WHILE largely resigned to a ninth South Division campaign in 2014/15, Haddington Athletic went into Saturday’s match knowing they could still finish second behind Edinburgh United if they were to win each of their last six games, while hoping Dundonald Bluebell somehow slipped up in two of their final three outings, all against teams in the bottom five.

Falkirk Juniors were playing their second-last game of the season and trailed Haddington by four points.

Millfield boss Stevie McLeish recalled Michael Motion, Steven MacDonald and Andrew Sinclair, all of whom had missed the previous week’s Fife & Lothians Cup defeat by Kelty Hearts.

The Hi Hi enjoyed an encouraging level of possession in the early stages and with less than three minutes gone Sinclair had their first shot on goal, curling the ball round the post. They saw plenty of the ball but they didn’t exert an awful lot of pressure on the Falkirk goal, next threatening in the 12th minute when Sean Conagahan saw a shot blocked by brave defending.

The visitors began to stir to life around the quarter-hour mark but half-chances were the order of the day at either end, neither keeper finding themselves particularly busy.

On 25 minutes, MacDonald headed over the bar from a good position from Sinclair’s cross from the left, then three minutes later Haddington took the lead.Sinclair found himself in space in the penalty area, but the angle confronting him wasn’t an easy one at all – he tried his best to direct the ball goalwards but it looked a simple enough task for Falkirk left-back Keir to clear off the line; the unfortunate Keir, however, instead directed the ball off the inside of the post and over the line to take unwanted credit for the opener.

At the other end, Andy McQueen hadn’t had much to do but on 33 minutes he did well to stop a Falkirk free-kick, and two minutes later Arundel should have equalised for the visitors but put his shot weakly wide of target.

The Hi Hi went two goals up eight minutes before the break when MacDonald fed the ball forward to Sinclair just a few yards inside the visitors’ half – the ex-Musselburgh striker burst forward and unleashed a super shot from 20 yards which flew past Hardie in the Falkirk goal.

At the conclusion of 45 minutes’ play, Haddington looked comfortably in control against a lethargic Falkirk team who looked like they just wanted the end of the season to come – little could they have imagined the transformation in their opponents by the time the second half kicked off.

Falkirk’s not-fully-fit Arundel was replaced at half-time by Tinning and the change proved pivotal as the visitors looked revitalised straight from the restart. Haddington had their first shot of the second half through Sinclair on 51 minutes but he couldn’t find the target, and immediately afterwards Falkirk were gifted a chance when Motion was dispossessed inside his own half – McQueen rescued things with a great stop, tipping the ball over the bar.

From Tinning’s corner from the left, however, Ure headed past a static defence to bring Falkirk right back into the game. A minute later, another Tinning corner saw a Falkirk forward head the ball off the inside of the post, and a team-mate blasted the rebound high over the bar from close range.

A relieved Hi Hi pushed forward and good control from Conaghan found Sinclair on his left, but veteran keeper Hardie was quickly off his line to snuff out the danger. Ure nearly equalised spectacularly just after the hour mark but his speculative lob from 30 yards came off the face of the crossbar with McQueen beaten.

Again play swiftly switched to the opposite end but a perfectly timed challenge from centre-half Lawrie robbed MacDonald of the chance of a shot on goal from deep inside the box.

Falkirk’s equaliser materialised at the midway point in the second half, with Tinning again at the heart of things, running at the home defence and forcing an own goal from Graham Gallagher.

It surprised no-one when the visitors then took the lead on 76 minutes, with Tinning again influential – captain Shirra scored with a fine low drive from the left of the penalty area which found the bottom corner.

Haddington managed a few attacks late on as they tried to salvage something from the game, and a downward header from Motion on 89 minutes looked goalbound before Hardie appeared at the last moment, getting down to turn the ball around the post for a corner.

The game was into the 93rd minute when Motion did equalise with his first goal in just over a year, the veteran firing the ball into the roof of the net amid a crowded penalty area. There wasn’t time, though, for an unlikely fourth goal, and the Hi Hi are now odds-on to finish the season in fourth spot.

If Dundonald Bluebell win at Stoneyburn on Saturday then they’re promoted, while nearby Haddington will at the same time be up against third-placed Blackburn United.