Tickets
Tickets | Rangers (H)
14th January 2025
Falkirk B 2 (Honeyman 72') (Stewart 76')
Dundee United B 1 (Logan Sinclair O.G 18'')
2pm Tuesday 14 January 2025
The Falkirk Stadium
SPFL Reserve Cup
Dundee United B traveled to the Falkirk Stadium to clash with the Bairns on the final matchday of the SPFL Reserve Cup.
The Terrors headed south in the knowledge a minor miracle was needed to resuscitate their hopes of making the Last Four of the competition.
To qualify, United would need a three-point and 11-goal swing with Kilmarnock, who are set to tussle with bitter rivals Ayr United in their third group fixture, yet to be rescheduled after postponement.
YOUTHFUL UNITED
Unsurprisingly following an unrelenting winter schedule, Dave Richards was the only senior figure named in the starting XI by coaching duo Andy Payne and Brian Grant - the veteran stopper the last line of defence behind a quadrant of Calvin Beattie, Samuel Cleall-Harding, Charlie Dewar and Ollie Simpson.
Sean Borland and Adam Carnwath, who spent the opening months of the season with Lowland League outfit Cumbernauld Colts, flanked Lewis O’Donnell in central midfield.
An attacking trio of Bryan Mwangi, Owen Stirton and Zeke Cameron completed the visitors’ line-up.
Despite Falkirk enjoying the lion’s share of possession in the opening exchanges, United registered the first shot on target as the clock ticked into double figures, with Mwangi rasping a left-footed drive into the gloves of Ross Munro.
PLAYING THE RIGHT WAY
Both sides were keen to build from the back and play through the respective pressing traps set by their opposition - the match easy on the eye from the first whistle despite lacking guilt-edged chances in the first half.
This philosophy of breaking lines with brave, vertical passes brought the opener, as United carved their hosts open from back to front.
After Richards, Cleall-Harding and O’Donnell laid the foundations of the move in the defensive third, a deft first touch from Carnwath sent him racing into the Bairns’ half with options left and right.
The 19-year-old chose the former, finding Zeke Cameron who in turn set his underlapping colleague, Simpson charging into the left side of the area with a perfectly-weighted ball.
THE OPENER
The full-back got his rewards for a lung-bursting, 50-yard dash, as he saw his dangerous delivery touched into the net by Falkirk defender Logan Sinclair.
Retaliation from the home side came in the form of Barney Stewart’s close range header, which ultimately failed to test Richards from close range.
Less than 60 seconds later, a marauding, trademark run from Dewar culminated in the Terrors defender rattling the side-netting after wriggling through a ruck of challenges.
The Englishman was then involved in the thick of the action at the other end, charging down a fierce strike from Caelan McCrone which looked destined for the back of the net.
The last kick of the first period saw Carnwath send a vicious half-volley whistling narrowly over Munro’s crossbar following a United corner.
HORROR MISS
Falkirk began the second half by spurning a golden opportunity to restore parity in Grangemouth. After a period of sustained pressure around the 18-yard box, Finn Yeats decided to take matters into his own hands, rattling the post from the edge of the D with Richards beaten all ends up.
The rebound fell kindly to Flynn McCafferty on the penalty spot and, with the goal at his mercy, miscued his follow-up wide of the upright.
In the 15 minutes following the restart, Tony Begg’s men continued to enjoy the majority of possession, circulating the ball nicely around the middle third, but failing to find a way through a well-drilled yet youthful United side.
Their most fruitful method of chance creation came in the form of set-piece scenarios, former Birmingham and Rangers starlet Thomas Lang heading inches past the post from a corner on the hour mark - his last contribution before being withdrawn.
BAIRNS BEGIN TO DOMINATE
Falkirk continued to turn up the heat on United with increasing success, this time Scott Honeyman fending off Simpson as he barrelled into the area thanks to a slide-rule ball from McCafferty, only to be denied by a fabulous, one-handed save by Richards.
The tangerine dam would, unfortunately, burst on 72 minutes, with Honeyman nodding home from close range at the near post following a slow reaction from United to the second phase of a corner.
And just four minutes later, the home side completed the turnaround, this time Stewart applying the finishing touch to Rhys Walker’s headed cross from fewer than three yards out.
United looked to respond immediately through Stirton, who saw his low finish take a nick off Yeats and bobble agonisingly wide of the mark.
Substitute Frankie Aitchison almost added a third for his side, meeting an inviting McCrone cross at the back stick with a powerful header, but failed to pick out the bottom corner.
LAST-CHANCE SALOON
Borland was the recipient of United’s best chance to level the arrears three minutes into stoppage time as Stirton’s knockdown found the midfielder in space 12 yards from goal. He diverted the ball low towards the bottom corner, only for McCrone to intervene on the goal line.
This the curtain call for both teams, and Falkirk held on to register their first victory of the competition and end our hopes of reaching the Semi-Final.
Teamlines
Falkirk B
Starting XI: Munro, Yeats, Sinclair, Lang, O'Connor, Walker, McCrone, Honeyman, McCafferty, McKenna, Stewart
Subs: Hogarth, McNab, Aitchison, McGregor, Carmichael, Dick
Dundee United
Starting XI: Richards, Beattie, O.Simpson, Cleall-Harding, Dewar, O'Donnell, Mwangi, Borland, Stirton, Carnwath, Cameron
Subs: Haldane, Welsh, F.Simpson
