John Beaton will take charge of Falkirk's Premiership match against Heart of Midlothian on Tuesday night. The appointment marks his first Hearts fixture since the end-of-season controversy involving Celtic and Motherwell.
The game at Falkirk Stadium kicks off at 7.45pm. Beaton was the subject of scrutiny after a VAR intervention in the final minute of Celtic's win over Motherwell last May. Sam Nicholson was judged by video assistant referee Andrew Dallas to have handled the ball in an aerial challenge with Auston Trusty, leading to a penalty that Kelechi Iheanacho scored.
That incident set up a final-day title decider between Hearts and Celtic. The now-disbanded Key Match Incidents panel later reviewed the decision and stated clearly that VAR should not have intervened.
Falkirk's current form
Falkirk go into the match sitting 11th in the Premiership with just two points from their opening five games. Their recent form reads DLLDL, with no wins so far this campaign. They drew 1-1 with Dundee United in their last outing, with Jamie Murrell scoring an early goal.
Hearts, meanwhile, have won their last four matches under new head coach Wouter Vrancken and will be looking to continue that momentum. Duncan Williams has been appointed as the video assistant referee for Tuesday's match, with Andrew Dallas serving as assistant VAR and Daniel Graves as fourth official.
Falkirk have several players currently sidelined, including Aidan Nesbitt, Connor McLeod and Craig Sibbald. Their next league fixture after this is away to Kilmarnock on 30 December.
