Championship Dunfermline reach Scottish Cup final with shootout win over Falkirk

Substitute Tashan Oakley-Boothe scored the decisive penalty as Dunfermline reached the Scottish Cup final with a 4-2 shootout win over Falkirk at Hampden following a goalless 120 minutes.

The first 90 minutes were often tetchy and low on quality with neither goalkeeper seeing much action.

But the added half hour came to life near the end when Pars’ 17-year-old substitute Lucas Fyfe hit the crossbar after missing another great chance before Falkirk substitute Henry Cartwright was sent off for a second yellow card, the latter for diving in the box.

In the shootout, Falkirk’s Brad Spencer hit the post and Liam Henderson had his penalty saved by Pars keeper Aston Oxborough with Ben Parkinson and Filip Lissah scoring.

Josh Cooper, Charlie Gilmour and Chris Hamilton all scored for Neil Lennon’s side leaving Oakley-Boothe to fire in and take the Championship side to their first Scottish Cup final in 19 years.

Dunfermline will play the winners of Sunday’s Celtic versus St Mirren last-four game in the final and Lennon could be taking on his former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill in the showpiece occasion next month.

The Pars, still looking to get up to the Premiership through the play-offs, should have taken an early lead.

In the third minute, Callumn Morrison raced on to a head-flick from fellow attacker Chris Kane but with only Bairns keeper Scott Bain to beat he slashed his shot well wide of the target.

The genesis of the fierce rivalry between the teams is unclear but it is real and tackles flew in all over the pitch.

Kane’s challenge on Falkirk defender Henderson was robust, perhaps overly-so, but referee John Beaton just awarded a foul.

John McGlynn’s Premiership side slowly began to get their game going.

In the 17th minute Dunfermline defender Nurudeen Abdulai was booked for cleaning out Lissah who headed the resultant free-kick from Calvin Miller over the bar.

At the other end, Bain dallied on the ball outside his box and was caught by Andrew Tod but the Bairns survived and followed it up with a series of deliveries into the Fifers’ box which caused trouble.

Lennon’s side also began the second half in positive fashion and Morrison should have played in Tod on a counter-attack, before he lost possession and giving away a foul.

The game became increasingly tense and scrappy before, in the 73rd minute, the Bairns’ Ben Broggio curled a shot past Oxborough’s left-hand post to end another counter-attack.

Almost inevitably, the game moved into extra time.

Falkirk substitute Kyrell Wilson latched on to a flick from substitute Parkinson but drove wide from just inside the Pars penalty area.

In the 105th minute an inviting cross from Oakley-Boothe sped out the other side of the box without finding any takers.

After the two sides turned around again, Wilson failed to get proper connection on an Ethan Ross cross and the ball limped wide.

Moments later at the other end, Fyfe barged his way through the Falkirk backline but his weak shot was easily saved by Bain.

Fyfe crashed a shot against the bar when he should have converted a cross from Oakley-Boothe, just before Oxborough had to deal with an effort from Ross and then already-booked extra-time substitute Cartwright was sent packing by referee Beaton for trying to win a penalty.

Then came the penalty shootout and Dunfermline’s triumph.