Falkirk and Dunfermline took a small step towards safety after a surprisingly low-key Bank of Scotland SPL clash.

The fixture is considered a derby by both sets of fans and given its importance at the bottom of the table a more fiery affair was expected.

The point is nevertheless a welcome one for both Bairns boss John Hughes and Pars manager Jim Leishman, especially with Livingston finally sparking into life with back-to-back victories.

Daniel McBreen came closest to breaking the deadlock for the home side with a terrific 80th-minute effort which rattled Dunfermline's bar while the Pars' only real chance came five minutes later when Andy Tod's strike was well blocked by Bairns keeper Mark Howard.

Falkirk, having finally won a league game at home last week, are now probably only a couple of draws away from securing a second consecutive season in the top flight.

Meanwhile Dunfermline face Livi at East End Park next week and can take a huge step towards ending their own relegation fears in that vital match against John Robertson's resurgent side.

Both sides started brightly without creating any clear-cut chances and it took until the 12th minute before the sizeable crowd witnessed a shot on goal.

It came from a mistake, Dunfermline's defenders failing to take the initiative in the box and McBreen pouncing with a snap-shot on the turn which Pars keeper Allan McGregor handled efficiently.

Dunfermline posed their first threat in the 17th minute when Scott Muirhead curled a beautiful free-kick to the back post where Mark Burchill just failed to get a decisive touch.

His disappointment was perhaps lessened when he saw the assistant referee's flag raised for offside - a decision he vehemently disagreed with.

Burchill was again in the thick of the action six minutes later when he charged down Bairns keeper Howard's clearance, with the Falkirk man relieved to see it rebound to safety.

A minute before the half-hour mark Alan Gow brought the game to life with a magnificent piece of skill on the edge of the box which deceived two Pars defenders.

He raced towards goal and, as he was about to shoot, seemed to have his standing leg taken from him by Tod - but referee William Collum saw nothing amiss and waved play on.

Falkirk - unchanged from the previous week's long-awaited win over the Tangerines - dominated possession for the remainder of the half but failed to make their superiority count in terms of chances created as the first period ended goalless.

Falkirk picked up in the second half where they had left off before the interval and inviting crosses from the left - from Liam Craig then Kenny Milne - within the first minute hinted at a greater potency from the home side.

The Bairns maintained that early pressure and on 52 McBreen dug out a shot from a crowded box which McGregor was relieved to see deflected just wide of his right-hand post.

Two minutes later McBreen - booked on 64 for a scything tackle on Greg Shields - again came close, pouncing on a fumble from Pars keeper McGregor to stab towards goal but seeing his effort cleared off the line by Nick Phinn, who was drafted in for the suspended Greg Ross.

Leishman had clearly already seen enough and replaced Jamie McCunnie with Iain Campbell and Scott Muirhead with Bartosz Tarachulski in a bid to get more of a grip on midfield.

Hughes made his first switch with 20 minutes remaining, Craig being replaced by veteran schemer Russell Latapy.

His side almost took the lead with 10 minutes remaining when McBreen turned on the edge of the box and crashed a thunderous strike past McGregor but agonisingly onto the bar and back out again.

The Pars finally had a meaningful strike at goal on 85 when Howard misjudged a cross from the right but the keeper recovered magnificently to block Tod's effort as the game ended in a stalemate.

Teams:

Falkirk Howard, Ross, Milne, Dodds, Lescinel, Cregg,Rodrigues, Craig (Latapy 72), Thomson, McBreen, Gow.

Subs Not Used: Ferguson, Lawrie, Twaddle, Moutinho, Lima,

O'Donnell.

Booked: McBreen.

Dunfermline McGregor, Shields, Scott Wilson, Tod,McCunnie (Iain Campbell 55), Phinn, Thomson, Labonte,Muirhead (Tarachulski 65), Burchill, Hunt.

Subs Not Used: Halliwell, Daquin, Camano, Andy Campbell, Muir.

Booked: Burchill, Scott Wilson.

Att: 5,413

Ref: W Collum (Scotland).