Late Falkirk leveller denies Stephen Robinson win in first game as Aberdeen boss

A late Falkirk leveller denied Stephen Robinson victory in his first match as Aberdeen boss as Barney Stewart’s goal cancelled out Kevin Nisbet’s opener in the William Hill Premiership clash.

Robinson was unveiled as the new Dons head coach on Thursday, nine-and-a-half weeks after Jimmy Thelin’s departure.

The miserable cup defeat to Dunfermline and the prospect of being sucked into a relegation battle accelerated Aberdeen’s plans after they had seemed set to to continue under caretaker Peter Leven until the summer.

Robinson stated before the game he was aiming to “simplify” Aberdeen’s tactics in the short-term, switching from a 4-5-1 formation to a 5-3-2 set-up in his first match.

Nisbet was joined in attack by Marko Lazetic while Liam Morrison and Gavin Molloy stepped into the defence alongside Jack Milne.

The biggest surprise was perhaps Lyall Cameron dropping to the bench as Robinson opted for steel over style in the middle of the park.

Falkirk boss John McGlynn, meanwhile, was able to name the same starting eleven for a third consecutive game following wins over Kilmarnock and Dundee United.

It was a slow start for both sides as they felt their way into the match, taking 15 minutes for either goal to be threatened.

Stuart Armstrong’s cross from the right found Morrison at the back post, but his header was cleared by Dylan Tait before the same man blocked Graeme Shinnie’s follow-up.

The home side had been reasonably successful in holding off the visitors, but just before the half-hour Stewart’s strong running saw him slip the ball back to Calvin Miller, who saw his shot deflect off Morrison and over the bar.

A similar fate befell an Armstrong effort at the other end and, from the resultant corner, Armstrong picked out Lazetic, who saw his low shot hacked away.

On the stroke of half-time, Tait was presented with a chance from a half-cleared corner, but from the edge of the area his driven effort was deflected away off Milne.

Falkirk started the second period brightly and Dimitar Mitov reacted well to block from Ben Broggio before the Bulgarian international gathered another Tait effort from distance at the second attempt.

The pressure continued and Broggio, on loan from Aston Villa, was involved again, creating an opening for Finn Yeats, whose shot on the turn was deflected past the post.

At the other end, Aberdeen had threatened through Lazetic and the Serbian was in again after a Dennis Geiger pass, but seemed reluctant to pull the trigger and was eventually crowded out.

Robinson made a triple change on the hour, introducing Cameron along with Toyosi Olusanya and Ante Palaversa, and the former pairing were quickly in the action, Cameron playing in the pacy Olusanya to win a corner.

It would be Robinson’s men who took the lead after 73 minutes. Falkirk keeper Scott Bain took a poor touch from Leon McCann’s backpass, allowing Nisbet to block his clearance before the striker nodded home from close range for his ninth goal of the season.

It looked like that would prove the winner for the Dons but Stewart rose in the centre of the penalty area to head home a cross from Ethan Ross a minute from time to earn a share of the points.