Holden (right) was the hero for Falkirk at Fir Park
A fantastic volley from Dean Holden earned struggling Falkirk a point against Motherwell at Fir Park.
The home side enjoyed the bulk of play and Marc Fitzpatrick headed over an empty net from close range before David Clarkson nodded in on 43 minutes.
Clarkson then hit the crossbar minutes before Holden blazed in a great strike from 16 yards to equalise.
Motherwell striker Chris Porter later headed wide after a shot from Jim O'Brien had struck the woodwork.
A bumpy playing surface made passing difficult but both sides battled hard in an absorbing contest.
Chasing a first win since mid-November, Falkirk started brightly and Lee Bullen forced Graeme Smith into an early diving save when he guided a header through a crowded penalty box.
Mark Reynolds then recovered from his own error to stop former Bairns midfielder Kevin McBride taking advantage of a one-on-one with Smith.
On 10 minutes, Motherwell defender Marc Fitzpatrick missed a glorious chance to open the scoring.
Porter beat keeper Robert Olejnik to Paul Quinn's long ball just outside the penalty area only for Bullen to clear the striker's shot off the goal-line. The ball fell kindly for Fitzpatrick but, with time to compose himself, he headed over an empty net from eight yards.
Olejnik then got down well to block Jim O'Brien's powerful effort at his near post after the winger had turned Darren Barr.
Falkirk found themselves hemmed in in the latter stages of the half and veteran defender Steven Pressley was finding it hard going against the lively Porter.
Quinn shot over from a tight angle following a neat, flowing move and Fitzpatrick narrowly missed the target from 20 yards after pouncing on a loose pass before David Clarkson made the pressure count on the 43 minutes.
The forward rose well to meet Steven Hammell's cross and he looped a clever header over Olejnik into the far corner.
Clarkson went close to doubling his tally early in the second half when he thumped a curling shot against the crossbar from 22 yards.
But, soon after, the Bairns were back on level terms thanks to a wonderful volley from Holden.
The home side failed to clear their lines from a free-kick and Scott Arfield teed up Holden to fire into the top corner from 16 yards.
In a breathless sequence of action, Porter outstripped Tom Scobbie for pace but shot wide from a tight angle as Olejnik advanced from his goal.
And the same player headed wide under pressure after a shot from O'Brien crashed off the crossbar and bounced up invitingly to the Motherwell striker.
The game threatened to overheat when referee Crawford Allan chose to let a number of hefty challenges go unpunished and what had been a free-flowing spectacle suddenly deteriorated.
Quinn went closest for the home side in the closing stages, with a rasping strike that flew just wide of Olejnik's goal.
Motherwell manager Mark McGhee: "I'm disappointed we didn't win, given the balance of play - I felt that we dominated the game.
"But I'm happy enough with our play, especially since the pitch was cutting up.
"I thought it was a continuation of our previous games and that's satisfying - we just didn't take our chances."
Falkirk manager John Hughes: "To take a point from a high-flying Motherwell side is really pleasing.
"We really mixed it and won a lot of second balls and I think we merited something from the game.
"We had a wee bit of luck when they hit the crossbar but the boys showed plenty of character.
"The pitch wasn't conducive for good football so we had to change it for the second half and get the ball forward quicker."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
Bookmark with:
What are these?