Falkirk 1 PARS 2

FORMER Bairns Kallum Higginbotham and Fraser Aird returned to haunt Falkirk as they netted the Pars a huge derby win this afternoon.

Dunfermline retained third spot in the Championship play-off race after what was, in the end, a nervy success at the Falkirk Stadium.

They were in control when Higginbotham's deflected first half drive, and Aird's tap-in four minutes after the break, put Athletic 2-0 ahead.

Aaron Muirhead's penalty with 11 minutes to go gave the Bairns hope but the visitors hung on for a win they deserved.

Pars boss Allan Johnston named the same starting eleven that defeated Livingston on Tuesday night, but made two alterations to his bench.

Joe Cardle returned from an ankle knock, while Jean-Yves M'Voto was also back from injury, with Dean Shiels and Conner Duthie dropping out.

Much of the build-up to the game had been overshadowed by previous events between the clubs, not least the unsavoury off-field incidents when they met at East End at New Year.

Athletic's 2-0 win was marred by a section of Falkirk fans taunting Shiels over his missing eye, and throwing fake eyeballs onto the pitch, on the back of Bairns players Joe McKee and Kevin O'Hara being hammered by the SFA for abusing him in an Irn-Bru Cup tie in October.

With Higginbotham and Declan McManus both having been sent off in the last game between the pair at the Falkirk Stadium - a 1-1 draw in November - and Craig Sibbald and Lee Miller going the same way for the Bairns in their 3-1 August defeat at East End, the scene was set for a firecracker of a derby.

Dunfermline, however, went into it on the back of a six-game unbeaten run that had taken them back into third spot and were chasing a victory that would maintain their push for a play-off place.

Paul Hartley's team themselves came into the contest in decent form, having gone seven games without defeat after fighting back to draw at Queen of the South on Tuesday, and they were first to show in front of goal.

Sibbald did the set-up work, pulling the back for Alex Jakubiak 12 yards out, but the sting was taken out of his effort as it fell into the grateful arms of Lee Robinson.

McManus registered the visitors' first effort in a scrappy opening quarter with an ambitious free-kick from 25-30 yards that Hazard easily gathered but, with 24 minutes on the clock, they opened the scoring.

It was a well-worked goal, too, started by the goalscorer.

Picking the ball up inside his own half, he elected not to play it down the right for the willing McManus.

Instead, he clipped it infield to Aird, who flighted the ball for Nicky Clark to nod down for Lewis Martin at the left-edge of the penalty box.

The defender looked up, saw Higginbotham at the edge of the box and his drive towards goal was deflected into the net beyond a flat-footed Conor Hazard.

It sparked wild scenes of jubilation in the packed away end and they almost had another goal to celebrate just after the half-hour.

A fine ball clipped into the area by Aird found Clark in acres of space, but his header to the near post was well-saved by Hazard.

The Pars striker soon went close again, this time from an Aird corner, but his header finished the wrong side of the upright.

Although Aaron Muirhead went down looking for a stoppage-time penalty from Louis Longridge's free-kick, the Pars went into the interval deservedly ahead.

There were no real blood-and-guts, thundering challenges - to the credit of both teams - in the opening 45 minutes but the visitors looked composed and dealt with what the Bairns had to offer comfortably.

While referee Don Robertson enjoyed a quiet opening half, there was no mistaking that there was a determination about Dunfermline, who were well up for it.

And they proved that point emphatically by doubling their advantage just four minutes after the restart.

Moments after James Craigen had narrowly volleyed wide, Dunfermline were back on the ball with decent play on the right and, after McManus scuffed a shot across goal, it fell perfectly for Aird to tap in from inside the six yard box and send the visiting fans bonkers once more.

The Bairns tried to respond and only fine reactions from Robinson prevented Jordan McGhee's header from a conrer from finding the net, before Sibbald lashed a frustrated looking effort well over the top.

Lee Ashcroft, the matchwinner on Tuesday, was then in prime position to deflect Jakubiak's shot from a Sean Welsh cut-back over as Hartley's side tried to find a route back into the game, before Callum Morris then did enough to put Andrew Nelson off as he went for goal.

From the resulting corner, the ball fell to Muirhead at the edge of the box and his well-struck volley was inches away from finding the bottom corner.

Ashcroft was again on hand to keep Pars' goal intact, blocking from Jakubiak before substitute Alex Harris, free on the right, was caught in two-minds whether to shoot or find a team-mate, before doing neither.

With 15 minutes left, Clark really should have finished it when he flashed a header, from the middle of the goal, wide from Higginbotham's cross but then with 10 minutes to go, the Bairns were given a lifeline.

The Pars could only clear a corner out to Muirhead, who returned the ball into the box and, after a scramble, McGhee was brought down by Clark.

Muirhead stepped up and sent Robinson the wrong way to halve the deficit and Johnston responded by sending M'Voto on for Higginbotham.

Falkirk were pinning the Pars back but, as the clock ticked into stoppage time, Clark robbed them of possession, ran into the box but could only hit the sidenetting.

Despite referee Robertson adding on five minutes of stoppage time, Dunfermline held out for a massive three points in the play-off race.

Falkirk: Hazard, McGhee, Muirhead, Grant, Sibbald, Longridge, Jakubiak, Robson, Nelson, Watson, Welsh.

Subs: Kidd, Taiwo, Tumilty, Harris, O'Hara, Blair, Thomson.

Pars: Robinson, Williamson, Ashcroft, Morris, Martin, Higginbotham, Beadling, Craigen, Aird, McManus, Clark.

Subs: M'Voto, Cardle, Armstrong, Wedderburn, Talbot, Ryan, Gill.

Referee: Don Robertson.

Attendance: 5,784 (1,469 away).