Aiden Keena and Ben Hall got on the scoresheet as Falkirk defeated Clyde 2-1 to keep themselves three points ahead of the pack on Saturday.
There were plenty of talking points in an intriguing encounter which saw The Bairns claim their first win in three games.
Here are the three things that we learned from Falkirk versus Clyde in League 1.
Falkirk’s change to the 4-4-2 formation was a success
Co-managers David McCracken and Lee Miller have often deployed their Falkirk sides in a 4-2-3-1 since the League 1 restart and have used it at every opportunity, except against Celtic in the Scottish Cup.
That particular formation allowed them to fit in all of their midfield stars, however sometimes the play was criticized as being too slow and pedestrian.
Recent disappointing results against Dumabarton and Airdrie while using it may have been the reason why they changed the system and opted for a more traditional 4-4-2 against the Bully Wee on Saturday.
Irish duo Aiden Keena and Conor Sammon lead the line to great effect as they constantly caused problems with their running in-behind the defence, with Falkirk’s star man Callumn Morrison providing the crosses on the right hand side.
Keena, Sammon and Morrison’s quality of runs and speed also allowed Blair Alston to play some stunning passes which allowed them to create a much better quality of chances, and is probably why they won the game.
Clyde looked every bit as tired as they should be
Their match against Falkirk was the sixth game in a punishing Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday playing week for the Bully Wee.
And the number of games they played really showed in the first half as they struggled to chase The Bairns around the field which was leaving plenty of space in behind for strikers.
Clyde boss Danny Lennon was aware of this and made a triple substitution at half time to try and inject some energy into the side as Jamieson, Cunningham and Nicoll made way for Ally Love, Josh Jack and Jack Thomson.
Clyde looked much better after this change, and went on to create chances and even score in the second period.
The Bairns’ strength in depth will serve them well
Falkirk also had to take some bad news along with the win, which was when Ben Hall had to be carried off the park as well as Paul Dixon going off with an injury late on as well.
Manager David McCracken said after the game that he was unsure how long Hall would be out for. However, it is never a good sign when the stretcher gets wheeled out, regardless of whether it ended up getting used or not.
However he can be reassured by the recent performances of on-loan Rangers youngster Kyle McLelland who will undoubtedly take over in his absence, as he put in promising displays at Arbroath and even Celtic arguably.
Paul Dixon could at least still walk, however it is possible that Euan Devaney could be asked to play the next game as he has also looked impressive from the left-back position.
Featured image credit: Michael Gillen
Second year student at University of Stirling studying Sport and Journalism.
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