Baird the villain as Saints fall to resolute Bairns

ST MIRREN manager Jack Ross was left wondering what might have been following his side’s defeat to Falkirk after one of his men was sent off in the first half.

Saints had been on top and took the lead through a Lewis Morgan screamer but lost the initiative when Jack Baird was red-carded for lashing out at Falkirk striker Lee Miller.

Second-half goals from Miller, Bob McHugh and Myles Hippolyte gave the Bairns all three points.

Despite Ross admitting the decision to send his man off was correct, he felt the dismissal changed the game.

He said: ‘I felt it was a sending-off. It’s a poor decision to react in that way and it had an impact on the game.

‘The period before it, we played well and felt we were in control. The character after it with ten men was great, too.

‘There are enough good things about the way we are playing to believe we’ll put together a run of results.’

Morgan’s shot broke the deadlock for St Mirren on 17 minutes. A clipped ball from Rocco Quinn was knocked down by John Sutton into the path of the onrushing Morgan, who unleashed an unstoppable rocket into the top corner.

A moment of madness saw Baird sent off for Saints on 38 minutes. The centre-half swung a punch at Miller, following a tangle between the pair, and referee Craig Thomson showed the visiting defender the red card.

Falkirk came out rejuvenated in the second half and it took just two minutes for Miller to pull them level. Hippolyte did brilliantly down the left before cutting the ball back to Miller, whose sidefoot finish went in off the post.

The Bairns went ahead with 12 minutes remaining.

Substitute McHugh, who had only just entered the fray, capitalised on chaos inside the area from a corner to fire the ball home from close range.

Hippolyte made sure of all three points in the 83rd minute when his effort deflected off Gary Irvine and past Scott Gallacher.

Falkirk boss Peter Houston said: ‘We got there in the end but our first-half performance was very poor.’