Football: MARK HITS THE DIZZY HEIGHTS!

Byline: EWAN SMITH at Falkirk Stadium 

FALKIRK 0

ST MIRREN 1

BRAVE Mark Corcoran was left seeing stars after setting up a last-minute winner for Saints - and the hazy hitman admits he had to ask his jubilant team-mates who had scored.

Corcoran had laid the ball off for Billy Mehmet to fire through a ruck of Falkirk bodies to make it two straight wins for the Buddies.

But while his Saints team-mates raced away to celebrate the KO'd Corcoran was floored inside the Bairns box receiving treatment after taking a hefty dunt during the build-up.

Corcoran revealed: "I laid the ball off and I thought Billy was going to hit me so I tried to get out of the way. Then someone slid in and caught me on the head.

"I saw the ball going in the net but I didn't really know what had happened. I had to check later with my team-mates who had scored.

"It doesn't matter to me now because it was a great three points against a Falkirk side that always give you a tough time on their patch.

"I hit the bar early on and did wonder if we'd get a winner because they pressed us back and made us play on the counter attack but it worked out and we're all delighted.

"Now we just want to keep the winning run going. We don't really have any targets, except staying in the league.

"The club moves to a new stadium in the summer and we want to be in a good position to play in it."

Mehmet's late goal was no more than St Mirren deserved as their hard-working attitude just about edged it over a confidence battered Falkirk side.

The Bairns had lost 11 goals in back-to-back defeats to the Old Firm going into this one and the burning question on everyone's lips was would they sacrifice their free-flowing football to shut up shop?

Such a suggestion was batted away by boss John Hughes who stuck by his men by fielding the core of the side that lost to both Celtic and Rangers.

Their desire to play the ball along the deck also remained intact but the final pass was missing and that prevented them from finishing St Mirren off.

Russell Latapy was a key figure early on and his thir-minute pass to Michael Higdon - who had scored three goals in three SPL starts before yesterday - gave the striker the chance to try his luck from 18 yards but his low drive deflected wide for a corner.

Higdon turned provider in 16 minutes as he raced to the bye-line with his cutback setting up Pedro Moutino but John Potter came to the Buddies' rescue by nipping in ahead of the Portuguese striker to hoof the ball clear.

As the half wore on St Mirren and their exciting new Argentine signing Franco Miranda began to grow in confidence.

Miranda broke down the left flank almost at will and was unfortunate not to get someone on the end of two dangerous crosses fired into the box.

Then Darren Barr showed his worth to the Falkirk cause when he stopped Mehmet clean in his tracks as the striker readied himself to finish off Hugh Murray's through ball.

The second half saw both sides striking the woodwork just before the hour mark.

Corcoran fired off the face of the bar after Mehmet's lay-off and then at the other end Barr's header from a Latapy corner hit the post.

But after Falkirk's Thomas Scobbie also hit the bar with a shot-cum-cross there was to be late drama with Mehmet pouncing on Corcoran's pass to blast the winner past Falkirk keeper Tim Krull.

St Mirren gaffer Gus MacPherson said: "I'm really delighted for Billy because a lot of people have cast doubt over what he brings to our team.

"He has a strong physical presence but he showed with his goal that he also has talent.

"That goal will help his confidence because we left him out of the side last week to give Inverness a different kind of threat.

"My theory this year is to look at the opposition when picking sides and see how we can damage them.

"But Billy bounced back from last week and showed great composure in the way he stroked the ball home and it's a terrific three points for us."

REF WATCH

CRAIG MACKAY produced a steady display and had managed to stay largely anonymous for the entire game. That was until he blundered by choosing not to book the already yellow-carded Darren Barr for a late challenge on Mark Corcoran. Rating: 6/10.

MATCH STATS

CHOTS ON 5

SHOTS OFF 9

OFFSIDE 0

FOULS 17

CORNERS 9

BOOKINGS 1

CHOTS ON 2

SHOTS OFF 4

OFFSIDE 2

FOULS 10

CORNERS 1

BOOKINGS 1

CAPTION(S):

Timing of a Saint: Billy Mehmet knocks home the last-gasp winner to send the St Mirren fans wild as Falkirk's Russell Latapy skips past Miranda (below)