Falkirk finally get the proverbial monkey off their back as Russell Latapy's freaky free kick steals all three points.

Yogi made three changes to the squad this week with Tam Scobbie and Gerard Aafjes replacing the injured Jack Ross and the suspended Darren Barr while Scott Arfield made a start in the midfield in place of Patrick Cregg.

Falkirk fans were given reason to panic inside the opening minutes as Motherwell carved open the defence though Krul pulled off an excellent save at the expense of a corner. A real let off for Falkirk and at this stage of the game things were starting to look all too familiar.

Kenny Clark had the home fans on their feet when he flashed a harsh yellow card at Higdon after a clumsy challenge on Paterson not far outside the Falkirk penalty box. The resulting free kick came to nothing however and the home support could breathe again.

Falkirk had a few corners in the first half where the ball seemed to bounce in front of everyone but no one could provide a finishing touch. Motherwell having 11 men in their own box was proving to be frustrating for the Falkirk front line. Higdon had a chance deflected wide for another corner but the delivery into the box wasn't the best.

Next came the biggest panic button moment in the game where Chris Porter danced around two tackles and drilled in a shot which crashed off the bottom of the post.

Scott Arfield decided to take the game into his own hands when he made an excellent run from the half way line evading all in his path to unleash a 25 yard shot which sailed just over the bar. Higdon had another header from a corner but this one also went over the cross bar, half time and it was honours even.

HT: Falkirk 0 - 0 Motherwell

Motherwell's Clarkson appealed unsuccessfully for a penalty kick in the 52nd minute after he tripped over Kenny Milne's leg. Kenny Clark rightly waved away the claim but was started to frustrate fans of both sides for constantly stopping the game for minor bumps.

Clarkson was starting to get the hang of his diving and Motherwell very nearly scored from a free kick which Dean Holden headed clear.

By this time Tam Scobbie had found his feet and was sending some excellent deliveries into the box. Higdon sent a header narrowly wide and Graeme Barrett replaced the tired looking Riera. Moutinho was also replaced by Carl Finnegan soon after and Falkirk looked as though they could nick a goal.

The goal did finally come in odd circumstances after Kenny Milne was bundled over near the halfway line. Russell Latapy stepped up to take the free kick and sent in a relatively harmless looking cross. The ball seemed to evade everyone including the hapless Smith who failed to see it coming due, no doubt, to there being so many bodies in front of him. The little magician's face was a picture when he realized the ball had wound up in the back of the net but they all count.

After the goal Falkirk never really looked in danger of letting one in and so the first victory in 12 years over Motherwell was finally recorded at The Falkirk Stadium.