Falkirk 1-0 Kilmarnock

Will Vaulks (far left) gave Falkirk a narrow advantage in the tie

Will Vaulks scored in stoppage time as Falkirk delivered another late show to take a lead into the second leg of the Premiership play-off final against Kilmarnock.

The top-flight side spurned several chances, with Tope Obadeyi missing an open goal. Kris Boyd also should have taken a clear opportunity.

Falkirk, who finished second in the Championship, were short of their best.

They saved their best to the end with Vaulks drilling past Jamie MacDonald.

Kilmarnock had been adamant that they would be a forceful presence. The away dressing room reverberated to loud, uplifting music before kick-off, while the players ended their warm-up with a team huddle in front of the away fans.

Manager Lee Clark would have calculated that emotion had to carry a bearing in the game, and he ensured his players were fired up for the occasion.

That sharpened intent was initially intimidating to Falkirk, who spent the opening spell defending in their own half.

Falkirk goalkeeper Danny Rogers kept Kilmarnock at bay with a string of saves

Even when the home players were in possession, they were hounded by their opponents.

The result was some scrambled minds, but goalkeeper Danny Rogers was alert enough to react when a Gary Dicker cross was deflected, sending the ball in an arc towards his net. The Falkirk goalkeeper reached up to claw the ball away from underneath the bar.

Kilmarnock's assertiveness renewed their self-confidence. Their play still lacked a cutting edge, though, and that flaw was highlighted as Falkirk eventually rediscovered their poise.

The home side created a handful of chances towards half-time, even though they were all spurned.

Blair Alston could at least point out that he was on the edge of the area when the ball dropped to him, but his effort was tame.

John Baird, too, had an excuse when the MacDonald spilled Bob McHugh's shot, since the rebound flew towards Baird at an awkward height and he had to skew his body to make contact, before sending his effort over the bar.

The game seemed ragged and improvised, but Falkirk had the wherewithal to be precise at times.

Whenever the opportunity arose, Baird or McHugh peeled out between the centre-backs and full-backs, their sprightliness and quick feet taking advantage of some cumbersome defending. McHugh was frustrated when he skipped infield and could only curl his effort wide of the far post.

Exertion alone seemed to bind the two sides together. Quality was not a prominent influence, but sheer bloody mindedness could still be the deciding factor across the two legs.

Instinct as well as training must have left Craig Sibbald stationed in the goal-line at a Kilmarnock corner kick, and he was in the right place to head Boyd's chipped shot away from underneath the bar.

Kilmarnock's Kris Boyd appeals for a penalty from an alleged handball

Boyd's guile was evident, though, and he lifted a ball over the top of the Falkirk defence to send Obadeyi clear. A heavy touch took him past Rogers but left him at a tight angle, and he could only send the ball into the side-netting with the goal unguarded.

Frustration and tension seemed bound together. As the game rolled back and forth, Boyd could only steer a header straight at Rogers from the back post, while team-mates hollered at him for not sending the ball back into the six-yard box.

The only moment of quick, incisive passing was still to come, though, with Luke Leahy sliding the ball to Sibbald from a quick free-kick routine, and he pulled it back for Vaulks to score.