Falkirk changed their formation to win the day against Hearts.

Dean Holden believes a 'back-to-basics' approach has helped to turn around Falkirk's season - even if they have substituted style for solidity. The Bairns booked a Homecoming Scottish Cup quarter-final place on Saturday by winning 1-0 against Hearts at Tynecastle, where both sides finished with 10 men. Steve Lovell's 59th-minute goal proved decisive - despite the striker appearing just offside when he headed over Janos Balogh via the underside of the bar. Hearts looked set for an instant reply when referee Dougie McDonald awarded a penalty - after Holden's challenge on Andrew Driver near the byline. But after consulting with assistant Chris Young, he changed his decision and awarded a corner. Hearts lost their cool, and Marius Zaliukas was sent off - his third red card of the season and Hearts' eighth - after kicking and punching Carl Finnigan.

Falkirk's Scott Arfield also saw red in injury time, but John Hughes' team managed to hold on. Holden, who just touched the ball in tackling Driver, knows the relegation-threatened Bairns are renowned for passing football - but feels a new system is helping their revival. After a first triumph in Gorgie since April 1995, the defender said: "It's a great win for us. I don't think anybody gave us a chance. But we know what we've got in the dressing room. The manager has faith in the team - and we're now showing the form and resilience needed to be successful. We've had two great victories, against Aberdeen in the league and now Hearts. It gives us confidence, proves we can mix it with the big boys." The new tactics are not especially ground-breaking. Holden reports: "We've gone back to basics a little, changed the formation. We are more resilient as a team, not as open as we used to be. But equally we're maybe not as fluent going forward." On the penalty reversal, the ex-Bolton trainee added: "It took a lot of bottle to change it. I was unsure. I thought I maybe got a bit of the ball - but you're always risking a challenge like that."

New Hearts captain Robbie Neilson believes his club's video pictures prove the winning goal was offside. But he conceded their lack of a proven striker - Eggert Jonsson was played as a makeshift forward because of Christian Nade's knee injury - proved their undoing. He said: "I was disappointed. I thought it was offside. I've seen it on our video analysis - and he looks 'off'. It was closer than I thought it was - about half-a-yard. But half-a-yard, 10 yards, it doesn't matter. If you are offside, you are offside. We had chances we didn't take, so we can't start blaming people."

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