Hearts 'panic' sparks downfall at Falkirk as Jambos left lamenting reactive approach in Bairns defeat

Head coach Wouter Vrancken lamented a Hearts off-night after they fell to a 2-1 Premiership defeat at Falkirk.

James Wilson capped off his call up for Scotland with a Jambos leveller after Ben Krauhaus fired the hosts ahead inside 15 minutes. Owen Eames put John McGlynn’s men back in front though and it proved a winner after some slack play at the back from Vrancken’s visitors. The Jambos take on Kilmarnock at Rugby Park this weekend before a three-week international break and Falkirk travel to St Johnstone.

“Poor performance, simple,” was Hearts head coach Vrancken’s summation. “How we started the game, with miscommunication, not enough concentration, too easy in the back and then we were too slow to get back into our organisation, it was not good enough. I saw some panic in the team actually in the first half. We were too reactive and not proactive and when you’re not proactive in situations, then you don’t show solutions and so then you cannot dominate the game.”

What happened during Falkirk vs Hearts?

Vrancken opted to replace goal-scorer Wilson with the more physical JJ Williams for the start of the second half in an attempt to try to “hold the ball a bit longer and a bit better”, and the big American missed a good chance to edge Hearts in front at 1-1.

“Second half when we came out was a bit better,” said the Belgian. “Also we wanted with JJ one who holds the ball a bit more so that we could also do maybe something more offensively and at the beginning it worked with a big chance for JJ.

“It could have changed things there if he finished it because then you go ahead. But at the end it was just not good enough and it was a deserved victory for Falkirk.

“The team effort was not enough, too many players under their level. We had some moments in the game but we had no reason to think the game could be ours today.”

Falkirk boss John McGlynn savoured his team’s first league win at the sixth attempt.

“It was good to get the monkey off our back,” he said. “The fixture list wasn’t kind to us but I’m delighted for the players tonight.

“You have to work so hard to win any game in this league and they did that. We got out the blocks well and scored a good goal.

“It’s hard to stop a team like Hearts coming back into the game but we should have done better at their equaliser.

“We took over after Scott Bain saved from Williams in the second half. We had good chances and deserved the win overall. It gives us a huge lift.”

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