A nightmare display from home keeper Allan Ferguson plus some clinical finishing from the visitors turned an evenly-matched cup tie into a smooth passage to the semi-finals for Hibs.
The Edinburgh club struck four times in the final quarter of the contest to enjoy a flattering margin of victory. Falkirk were always playing catch-up from the moment Ferguson somehow allowed Derek Riordan's soft free-kick to squirm through his hands and go between his legs for the opening goal after just nine minutes.
The Bairns had actually made the better start and continued to compete strongly after Ferguson's costly blunder. Defender Jack Ross and midfielder Patrick Cregg both shot fractionally over from distance, and there was also a half-hearted penalty appeal when Hibs full-back Steven Whittaker appeared to handle the ball, but the ref called it right by waving play on.
Falkirk's best chance came shortly before half-time when a looping header from Kenny Milne was nodded towards goal but dcrashed back of the crossbar just above defender David Murphy's head though the defender didn't get a touch.
Hibs were repeatedly stretched by Falkirk's long-ball game in the swirling wind, but the visitors are experts on the counter attack and after Ivan Sproule had fired a vicious shot wide from about 16 yards out, Ferguson then blunderred again with a poor throw out from which Hibs attacked and the hapless keeper then spilled the resulting Riordan effort and Garry O'Connor was there following up to chip the ball home from the keepers spillage.
Daniel McBreen was at the centre of an unusual moment as the player was running around with his top on 'Back to Front' much to the amusement of both sets of fans. The player giving the crowd a bow when he realised and he promptly turned his top the right way round before he fired in a crisp left-foot shot straight at The Hibees keeper Simon Brown.
Strikes from Ivan Sproule, scrambled in from point-blank range, a Gary Caldwell header at the back post from a corner, the best goal of the day BTW, and substitute Steven Fletcher fired in the fith with the aid of a deflection, kept Hibs in the draw for the Semi finals which will be drawn this Monday Evening at 18:30 BBC1 and Sky Sports.
Teams left in the Scottish Cup....Hibernian, herts, (Dundee or Hamilton), and shock team of the tourny so far......2nd Division leaders Gretna.
Not the best of games I've been to this season and that's saying something considering we won 5-1 which was not a reflection of the way the game went as I thought both teams were quite evenly matched with the exception of the Bairns keepers blunders and Hibs clinical finishing, but it's the Hibees who are in the Semi Final draw and that's all that counts IMO
Brian Hine
GGTTH