Goals from Martin Boyle, Jason Cummings (pictured) and Dominique Malonga secured second place in the Championship this afternoon as Hibs beat Falkirk for the first time this season.
The Easter Road side now await the winners of Queen of the South and Rangers in the play-off semi final in eighteen days time.
Head Coach Alan Stubbs kept faith with the starting XI that beat Alloa Athletic at Easter Road last Saturday but was able to include David Gray on the bench after his early return from injury.
Hibs went into the game knowing that a victory would be enough to stay ahead of third placed Rangers who faced Hearts at Tynecastle, and grabbed an early lead when Scott Allan sent a superb through ball into the path of Boyle who slotted the ball into the bottom corner of the net.
Boyle almost added a second two minutes later when he charged through on goal but Jamie MacDonald did well to clear the ball.
Falkirk then applied some pressure and there was some nerves amongst the large travelling support when the news came in that Rangers had taken the lead then added a second against Hearts.
Within a minute however Hibs doubled their advantage when Allan picked out Cummings and the youngster calmly rounded the keeper and tapped the ball into the net from three yards.
Just after the break Jordon Forster picked up an ankle injury and was replaced by Gray.
The game then became ill tempered and Malonga was booked for a late challenge on McCracken. Ex Hibs midfielder Tom Taiwo then left Boyle lying on the turf with a solid challenge and the goalscorer was forced to leave the pitch to be replaced by Sam Stanton.
With 12 minutes remaining Hibs wrapped things up after breaking out from a Falkirk corner. Cummings won possession and sent an inch perfect through ball into the path of Malonga who coolly slotted the ball past MacDonald sparking jubilation from the Hibs fans behind the goal.
In the 84th minute Fraser Fyvie replaced Cummings who left the field to a standing ovation.
The news that Hearts had scored two late goals was irrelevant.
Falkirk; MacDonald, Duffie, McCracken, Grant, Dick, Kerr, Vaulks, Taiwo, Alston, Sibbald, Baird. Subs: Muirhead, Smith, Bowman, Cooper, Blair, Shepherd, Morgan.
Hibs: Oxley, Forster, Hanlon, Fontaine, Stevenson, Robertson, Craig, Alan, Boyle, Malonga, Cummings. Subs Cerny, Stanton, El Alagui, Gray, Martin, Fyvie
Attendance 7672
Photo by John Preece
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
