SPL - Celtic beat gutsy Falkirk to reach final

Celtic remain on course for a domestic treble after beating a brave Falkirk side 3-1 in the Scottish League Cup semi-final at Hampden Park.

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A Scott Brown penalty put the SPL leaders in front, but First Division side Falkirk deservedly went into the break level after a fine goal from teenager Jay Fulton that was set-up by man of the match Kallum Higginbotham.

However, two second-half strikes from Antony Stokes, one a stunning free-kick and the other a tap-in, ensured Celtic a date with Kilmarnock in the final on March 18th.

Falkirk started with five in midfield but did not come just to defend and instead stuck with the confident passing game that has seen them climb to second in the First Division table.

The opening 45 minutes were very even, although Celtic were robbed of a goal in the 12th minute due to an erroneous offside decision.

After Michael McGovern had palmed a Brown drive from the edge of the area onto the post, Gary Hooper was there from close range to smash the ball into the roof of the net. The assistant referee flagged for offside but replays showed the Celtic top scorer was well onside.

Thomas Rogne then headed a corner into the ground in the 17th minute that bounced up onto the crossbar but despite those efforts, the game was still very even when Celtic finally took the lead in the 32nd minute.

The goal was a gift as Darren Dods stupidly pulled down Rogne from a corner right under the referee's nose and Brown confidently dispatched the spot-kick.

Falkirk stuck to their game plan though and scored a superb equaliser in the 40th minute as they shifted the ball quickly from left to right; the always imaginative Higginbotham was found in a central area and he slipped a lovely ball in behind an out of position Emilio Izaguirre and into the path of 17-year-old Fulton who calmly placed the ball home to the delight of the fans who had travelled from the central lowlands, among them Jay's father and former Celtic, Hearts and Falkirk man Stephen Fulton.

Falkirk boss Stephen Pressley was sent to the stands after half-time for remonstrating with the referee but the Bairns continued to perform admirably after the restart.

Fulton had a chance to put them in front in the 51st minute but he blazed over after once again being set-up by Higginbotham.

In the 55th minute Rogne hit the bar again at the other end, after he saw a shot from close range deflect onto the crossbar but just a minute later Celtic were back in front.

It came from a direct free-kick 30-yards out with Stokes curling a wonderful effort into the corner of the net to the delight of the Bhoys' always loud and plentiful support.

Celtic lacked a killer instinct and Falkirk always looked capable of nicking an equaliser, and they came close in the 79th minute when Fraser Forster had to make a double save from first Dods and then Stewart Murdoch in quick succession after Celtic failed to deal with a corner.

However, Neil Lennon's side finally sealed the victory four minutes from the end when Hooper produced a fine spin on the edge of the area to move into the box before checking back for Stokes to tap-home his 17th of the season.