HIBERNIAN'S woes in the Scottish Cup arrive so consistently that the SPFL can now apparently schedule their fixtures around them.

It is not known whether league chief executive Neil Doncaster donned a Falkirk scarf for the occasion but few would have been quietly happier about the Bairns stretching the Easter Road club's trophy drought in this competition into an 114th year.

While Queen of the South's draw with Alloa yesterday means Falkirk are still mathematically able to make the play-offs, in all likelihood this result was enough to avoid the headache, embarrassment and pending six-figure bill of having to extend the domestic season into June which would have been the result of Hibs booking a Scottish Cup final place on May 30, a weekend already set aside for the Premiership play-off. By contrast, Falkirk's supporters simply left Hampden last night dreaming of their first victory in this competition since 1957. Celtic or Inverness Caledonian Thistle will meet at Hampden today for the honour of meeting them in the final.

The pre-match form guide in this one offered little. While Hibs, whose followers massively outnumbered those of Falkirk in Mount Florida yesterday, held a nine-point advantage in the table, the direct head-to-head told an alternative story. The Bairns had won two and drawn one of the three meetings between the teams this season, even if they had to contend without the 12-goal efforts of Rory Loy and cup-tied duo Mark Kerr and John Baird.

There was no shortage of other intriguing subtexts. These two met at this venue and stage as recently as two seasons ago, Hibs prevailing 4-3 but only courtesy of an extra time winner from Leigh Griffiths after Falkirk had blown a three-goal half-time lead. For those with long enough memories, not least goalscorer Craig Sibbald, this was payback time.

Peter Houston, a Scottish Cup winner with Dundee United in 2010, knew his hopes of returning to Scottish football's showpiece match depended on nullifying the promptings of Scott Allan, a player with whom he had previous at Dundee United. Peter Grant, the former Celtic midfielder, was present to watch his son, also Peter, patrol the centre of the Falkirk defence. He lined up in front of a keeper in Jamie MacDonald who just happened to be guarding the net here when Hearts routed their city rivals 5-1 in 2012. That was one of two Scottish Cup finals on his CV, and clad in magenta rather than maroon yesterday, he continued to prove a scourge to the Easter Road side.

An early goal would have calmed Hibs' nerves. It didn't arrive. Farid El Alagui, a striker who came to prominence at Falkirk, and offered his own individual prayer during a minute's applause for Easter Road legend Tommy Preston, was prowling in the middle when Dylan McGeouch scampered down the right. David McCracken gave MacDonald a problem when he prodded the ball towards him from close range, the ball bouncing back off his chest to El Alagui, who headed the ball along the grass like a kid playing in the park only for MacDonald to clutch the ball gratefully on the line.

It was a bizarre moment which had a coda before half time. This time a clever Allan pass put Fraser Fyvie into space, and the former Aberdeen midfielder's low shot would have nestled in the bottom corner were it not for MacDonald's fingertips. Instead, it bounced neatly off the foot of the post, and obediently found its way back into the Falkirk's keeper's grasp.

All in all, though, there were little fireworks in the first half, save for a blue smoke bomb released by a small band of Falkirk supporters. But for a precious 20 minutes after the break all the pyrotechnics were coming from Allan. Some great work from the playmaker presented McGeouch with a great chance at the far post. But the ball bobbled up, McGeouch comically mis-hit it, then when he attempt to retrieved the situation Lewis Stevenson could only volley over.

Allan was just getting started. Next, he slalomed effortlessly past four players before slamming the ball flush off the face of the crossbar. When a Lewis Stevenson drive took a deflection and spun into the side-netting, Falkirk were on the ropes.

Perhaps it was that old Scottish Cup hoodoo again. But the missed chances ate away at the Easter Road side and the sucker punch arrived at the other end. Alston, who had tested Mark Oxley with a long-range drive, worked a yard out wide and sent over a tantalising cross. Sibbald, probably the smallest player on the pitch, attacked the ball better than McGeouch and his low downward header sent Falkirk's supporters wild. Incidentally, the same player had scored the winner, also a header, in the previous round against Queen of the South.

Paul Hanlon got the benefit of the doubt with a last-ditch tackle on Botti Bia Bi but most of the other fortune on offer yesterday favoured the Bairns. It is they who will be back here on Saturday, May 30. It will be compensation for Hibs if they still have other things on their mind that weekend.

Hibernian (3-5-2): Oxley; Forster, Hanlon, Fontaine; McGeouch, Allan, Robertson (Dja Djedje 81), Fyvie, Stevenson; Cummings, El Alagui.

Subs not used: Cerny, Craig, Stanton, Handling, Dunsmore

Falkirk (4-2-3-1): MacDonald; Duffie, McCracken, Grant, Leahy; Taiwo, Vaulks; Smith (Bia Bi 45), Sibbald, Alston; Morgan (Muirhead 77).

Subs not used: Bowman, Dick, Cooper, Blair, O'Hara

Booked: Hibs: Forster 16, Allan 69. Falkirk: Taiwo 67

Referee: J Beaton

Man of the match: S Allan