Aberdeen 1-1 Falkirk: Late Barney Stewart leveller denies Stephen Robinson debut win
Match report as late Barney Stewart equaliser denies Stephen Robinson victory in his first match as Aberdeen boss; Kevin Nisbet had opened the scoring at Pittodrie; Stewart scores in last minute to secure a point for Falkirk
Saturday 14 March 2026 23:26, UK
A last-gasp Falkirk equaliser denied new Aberdeen boss Stephen Robinson victory in his first match as Barney Stewart's goal cancelled out Kevin Nisbet's opener in a 1-1 draw at Pittodrie.
Robinson was unveiled as the new Dons head coach on Thursday, nine-and-a-half weeks after Jimmy Thelin's departure.
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He stated before the Falkirk 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 11 for a third consecutive game following wins over Kilmarnock and Dundee United.
How both sides earned a point at Pittodrie
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, whose shot deflected 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 back pass, 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.
What the managers said:
Aberdeen head coach Stephen Robinson:
"We had one day to prepare for it. We looked a lot more organised, better structured. We're a lot better on the ball than what we showed. We looked like a team that's lost five of the last six games, in possession.
"There were good performances within that - Liam Morrison had the best game he's had for the football club and [Dennis] Geiger was excellent at times.
"We were organised against a very good Falkirk team. There's a lot of positives in terms of out of possession. It's a start. There's a lot more structure after one training session and I'm sure we'll improve.
"When you have a structure, your better players then need to show the composure a lot more than we did today, and that'll come."
Falkirk boss John McGlynn:
"It was a great goal [Stewart's equaliser], and it was very late in the game, but I think we deserved it.
"I don't think there was much in the game, it had 0-0 written all over it.
"We make a mistake, they punish us and fair play to them. Their game was to press and press and press, and they got their reward.
"Great mentality, great character, great goal. It's a great header from Barney - the goalkeeper never even moved. He was a threat all day, they were aware of him and they panicked and rushed clearances at times.
