McGeady goal saves Celtic

Falkirk 0 Celtic 1

An 84th-minute strike by Aiden McGeady gave grateful Celtic all three points in an enthralling Bank of Scotland Premier League match at Falkirk.

The Hoops beat FC Copenhagen 1-0 in the Champions League in midweek but found the battling Bairns a tougher prospect in an entertaining game at the Falkirk Stadium.

The home side had held their own for most of the game but were devastated when McGeady drove home the winner from 16 yards to keep the visitors top of the SPL.

The Bairns will play worse and win this season, but the Celtic Park side again showed championship form by winning when not at the top of their game.

Falkirk had begun sharper, striker Anthony Stokes finding himself with space behind Hoops defender Lee Naylor on two occasions but failing to capitalise.

In the fifth minute, after some slack play by the visitors, Falkirk midfielder Patrick Cregg tried a snap-shot from 30 yards but Celtic keeper Artur Boruc gathered comfortably.

Celtic slowly began to get their passing game going but midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura’s fine effort after 17 minutes from the edge of the Bairns’ penalty area, which went just over the bar, was all they had to show in attacking terms.

In the 26th minute, Falkirk were dealt a blow when defender Kenny Milne hobbled off to be replaced by Tom Scobbie but the substitution did not disrupt the home side.

Striker Alan Gow was set up by wide-man Pedro Moutinho, who was finding plenty of joy against Naylor, but his strike from 16 yards went wide of the target.

In the 35th minute, the home side almost took the lead following Gow’s second corner in quick succession from the right-hand side.

The long cross to the back post was headed back by Scobbie and Darren Barr’s close-range effort was chested off the line by Miller.

Moments later, at the other end, the Scotland striker brushed past Jack Ross and keeper Scott Higgins, but his left-footed shot crashed off the bar before being cleared to safety.

Then Gow’s cross into the middle of the Celtic area was headed narrowly past the post by Steven Thomson.

A minute before the interval, Miller rose inside a packed Falkirk six-yard box to head a Nakamura corner over the bar.

The home side had been clapped off the pitch and, less than a minute after the restart, the fans almost had a goal to cheer.

Careless play by Gary Caldwell allowed the dogged Stokes to rob him at the edge of the area.

But, when he slipped the ball to Patrick Cregg, the Irishman hesitated before trundling in a poor shot which Boruc saved easily.

At the other end, McGeady flashed a 20-yard shot just past the post.

The match was evenly-balanced and open and, in the 58th minute, Caldwell made up for his earlier mistake when he dived in to block Stokes’ angled drive from 12 yards out, after a pass from Moutinho had split the Celtic defence wide open.

Moments later, Thomas Gravesen and Nakamura were replaced by Evander Sno and Shaun Maloney as Strachan tried to jolt his side into action.

The double substitution appeared to fire up the visitors who began to spend more time in the Bairns’ half of the pitch.

In the 79th minute, the tireless Gow dispossessed Sno 30 yards from goal and drove in a powerful shot which Boruc stretched to save at the expense of a corner.

The final stages saw Celtic lay siege to the Falkirk area and, in the 84th minute, they took the lead through McGeady.

Maloney played the ball just inside the area and the Hoops midfielder arrowed an unstoppable drive past Higgins.

Seconds later, with Falkirk going for broke, Stokes wriggled his way through the Celtic defence but was eventually blocked by Boruc.

It was another case of so near, but so far for the Bairns.