Motherwell fail to win at Falkirk

Hammell in the corner

McCormack gained a free kick on the eighteen yard line within about thirty seconds of the start and Hammell's attempted conversion whizzed just over the bar. We followed that with a corner and it was clear that Falkirk were struggling. They we unable to have any decent possession and we pressed them into mistakes.

Clarkson had a header touched away from the postage stamp corner after an acrobatic one handed save from Olejnik and it seemed inevitable that we would score. But the goal failed to come.

Clarkson almost scored with this header

Hammell supplied a fine low cross to Porter but the close attentions of the defence robbed him. Our best chance fell to McCormack moments before the referee blew for the break. He had to react quickly, but he scooped over the bar from eight yards when almost anything on target would have found the net.

Falkirk made it more of a contest when the teams changed ends. The away fans kept looking to the dugout expecting the manager to make a change but he delayed until the eighty fifth minute when Darren Smith replaced Clarkson. McCormack looked sluggish and many of his team mates were not sharp.

For the second time this week it was our keeper who earned the praise when he produced three or four fine stops. Moutinho was the main Falkirk threat and he came close both long and short efforts only to discover that buzz was on form.

It was a game which we should have had sewn up in the first half but in the end we had to settle for a point. Two consecutive away points are normally considered to be solid work in this league but if we are serious about our European ambitions then we have to view those games as lost opportunities.

The players now have a ten day gap before we travel to Easter Road. Let's hope we regain some of the cutting edge which was our strength in the first few months of the season.