Falkirk frustrated Hearts at Tynecastle to leave them favourites to make the top six of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League.
Only two slack passes in the opening stages allowed Hearts any chances and the Falkirk defence atoned before the visitors created several first-half openings.
Hearts enjoyed more territory and possession in the second period but had no cutting edge as the Bairns comfortably kept their three-point advantage over both Hearts and Aberdeen.
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Hearts were handed a pre-match boost when Laryea Kingston made his first appearance since December 1.
The Ghana midfielder went straight into the starting line-up after recovering from a foot problem suffered at the African Nations Cup.
But, despite some decent touches, even he could not unlock the Falkirk defence. Hearts also brought in Marius Zaliukas, Deividas Cesnauskis and Michael Stewart while fit-again Jack Ross replaced Pedro Moutinho for Falkirk.
Falkirk easily contained Hearts for 10 minutes until a woefully slack pass by Kenny Milne gave Calum Elliot the chance to run at goal, but Darren Barr slid in to block his shot.
Scott Arfield threaded a perfect pass through for Graham Barrett at the other end but a marginal offside decision was awarded to the relief of Lee Wallace, who had hauled the Falkirk striker to the ground.
Another slack pass in Falkirk's own half allowed Saulius Mikoliunas a chance but Bairns keeper Robert Olejnik rushed out of his box to block with his chest.
Falkirk were growing in confidence on the ball and Hearts suffered a blow when Cesnauskis was replaced by Audrius Ksanavicius in the 15th minute.
Arfield shot just over from 20 yards before Barrett shot straight at Steve Banks in a Falkirk counter attack which began when Patrick Cregg dispossessed Kingston.
The Bairns maintained their pressure without carving out a gilt-edged chance. Thomas Scobbie headed over from a floating cross by Ross before turning provider with an inswinging free-kick that Gerard Aafjes headed over from 10 yards.
Hearts enjoyed the territorial advantage in the latter stages of the half but Barr produced another crucial block from a Ksanavicius volley before Stewart screwed a 20-yard shot wide.
Christophe Berra then headed harmlessly over from a deep Kingston corner.
Hearts could not raise the tempo after the break and when Elliot worked a yard of space inside the box, his shot went out for a throw.
Milne had a decent chance on the hour mark after Cregg teed him up on the edge of the box but he shot a yard over.
Olejnik momentarily lost a Robbie Neilson cross but that was a rare concern for the Falkirk keeper as Hearts were devoid of a cutting edge despite pushing Falkirk back.
Jamie Mole replaced Elliot, who had little success as a lone central striker, but still Hearts could not improve in the final third.
Arfield did not get hold of a shot in a crowded box and Scobbie was booked for tripping Kingston after Banks had launched a counter attack.
Teenager Arfield then almost played Barrett through, but the ball just ran through to Banks, as Falkirk began to find more room going forward.
The Bairns were so comfortable that Ross and manager John Hughes could afford to share a joke on the sidelines as Arnau Riera replaced Kevin McBride.
Scobbie mis-kicked another half-chance inside the box but the Falkirk camp were still smiling when the final whistle blew to leave them in sixth place.
They can virtually ensure their first top-six finish next week if they beat Kilmarnock at home.
A GUARANTEED PROFIT OF AT LEAST £36.50 ON SOUTHEND v DONCASTER
Did you know that it is possible to win money on Friday evening's League One Play-Off clash between Southend and Doncaster, whatever the result?
The game kicks off at 7.45pm and we can guarantee you a profit of at least £36.50, whatever the result of the match. All you have to do is follow the simple instructions below and then sit back and enjoy the game. At full-time, you will be at least £36.50 better off, whatever the result of the match.
We must point out that if you want to take this bet, you should do it now because if the odds change, then the figures here will be invalidated. If they have changed, let us know and we will rework the bet for you.
You can still do this if you have a Betfair account but your overall profit will be reduced by £25.00 as you won't receive the £25.00 cashback as an existing account holder.
If you are unsure about this bet, you are most welcome to call us on 01642 223229 and we will help you as much as we can.
We're going to lay out a total of £71.00 on the Southend v Doncaster match and we will collect £107.50 if Doncaster win, £107.50 if Southend win and £107.81 if it's a draw. That's a minimum profit of 51%, a much higher interest rate than you will get in any high street bank.
Here's how it's done. Just follow these simple instructions.
1. Open an account with Coral. It is really important that you enter the bonus code of CORALTD when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Open an account with Betfair. It is really important that you enter the promotional code of BFB425 when prompted. This is to ensure that you receive your bonus.
Place £20.00 on Doncaster at 2.75 (7/4) with Coral.
Coral will now add a £10.00 bonus to your account. Place this on Doncaster as well. You will now have £30.00 riding on Doncaster.
Back the draw with £26.00 at 3.3 (9/4) (or higher if available) with Betfair.
Place £25.00 on Southend at 2.15 (23/20) with Extrabet.
Extrabet match your first bet up to £25 so you will now have £50.00 riding on Southend.
The £25.00 matched bet will not show in your account but you can read all about how it works on the Extrabet site. It's the purple box that says '£25 FREE BET FOR NEW CUSTOMERS' on the top right hand side. Click here to visit the Extrabet site.
If you are unsure about placing these bets, please feel free to mail us or call us on 01642 223229 and we will talk you through it, no problem at all. There is no such thing as a stupid question.
You have temporarily laid out a total of £71.00 on the Southend v Doncaster match. I stress, temporarily... Now sit back, crack a beer open and enjoy the match.
4. Here's what happens at the end of the game.
If Doncaster win, you collect £107.50. That's £82.50 from Coral plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If it's a draw, you collect £107.81. That's £82.81 from Betfair plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
If Southend win you collect £107.50. That's £82.50 from Extrabet plus a £25.00 cashback from Betfair.
5. This means that the worst case scenario on the Southend v Doncaster match is no draw and you make £36.50 profit. However, if it is a draw you make £36.81. That's a minimum profit of 51%, a much better rate of interest that you would get at any high street bank or building society.
6. It is absolutely vital that you click on the links on this page to open the accounts with the two bookies and enter the correct bonus codes or you may not qualify for the bonuses.
Also, before you place your bets, you should check that the odds haven't changed. If they have, let us know by mail or phone us on 01642 223229 and we will rework the bet for you.
Please feel free to contact us or phone us on 01642 223229 if you have any questions at all about this bet and we will help you as much as we can.
Please note that the bonuses are valid for new customers only so if you already have an account with one or more of the bookies we are using, you won't be able to do this. If that is the case, mail us or phone us on 01642 223229 and we'll create an alternative bet for you using different bookies.
This method of betting was used very successfully during the 2006 World Cup and you can read all about how it was done right here.
We guarantee this bet
It's understandable that some people will not believe that it is possible to do this. "What's the catch?" I hear you asking. My answer to that question is that we have been publishing arbitrage bets for four seasons now and literally hundreds of people have profited from following the advice on these pages.
Only twice has our refund guarantee been triggered and that was when we did all the figures wrong and sent refunds out to those who had followed our advice and made a small loss.
Our refund guarantee works like this. If this bet doesn't work like we say it will and you end up out of pocket, we will refund your losses. Simple as that.
That means that you simply cannot lose on this, whatever happens and even if we messed up the numbers.
The only stipulation here is that you must click on the links on this page to be eligible for the refund guarantee, not that you'll be needing to claim anyway. Just enjoy the profit and stay posted for many more of these throughout the season.
