St Mirren earned a hard-fought point away to Falkirk this afternoon as they drew 0-0 with the Bairns at The Falkirk Stadium.
Both sides had chances throughout the 90 minutes to get themselves a goal, but neither could make a breakthrough as they shared a point.
The point keeps the Buddies top of the Ladbrokes Championship ahead of next weekend's Renfrewshire derby.
It was Saints who created the first opening on ten minutes when Ian McShane slid the ball through to Cammy Smith inside the box after a neat passage of play from the Buddies. The forward took the ball in well and forced Falkirk goalkeeper Robbie Thomson into a good save from the angle.
A smart corner routine ten minutes later saw McShane and Smith link up to create the next big chance of the match. McShane played it short to Smith who got beyond his man to the byline before cutting it across the box where he found Gavin Reilly. The striker, who scored his tenth goal of the season last weekend, couldn't get a clean connection on the ball as he clipped it just by the post.
St Mirren had started well but the hosts gradually began to grow into the game during the first half. Nathan Austin should have given Bairns the lead on 34 minutes when he found himself one-on-one with Craig Samson. He burst into the box but somehow managed to rattle his effort into the side-net.
The striker almost had the chance to redeem himself a few moments later as Myles Hippolyte attempted to slip him in but Samson was quickly off his line to snuff out the danger.
Austin had another huge opportunity to open the scoring five minutes before the interval. James Craigen played the ball deep to the back post where Austin met it with the header but nodded into the ground with the ball bouncing over the bar.
Saints would end the half strongly and would have felt unlucky not to have nabbed the lead heading into the break. First, Lewis Morgan swung in a brilliant corner that was begging to be met by a player in the red and white of St Mirren, but no one was forthcoming. And then, two minutes later, the winger was denied from a stunning opener when his powerful effort from the edge of the box was brilliantly pushed wide by Thomson.
Half Time: Falkirk 0-0 St Mirren
Morgan had St Mirren's first chance of the second half when he came on to a lay-off from Gavin Reilly, but curled the ball over from 20 yards.
Hippolyte, who was booked for pulling Morgan back in the first half, was penalised for a foul on Cammy Smith deep in the Falkirk half. The ball was swung into the box where Gregor Buchanan got on the end of it but flicked his header wide.
A minute later both sides had good openings to take the lead. Reilly worked himself into a good position but his shot didn't have enough power in it as it was held by Thomson. Immediately from that shot Falkirk broke up the field with Hippolyte going mightily close as he cannoned an effort inches over the bar.
The last two chances to snatch a winner came from Cammy Smith who could count himself unlucky not to have scored with either. He picked the ball up in the centre of the park on 89 minutes and had a go from distance which whistled by the far post. Then, deep into stoppage time, a ball over the top from Adam Eckersley found the 22 year-old inside the box only from Thomson to come off his line quickly and block the shot.
That was the last opportunity of the game for either side with Saints picking up a point ahead of next weekend's derby clash against Morton at the Paisley 2021 Stadium.
Full Time: Falkirk 0-0 St Mirren
St Mirren: Samson, L.Smith, Buchanan, Baird, Eckersley, McGinn (MacPherson 79), McShane, Morgan, Magennis (Sutton 51), C.Smith, Reilly (Kirkpatrick 74)
Subs Not Used: Stewart, Stelios, McCart, Stewart
Falkirk: Thomson, McGhee, Muirhead, Balatoni, Grant, Harris (Dunne 59), McKee, Kerr, Craigen (O'Hara 82), Hippolyte, Austin (Miller 79)
Subs Not Used: Mutch, Gasparotto, Shepherd, Gallacher
Referee: Don Robertson
Assistant Referee: Graham Chambers
Assistant Referee: Greg Soutar
Attendance: 5,080
Gallery pictures by Allan Picken © - Allan Picken Photography
