League One Falkirk come from behind to beat Ayr United and reach semi-final of Scottish Cup

Falkirk have defeated Ayr United to reach the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

The League One side secured their place in the draw for the last four thanks to second half goals from Callum Morrison and Kai Kennedy.

Both teams went into the game knowing a place at Hampden was on the line at the Falkirk stadium in what was the last quarter-final tie.

Ayr United took the lead through Dipo Akinyemi who scored his 16th goal of the season on the 12th minute.

And the Championship club looked to turn the screw with a period of sustained pressure, but they were unable to build on their lead and the Bairns started to grow into the game gradually.

The home side came close to grabbing the equaliser when they had a string of chances just after the half-hour mark.

But it was still 1-0 after a tight first half and all to play for in the second.

Falkirk looked brightest after the break as they continued to probe the Ayr defence in their search for an equaliser.

Some of the home crowd thought they had their goal when Callum Morrison’s deflected shot flew past the Ayr goalkeeper and hit the side netting to out for a corner.

But they were awarded a penalty after a handball from the resulting set piece and Morrison stepped up to score his 15th of the season and get Falkirk back in the tie.

Ayr United then had a penalty of their own with ten minutes left on the clock and former Scotland international Chris Maguire was handed the chance to put them back ahead but his effort struck the inside of the post.

Falkirk were ahead minutes later when Kai Kennedy struck to make it 2-1 and put the national stadium within touching distance.

And after four minutes of injury time their place at Hampden was secured when the referee blew his whistle and confirmed the victory.

It’s the first time that a team from the third tier have reached the semi-finals since 2006.