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Scott Arfield scored a hat trick on his second debut as Falkirk returned to the top of the Scottish Championship with a convincing victory over Partick Thistle. Arfield, 36, who started his career at the club before leaving in 2010, took just 46 seconds to score. Thistle recovered from that stunning start to take a 2-1 lead courtesy of Logan Chalmers and Brian Graham, but the game pivoted again when Graham was shown a second yellow card. Arfield's hat trick - one of which was a penalty - and further goals from Gary Oliver and Leon Mc Cann put them in control. Oliver's goal was fired home after Brad Spencer had a penalty saved by David Mitchell. The win moves Falkirk two points clear of Ayr and four ahead of Livingston, with all three now having played the same number of matches. Last Updated 8th February 2025 at 16: 51 Please Note: All times UK. Tables are subject to change. The BBC is not responsible for any changes that may be made. Manager: John Mc Glynn Formation: 3 - 5 - 2 Manager: Kris Doolan Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Manager: John Mc Glynn Formation: 3 - 5 - 2 Manager: Kris Doolan Formation: 4 - 3 - 3 Championship All competitions All competitions All competitions Match ends, Falkirk 5, Partick Thistle 2. Second Half ends, Falkirk 5, Partick Thistle 2. Fourth official has announced 3 minutes of added time. Attempt missed. Finn Yeats (Falkirk) left footed shot from outside the box is too high. Attempt missed. Leon Mc Cann (Falkirk) left footed shot from outside the box is too high following a set piece situation. Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Luke Mc Beth. Aaron Muirhead (Partick Thistle) is shown the yellow card for a bad foul. Ethan Ross (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Aaron Muirhead (Partick Thistle). Foul by Liam Henderson (Falkirk). Stuart Bannigan (Partick Thistle) wins a free kick in the defensive half. Ethan Ross (Falkirk) wins a free kick in the attacking half. Foul by Kyle Turner (Partick Thistle). Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Daniel O'Reilly. Attempt missed. Logan Chalmers (Partick Thistle) left footed shot from outside the box is high and wide to the right following a set piece situation. Corner, Partick Thistle. Conceded by Brad Spencer. Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by Kyle Turner. Corner, Falkirk. Conceded by David Mitchell. Attempt saved. Finn Yeats (Falkirk) right footed shot from the centre of the box is saved in the bottom right corner. Substitution, Partick Thistle. Aaron Muirhead replaces Lee Ashcroft. Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.