After a heavy defeat in his first match in charge, Jimmy Calderwood was relieved to have enjoyed a bit of good fortune, with Pascali knowing little about the goal after Gavin Skelton’s shot ricocheted off the crossbar and on to the Italian’s knee.

“We felt the first goal was going to be vital and we got it,” the Kilmarnock manager said. “Maybe that’s the wee break we needed.”

Calderwood’s response to shipping three goals at the weekend had been to throw in another striker and start with a 4-3-3 formation, with Conor Sammon dropping back to augment the midfield whenever Kilmarnock lost possession. To accommodate such adventure, Pascali joined James Fowler in a defensive central midfield pairing, meaning Craig Bryson was shunted out to the right wing, and Mehdi Taouil dropped to the bench.

It was a ploy that enjoyed mixed success while it lasted. The home side saw plenty of the ball but did precious little with it, an early Sammon shot that was blocked and a Pascali header straight down the throat of Robert Olejnik the sum of their first-half chances.

With his side no closer to a breakthrough, it was no surprise when Calderwood abandoned the project just before the hour mark, hauling off the ineffective Kevin Kyle and replacing him with Taouil. Kilmarnock eventually reaped the rewards of their manager’s inventiveness.

Falkirk, who collected their first away win of the season on this ground last month, returned to Ayrshire buoyed by a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park but shorn of four of the players who started that match due to ineligibility or suspension.

That meant a first start for Jack Compton, recently arrived from non-league Weston-super-mare, and he passed up a glorious chance to mark his full debut with a goal, blasting Ryan Flynn’s pass high over the crossbar midway through the first half.

“Jack should have scored,” May groaned. “With the quality he’s got he should put that away.”

Compton was involved when Falkirk threatened again when his corner was only partially cleared by Bell. The loose ball fell kindly for Pele 
but the goalkeeper made amends by tipping the driven effort over the crossbar.

There was little to get excited about in the second half. Neither side could be accused of a lack of effort but the groans said it all as one misplaced pass followed another, with both goalkeepers effectively unemployed.

Just when a replay looked inevitable, Kilmarnock made the breakthrough. Garry Hay’s corner was cleared only as far as Gavin Skelton and his fierce drive off the crossbar struck Pascali and dribbled over the line. (Right).

As Falkirk chased a late equaliser, Bell pulled off a dramatic stop to keep out Vitor Lima’s goalbound effort.