Morton manager Jim Duffy was left frustrated after a Craig Sibbald goal was enough for Falkirk to take the three points from their visit to Cappielow on Saturday.

It was a harsh result on the ‘Ton, with several efforts being cleared off the Falkirk goalline and the home side enjoying sustained spells of pressure.

They were punished for their wastefulness though when Sibbald scrambled home his first goal of the season just after the hour.

Despite the Bairns shipping four to Inverness in midweek though, the Greenock side couldn’t find a way through the visitor’s dogged resistance, with the result denting Morton’s push for the promotion play-offs. They now lie in seventh place, five points behind fourth-placed Livingston.

"Frustrated is the word I used to the players because we didn't start with a good enough tempo and we allowed Falkirk to get confidence and a bit of momentum,” said Duffy.

"We had a lot of pressure, goalmouth scrambles and we had three or maybe four cleared off the line. You have to take one of these chances to get something out of the game.

"I don't think we deserved all three points, but we did deserve more than a loss."

Falkirk manager Paul Hartley admitted that it had taken a huge effort from his players to hold on to their lead.

“Credit to the players and how they performed today,” said Hartley. “They had to dig deep to get the result.

"The movement, work-rate and enthusiasm of Louis Longridge and Andrew Nelson to take defenders on and to put people under pressure was pleasing.

"The lads here are digging deep and want to stay in the team, and they are working well just now."

Morton now face a tough away double-header, travelling to take on Dunfermline in the Scottish Cup on Saturday before resuming league duty with a trip to take on Dundee United at Tannadice.