Football: Falkirk find their fire

Falkirk. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

St Mirren. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0

FALKIRK turned an engrossing B&Q Cup final on its head yesterday by scoring three times in the second half at Fir Park, Motherwell, to carry off the trophy and at the same time they demonstrated the value of the half-time team talk.

'The paint in the dressing room walls was blistered at half-time,' Jim Jefferies, the Falkirk manager, revealed. 'I couldn't believe how much out of the game we were and let the players know how angry I was.'

His players turned his anger to delight by scoring twice within five minutes of the restart effectively to win the trophy, which is contested by First and Second division clubs.

Neil Duffy headed powerfully into the net from a corner then Richard Cadette slotted the second from a through-ball to leave Saints stunned. They had played the first half football and they could have been comfortably ahead at the interval, but for an inspired display by Tony Parks in the Falkirk goal.

The former Spurs goalkeeper had two excellent saves in the latter stages of the half as St Mirren exerted increasing pressure and Jefferies recognised the contribution of his goalkeeper when he said: 'Tony kept us in the game and I can't praise him enough.'

St Mirren supporters stood in a constant downpour of rain and snow and their misery was completed when John Hughes added a third goal from Falkirk from a corner in 65 minutes.

Falkirk (4-4-2): Parks; Weir, Hughes, McLaughlin, McQueen; May, Duffy, Rice, McCall (Oliver, 78); Cadette, Drinkell (Shaw, 78). Sub not used: Westwater (gk).

St Mirren (4-4-2): Money; Dawson, McLaughlin, McWhirter, Baker; Orr, Hewitt (McIntyre, 87), Dick, Elliot; Bone (Gillies, 55), Lavety. Sub not used: Combe (gk).

Referee: D D Hope (Erskine).