Jim Jefferies was stumped to come up with an explanation for losing four goals last night which allowed Falkirk to run out 4-3 winners in theCo-operative Insurance Cup third-round. After going down 2-0 in the first half to the Irn-Bru First Division side through goals from Mark Stewart and Carl Finnigan - and seeing Craig Thomson sent off after appearing to kick out at Finnigan when they clashed on the touchline - Jefferies half-time team talk appeared to have done the trick as Hearts come out fighting. In an exciting fightback, Kevin Kyle reduced the deficit from the spot in the 66th minute and Suso Santa levelled before Kyle headed the visitors in to the lead. However, the lead was not enough as Ryan Flynn equalised with 10 minutes to go and with seconds of the three added minutes left and extra time looming, Stewart popped up in the six-yard box to knock in the winner after Brian McLean had headed back a Jack Compton corner.  Jefferies said: "I don't think I've ever been involved in a game as unbelievable as that. As you can imagine Billy Brown and I tore in to them at half-time. We thought we could just turn up here and get our way automatically and there were some harsh words about application, effort and desire to win a game. There wasn't a seat to be had in the away stand and we served up what we did. But I'm still trying to get my head around the four goals we lost. It was a magnificent effort in the second half by everybody and when we went 3-2 up, we should have learned our lessons. But for their third goal, our centre halves were too far apart and then the daddy of them all (the fourth). You look like you are going in to extra time and you just want to keep switched on but the man who was marking McLean for the header - and he knows who he is - did not do his job properly and we are out the cup because of it."  Thomson was sent off by referee Brian Winter after consulting with the stand side assistant and his fourth official Eddie Smith. However, Jefferies is willing to give his defender the benefit of the doubt - for now. He said: "I've not seen the incident, nobody did apart from the fourth official. Craig's explanation - and he might be right because the sprinklers were on and there were a lot of players sliding around the pitch - is that his foot slipped. I will see it on the video and if that is right then he was very unlucky to be sent off. If it looks to me as if it was deliberate then he has cost his team mates dear." |