Higginbotham makes boss see red
ALLAN JOHNSTON blasted fiery winger Kallum Higginbotham for a senseless sending off which wrecked Dunfermline’s plans to get back to the top of the table.
Higginbotham had given the Pars the lead with a 28th-minute penalty after young Cieran Dunne brought down Nicky Clark.
However, he was stupidly booked for a foul on Louis Longridge, then clashed with Joe McKee early in the second half — despite beng warned by his boss Johnston.
Falkirk capitalised by equalising through Jordan McGhee’s 64th-minute free-kick and really should have gone on to beat their rivals, who finished with nine men after Declan McManus was sent off in stoppage time — also for needless yellows.
Johnston said: ‘We said to Higgy at half-time he had to be careful because he was on a yellow card; he couldn’t get involved.
‘He’s not done anything malicious, but he’s shoulder-barged the boy — and it looked worse than it was — and he’s been sent off, which was crazy.
‘That then puts us under pressure and they pile everybody forward.
‘He is passionate and you’re not going to take that out of him. He wouldn’t be the same player without that passion. But you’ve got to control it as well.
‘He’s absolutely gutted in there because he knows himself he’s let down everyone in such an important game, which if we had won would have taken us top.
‘Declan McManus was a crazy sending off as well, when he knows he’s on a yellow card.’
Dunfermline keeper Sean Murdoch slipped as McGhee netted the equaliser and Falkirk might have won it in injury-time, but Nathan Austin’s header hit the inside of the left post.
Falkirk manager Paul Hartley reckons it was the best performance of the season from his men, although he was slightly frustrated they did not take all three points.
He said: ‘I thought we did enough to win the game. I felt we dominated the second half, especially after they went down to ten men.
‘We had some great play and that’s the best we have played this season, according to the guys in the dressing room.’