Falkirk beat Celtic to stretch their winning run to four
Falkirk's win over the leaders headlined a short MatchDay 12, with a late Motherwell winner and a four-goal draw at Kilmarnock.
By Harvey Watkins,
The result of a shortened MatchDay 12 came at the Falkirk Stadium, where Falkirk beat Celtic 2-0. Ethan Ross scored after three minutes and Scott Tanser doubled the lead on 38, and Falkirk held that advantage for the rest of the match.
Only three matches were played. Dundee United v Hearts was postponed, and two further fixtures were moved to another week.
A wobble at the top
Celtic stay top on 28 points from 12 games, but this was a second match without a win, following a draw. Their last five now read loss, draw and then three wins. That is one poor week, not a collapse. It does matter because of who is behind them. Rangers, who were not in action, sit four points back with a game in hand and are unbeaten in five. A lead that looked comfortable now depends on Celtic's next results as much as on anyone else's.
Falkirk keep climbing
For Falkirk this was a fourth straight win, and their best result in that run. They are fourth on 18 points, two behind Hearts. Across their last five they have scored nine goals and conceded three, and the only defeat came before the winning run started. Beating the leaders shows they can compete with the top sides, though four wins is still a short run on which to judge where they will finish. Hearts have a game in hand because of the postponement, and Dundee, on 17, and Dundee United, on 16, have also played a game fewer. The race for the places just below the top two is close.
A late winner and a shared four
Lukas Fadinger's goal on 82 minutes gave Motherwell a 1-0 win over St Mirren, and it made a real difference to the table. Motherwell are now ninth on 12 points and unbeaten in two, after three straight defeats before that. St Mirren stay on 14 and have gone two without a win. They have lost three of their last five, and their goal difference of minus eight is the third worst in the division.
At Rugby Park, Kilmarnock and St Johnstone drew 2-2. Cathal McCarthy opened the scoring on 15 minutes. Danny Schmidt and Djenairo Daniels then scored a minute apart just before half-time, on 40 and 41, and Joel Cotterill scored on 65. The draw suited St Johnstone more than their hosts. They are seventh on 14 points and unbeaten in two, although four of their last five games have been draws.
Pressure at the bottom
Kilmarnock's point leaves them 11th on nine, with no win in three and a goal difference of minus 15, the worst in the league. Only Hibernian are below them. Hibernian have eight points, no win in five and have yet to win any of their last five, but they have a game in hand. Aberdeen, on 11 points after two straight defeats, also have a game in hand.
Between Motherwell in ninth and Hibernian in 12th there are only four points. Because so many sides have played different numbers of games, the table near the bottom tells you less than usual. The rearranged fixtures will make it clearer.