Falkirk 1 - 1 Hibernian: It was �Russell Latapy Day� at Falkirk Stadium on Saturday, but this was a strange kind of party.

It was Russell Latapy Day' at Falkirk Stadium on Saturday, but this was a strange kind of party. The preparations had all been laid, with flags, dreadlocked wigs, a card display and even a trio of scantily clad, shivering young ladies in place to honour the Clydesdale Bank Premier League's eldest statesman. The revellers' only problem was that the guest of honour didn't receive an invite to the main event.

"Sentiment can't come into it," John Hughes insisted afterwards, having declined to give Latapy even a cameo role. "He's still a genius, and it would have been nice if we could have put him on given this big appreciation day they have put on. But I don't mind being the one to spoil it."

Hughes might have been content to play party pooper, but those on the pitch were just as guilty of failing to provide a fitting tribute. Much had been expected of this meeting between two of the division's self-professed football purists, but ultimately the game was left crying out for a player capable of sparking it into life. Latapy in his prime would have done the trick.

Falkirk dominated possession, "won the football match" according to Hughes, but were short on guile, invariably resorting to throwing in crosses in hope rather than expectation.

As for Hibernian, they were unrecognisable from the team that had humiliated Motherwell the week before, with the dismal contributions of Derek Riordan and Dean Shiels merely the worst of a lacklustre bunch. "I wasn't happy with our passing at all," admitted Mixu Paatelainen. "There was a massive difference from our performance last week, so this is a great point for us."

But for the two goalkeepers, that point could have come courtesy of a 0-0 stalemate. Both, however, took centre stage for all the wrong reasons. Yves Ma-Kalambay is one of those goalkeepers who can be brilliant one week, baffling the next, and there was certainly no explaining his decision to come for a Burton O'Brien cross that he had no chance of intercepting. Darren Barr, a 40-1 shot for first goalscorer, ensured the error was punished, squeezing his header into the unguarded net from the tightest of angles for a 67th-minute lead.

Flinders, meanwhile, owes his Falkirk place to Robert Olejnik's error-strewn displays earlier in the season, yet it is debatable whether the on-loan Crystal Palace goalkeeper is any more dependable. His performance on Saturday was littered with moments of indecision that Hibs identified and ruthlessly exposed.

It was no accident that Hibs substitute Alan O'Brien hung up an 81st-minute corner right in the heart of Flinders' six-yard box, nor that Rob Jones outjumped the 22-year-old to head across goal for another sub, Colin Nish, to nod home.

Flinders protested that he had been fouled but referee Alan Muir, who handled the game well, later received an apology from Hughes over his own complaints. "I've seen it replayed and you'd expect Flinders to come and catch or punch that," conceded the Falkirk manager. "It's disappointing because we were the better team but it's been like this for most of the season - we've had a lot of draws."

So too have Hibs, and while third place remains their stated aim, the kind of consistency and tenacity on show across the city is currently something to which Paatelainen's unpredictable side can only aspire.