Make no mistake, this Fife & Lothians Cup victory was a terrific result for short-staffed Thornton who finished the game with four of their U19 team's squad on the field.
The fact that there was only one goal beggars belief as both teams created a plethora of chances but Chris Ireland's 10th minute strike ended up being the difference between the sides. Raymond Crichton's cross from the right wing was so good that the Hibs' top-scorer didn't have to break stride as he stroked the ball beyond Steve McGlynn.
Prior to this, Falkirk centre-back, Andrew Faulds, had an 'interesting' start to the game. In the 2nd minute his backheader from Dion Gear's hefty clearance just went wide of his own goal then two minutes later he badly twisted his knee and had to be taken to hospital with suspected ligament damage. If Faulds felt he was unlucky then spare a thought for his team-mate, Allan Scott, who had a header cleared off the line and then later in the game he saw a fierce drive and a header both strike the frame of the goal.
It was by no means one-way traffic though as the Hibs came close to extending their lead on numerous occasions, most notably when Ireland had the ball in the net again but the referee blew for offside although the visitors insisted he'd been in an onside position when Willie Clark had delivered his free-kick.
In the end it didn't matter as Thornton dug deep to earn this gutsy win.
Window Store Hibs Man of the Match: All 13 players.
Falkirk: McGlynn, Mitchell, Tinning, Faulds, Fotheringham, Nicol, Watson, Shirra, Scott, Bolam, Blair. Subs: Coleman, Robertson, Sneddon, Lejman.
Referee: Mr D. Williams