YOGI’S ON THE WARPATH

He said: “We’ve had a wonderful season for a provincial club. In fact, we've been punching above our weight for years.

“But if you analyse that game it’ll tell you why we couldn’t finish in the top six — there’s a lack of character.

“Even if you’re playing five a-sides in the street you should have a pride about yourself to go out and win and that was missing.

“It all started yesterday on the training pitch, with one or two of them p****** about and it carried over into today's warm-up. We were lucky to get away with 2-1.

“That’s why I’ve brought in guys like Jackie McNamara, Lee Bullen and Neil McCann, because they won't accept that. There are too many guys in my dressing room who do.

“There were players out there who just wanted an easy day of it and those aren’t my standards.

“If Roy Keane had been out there in a Falkirk jersey would he have stood for it? He’d have been kicking backsides and saved me the bother. But I don’t have that and that’s why we’re in the bottom six.

“I want to bring in three or four more players now because that lot won’t take me where I want to go.

“I’ve told them they had better come back from their holidays and hit the ground running because I’m not prepared to mollycoddle them.

“That goes for the young boys, here too. They can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves.

“My players will tell you that they’re the greatest thing since sliced bread, but that's just f****** b*******!”

Kilmarnock started with intent, slicing open the Bairns defence in the ninth minute when Danny Invincibile and David Fernandez linked up to present a chance for Paul Dalglish. The former Scotland Under-21 star is hoping to land a new deal from manager Jim Jefferies, but, unmarked near the penalty spot, with plenty of time and space, he snatched at the opening and blasted it over.

Dalglish’s disappointment turned to dismay two minutes later when Falkirk moved in front.

There didn’t seem to be too much danger when Arnau Riera slipped the ball to Moutinho, but Grant Murray’s failure to close down the Portuguese winger gave him the opportunity to fire a low 20-yarder past Alan Combe.

Killie pushed to get back into it and it didn’t take long as Patrick Cregg cleared Garry Hay’s effort off the line before they equalised in the 24th minute.

However there was more than an element of luck about it, as Mehdi Taouil’s shot from Jamie Fowler’s cutback took a wild deflection as it spun past Robert Olejnik.

The Bairns keeper made amends with a fine tip over the top from a Murray piledriver as Killie took a stranglehold on the game. Dalglish had turned in a nervy display after his early sitter and his misery was complete when he missed another wonderful chance to score in the 55th minute.

An inch-perfect 50-yard defence-splitter from Taouil was begging to be buried, but Dalglish blasted it high and wide from 15 yards.

Killie kept plugging away and Jamie Fowler fired wide of goal after a 30-yard run. David Lilley’s header from Hay’s free-kick then shaved the outside of Olejnik’s left-hand post.

And Invincibile was thwarted by Olejnik after the Aussie’s dribble left him with only the keeper to beat. A goal just had to come for Killie, though, and Paul Di Giacomo, also fighting for his Rugby Park future, supplied it in the 81st minute as the super sub got on the end of Hamill’s cross and sent a downward header past Olejnik and in off the post.

Jefferies, whose team haven’t lost at home in the SPL since January, was delighted to end a disappointing season on a positive note.

He said: “At least we finished on a high. But with our shooting boots on, or a natural goalscorer in the side, we would have wrapped it up earlier.

“We’ll learn from this year, though. When we lost at St Mirren recently I thought I needed six or seven new players, but after this performance it’s maybe only two or three.”

Jeff will begin a clear-out of his own this week. He added: “I need to do that in order to bring in new faces because we need to freshen things up.

“But I haven’t let the players who will be leaving know who they are yet. I’ll do that in the next few days.”

Jefferies spent last night locked in talks with Herve Cros, the agent for Mehdi Taouil, the Moroccan whose dazzling skills delighted the Killie support again.

He said: “I plan on using a few bottles of wine to help negotiations — knowing my luck he’ll be teetotal. I told Mehdi before the game it was about time he scored for us and that’s why he signalled to the dugout after his goal.

“He has fantastic ability and the crowd loves him, but sometimes it’s nice to get the game won before he starts pulling out all his tricks.”

Taouil would love to stay with Killie, but only if the price is right. He said: “I hope we can agree something because I really love it here. I know that the fans like me and I like to give them something to enjoy when I play.”

KILMARNOCK: Combe, Murray, Lilley, Ford, Hay, Dalglish (Di Giacomo 61), Fowler, Hamill, Invincibile, Taouil (Johnston 89), Fernandez (Cox 88). Subs: Rascle, Wright, Gibson, Flannigan.
FALKIRK: Olejnik, Mitchell, Aafjes, Allison, Scobbie, Cregg (Latapy 59), McBride, Riera, Finnigan (Barrett 76), Higdon, Moutinho (Stewart 84). Subs: Supple, Arfield, Bradley, Moffat.