Scott McDonald led the way as Celtic showed their determination to hold onto the Co-operative Insurance Cup by dumping Falkirk out in front of their own fans.

The striker helped himself to a double on a night when several fringe players also shone, with Pat McCourt netting his first goal for the club and Chris Killen completing the rout.

Falkirk did strike the woodwork late on but the outcome never appeared in doubt as the holders cruised into the quarter-finals.

Lukasz Zaluska finally made his competitive debut for Celtic following his summer move from Dundee United, while Mark Wilson also made his first start of the season.

Willo Flood, Marc Crosas, Barry Robson, McCourt, Paul Caddis and Stephen McManus were all drafted into the team as Tony Mowbray made no fewer than eight changes from the side which narrowly defeated Hearts at the weekend.

Shaun Maloney, Andreas Hinkel and Scott Brown - struggling with an ankle problem - were all rested and not named in the squad which made the trip to the Falkirk Stadium, while Aiden McGeady and Glenn Loovens were kept in reserve on the bench.

Falkirk also made changes as they sought their first win since a Europa League tie against Vaduz in their opening game of the season, with former Celt Jackie McNamara and Thomas Scobbie on the bench, and Scott Arfield back in the starting line-up after recovering from a knock.

Celtic had an early opportunity to pile the pressure on their hosts when McDonald was fouled just outside the box by Darren Barr. Robson stepped up for the free-kick and his effort clipped the Falkirk wall before falling across the face of goal and wide of the post.

The midfielder had another chance to claim the opener when he collected a pass from Flood only to fire straight into the arms of goalkeeper Robert Olejnik.

Falkirk had a decent chance of their own when Flood failed to clear the danger and the ball broke for Carl Finnigan. He tried to hook over Zaluska but his shot took a slight deflection off Caddis and was wide of target.

The breakthrough came after 28 minutes when Killen released Caddis down the right flank and he embarked on an impressive run before squaring into the path of McDonald and all that was required from the striker was a simple tap-in from close range.

The Hoops were threatening again when Caddis provided a long ball to McCourt at the back post but his ferocious volley was blocked by Olejnik.

Celtic continued to press and Wilson tried to tee up the shot for Killen but he connected awkwardly and, despite doing well to get a shot on target, his effort was held by the Falkirk keeper.

At the other end, Zaluska was forced to make his first real save of the game from a long-range drive from Arfield but the Pole dealt with the threat comfortably as Celtic held onto their slim advantage heading into the interval.

Hopes of a Falkirk comeback diminished further when McDonald claimed his second of the night eight minutes after the restart.

A McCourt corner found Gary Caldwell at the far post but his header was blocked and the ball fell kindly for McDonald, who turned and dispatched into the back of the net from a few yards out.

McCourt himself was on the scoresheet after 64 minutes with the best goal of the night.

The Irishman beat several players, with Brian McLean's last-ditch attempt to halt his run proving to be in vain, before cheekily lobbing the goalkeeper.

Not to be outdone, Killen rifled home a right-foot shot from 10 yards with 73 minutes gone after collecting a low cross from Niall McGinn, who had exhibited superb pace down the right flank.

Celtic demonstrated no signs of showing their hosts mercy and Olejnik was called into action to make a decent save from McCourt's powerful point-blank shot.

Falkirk were denied a consolation goal late on when former Celtic youngster Kjartan Finnbogason saw his header crash off the crossbar on what proved to be a deeply disappointing night for Eddie May's men.

Teams:

Falkirk Olejnik, Mitchell (Scobbie 60), McLean, Barr,Twaddle (McNamara 60), Flynn, Lynch (Stewart 59), Arfield,Marceta, Finnbogason, Finnigan.

Subs Not Used: Wagenaar, Allison.

Celtic Zaluska, Caddis, Caldwell, McManus, Wilson,Flood (McGeady 67), Crosas, Robson (Mizuno 75), McCourt,McDonald (McGinn 67), Killen.

Subs Not Used: Cervi, Loovens.

Booked: Wilson.

Goals: McDonald 28, 53, McCourt 64, Killen 73.

Att: 5,669

Ref: M Tumilty (Scotland).