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GOALS from Mitch Megginson and Fraser Fyvie ensured we returned to winning ways against The Bairns in our cinch League One encounter in front of a bumper 1,101 crowd at Balmoral Stadium.

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After three successive draws, we were back at our very best with one of the strongest team performances seen from us in the entire campaign.

Fyvie also helped to set up skipper Megginson’s opener and clearly relished playing in a more attacking role, doing enough to be voted man-of-the-match by sponsors R Davidson Decorating, Banchory.

But in all honesty, we had 11 man-of-the-matches as we dominated our full-time opponents from start to finish, with the game already beyond the reach of the Bairns when they had Brad McKay sent-off in the latter stages.

Fyvie set the tone for the afternoon by going within inches of scoring after just six minutes.

Mark Reynolds sent over a magnificent cross from wide on the left and Fyvie directed a header from 12-yards on to the face of the crossbar with Falkirk keeper Robbie Mutch well beaten.

Falkirk’s star January signing Leigh Griffiths served notice of his threat with a great pass through to Charles Telfer a minute later and the latter’s 16-yard shot was deflected wide.

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Ryan Williamson then found space on the right to cross for Griffiths to send in a diving header from 12-yards that was comfortably collected by Stuart McKenzie.

Fyvie caused the Falkirk defence problems again in the 11th minute, when he collected a pass from Iain Vigurs, cut inside from the left and hit a 20-yard shot off target.

Scott Ross then saw a drop volley from the edge of the Falkirk area just clear the crossbar as we began to step up the pressure.

Our next chance came when Vigurs fed the ball low through to Megginson and he sent a shot wide of Mutch’s right post.

Connor Scully also went close, with a curling shot from 18-yards, after Fyvie had found him with a pinpoint pass from the right.

The opener we deserved arrived in the 24th minute, and it was a cracker.

Harry Milne fed the ball forward to MEGGINSON, who then played it on to Fyvie, raced past his team-mate to collect the return pass and then coolly clipped the ball beyond the reach of the advancing Mutch from the edge of the six-yard box to notch his 17th goal of the campaign.

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Fyvie set up our next chance by firing a corner over from the left, in the 27th minute.

Morgyn Neill met the ball at the back post and nodded it back across the face of the Falkirk goal for Milne to send it over the bar with an acrobatic volley from around 10-yards.

When Falkirk did break forward they found our defence in a mean mood, like when Ryan Strachan made a brilliant block to clear Anton Dowds’ 10-yard shot, in the 35th minute.

Dowds should have done better than send a 10-yard header wide a minute later, but it was back to defending for the Bairns after that.

Strachan foraged forward in the 41st minute to feed Fyvie for another attempt, from 20-yards, that failed to find the target.

Fyvie shot wide again a minute later, after Milne and Megginson had combined to set him up.

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The half ended with Mutch making a decent save to push Milne’s shot, from a tight angle on the left, wide of the post.

It was the same theme in the second period, with Blair Yule passing to Megginson, who saw his low 22-yard shot saved by the diving Mutch.

Yule tried again with another pass to Megginson, who saw a powerful drive clear the Falkirk crossbar.

Yule persisted though and was the instigator of the move that led to us going 2-0 up in the 64th minute.

He found Megginson again with a clever through ball and when the striker laid the ball into the path of FYVIE he battered it into the net from 14-yards.

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Fyvie went in search of his own second in the 70th minute, after Milne had played a superb pass over the top of the Falkirk defence, but Mutch had raced out of his area to make a crucial clearance.

Falkirk’s faint hopes of recovery disappeared in the 77th minute, when McKay was shown a straight red card by referee Colin Steven after an off the ball incident inside our six-yard box.

Falkirk’s 10-men held out though, with Mutch saving a Megginson shot with his legs.

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Mutch also made decent stops from Milne and Strachan, although his best save came in injury-time, when he stopped Milne adding the third goal that would have given the final scoreline a more realistic look.

COVE RANGERS: McKenzie, Neill, Milne, Scully, Ross, Strachan, Yule, Megginson, Vigurs, Fyvie, Reynolds.

Subs: Masson, McIntosh, Adeyemo, Anderson, Leitch, Gourlay, Fotheringham.

FALKIRK: Mutch, Williamson, Taylor-Sinclair, Hetherington (McGuffie 46), Griffiths (Kabia 64), McCann, Jacobs (Nesbitt 64), Dowds, Telfer, McKay, Watson.

Subs: Holt, Dixon, Miller, Wilson, Ross, Mills.

Referee: Colin Steven.

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