falkirk who conceded a third just a short time later. St. Mirren were awarded a free kick in a dangerous position following a bad tackle by a Falkirk player. The St Mirren player’s effort from the dead-ball situation looked goal-bound but ended up flashing narrowly over the bar. The home team won possession back quickly from the resulting goal-kick and took their opportunity to increase their lead to three. Going into half-time, it looked like there was no way back for Falkirk.

It must have been an inspiring half-time team talk from Head Coach Craig Tully because Falkirk started the second half looking like a different team from the one who had trudged off at the break. With nothing to lose, Falkirk began to throw everything at St Mirren, creating a number of decent chances. Kirsty Gilbert, Suzanne Wyatt and Iona Bridges were particularly impressive, with their involvement making a big impact on the game.

After hammering at St Mirren’s door, Falkirk finally broke it down when a Falkirk attack resulted in a corner kick. Kirsty Gilbert swung the ball into the box and Wyatt managed to get on the end of it, sending it past the helpless goalkeeper and into the net and giving Falkirk a lifeline. 

The momentum had completely shifted by this point and it was now Falkirk who were creating chance after chance, a number of which were denied by the St Mirren goalkeeper who did her best to deny Falkirk a second goal.

The turning point in the game was the introduction of Eva Rule who replaced Teri-Louise Deegan. Rule’s impact on the game was immediate, doing the impossible and scoring back-to-back goals within five minutes of coming on as a substitute to bring Falkirk level.

With little time remaining on the clock, it was to be a thrilling end to what really was a game of two halves. Falkirk kept their foot on the pedal, desperately chasing the winner. The corner count kept rising as Falkirk attacked in waves but, despite coming close on several occasions, they couldn’t put the ball in the net.

The winner finally came in the last minute of the 90. Suzanne Wyatt picked up the ball and drove towards the goal before unleashing a strike past the outstretched keeper and into the back of the net, completing an incredible comeback. It was to be the last action of the match as the referee brought proceedings to a close.

Falkirk’s next opponent is Airdrie Ladies at home on Sunday March 19th in their next League One fixture. 

LINE-UP: Rachel Docherty, Amy Rafferty (sub Trialist B), Lauren Shaw, Teri-Louise Deegan (sub Eva Rule), Trialist A, Lauren Simmons (sub Trialist C), Suzanne Wyatt, Iona Bridges, Kirsty Gilbert, Megan Black (sub Claudia Stewart), Vicky Wood

UNUSED SUBS: Sarah-Louise Waugh