FALKIRK F.C.

'Falkirk Football Club' are a Scottish football team based in Falkirk, playing in the Scottish Premier League after winning promotion from the Scottish First Division in season 2004/05. Season 2006-07 was generally regarded a successful season for Falkirk. The club finished top of the 'relegation section' (bottom six) of the Scottish Premier League. They also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup, defeating Celtic on penalties after a 1-1 draw at Celtic Park in the quarter-final stage. They also defeated both Celtic and Rangers at the Falkirk Stadium.

Contents

Club history

Colours and badge

Stadium

Falkirk Songs

Recent history

Managers

Famous players

Current squad (season 2007-2008)

Players out on loan

Club records

Club honours

External links

Club history

The club's date of formation is a point of much contention, although most accounts point to the year 1876 as the probable starting point, and this is the date used by the club and its fans as the formation date. The club quickly developed the nickname "The Bairns", a Scots word meaning child, son or daughter. This was in homage to an ancient Falkirk Burgh motto, "Better meddle wi' the deil [devil] than the Bairns O' Falkirk." In the First World War, a tank adopted as a wartime mascot by the people of the town was also named "The Bairn" in honour of this. Falkirk Fans Site is www.onfinfalkirk.com

Colours and badge

Falkirk's traditional home colours are a dark navy blue top and white shorts. Their away colours usually alternate between red or white, but for the 2006-2007 season the away colours were yellow with a navy blue trim. The club also have a light blue strip, again with a navy trim, which is billed as a "cup strip".
The club badge has for many years shown a football along with 'The Steeple', a local landmark. For season 2007-2008 the club have revived the 'Highlander' badge, which was used at the time of the club's 1957 Scottish Cup triumph. The badge features on a new navy blue strip commemorating that win. [1]
Their current shirt sponsor is Central Demolition. Recent sponsors have included Budweiser Budvar, John R Weir Mercedes Group and Beazer Homes.

Stadium

Falkirk FC play at The Falkirk Stadium, also known as Westfield.
In the club's early years, a wide number of pitches and stadia were used. In 1885, the site of Brockville Park in Falkirk was leased, and there the club remained until the last day of the 2002/2003 season. Due to Brockville's central location in the town, and the SPL's stringent stadium requirements, the dilapidated Brockville site, home of Falkirk for over 100 years, was no longer suitable for the club's ambitions. For season season 2003-04, the club groundshared with Stenhousemuir at Ochilview stadium on the outskirts of the town. At the start of season 2004-05 they moved into their new purpose built stadium which meets SPL criteria.
The old Brockville ground was demolished in 2003/2004 and the land is now home to a branch of the Morrisons supermarket, which has several items of Falkirk F.C. memorabilia on site, including a turnstile from the old ground.
The fans recently voted Kevin McAllister their player of the millennium, although other great players from the past include Alex Parker, the club's most capped player, John White, Simon Stainrod, who played for a host of clubs in England, Richard Cadette and Crawford Baptie. Gary Gillespie, who went on to have a distinguished career at Liverpool FC, winning one European Cup, began his career at the club, captaining the side at 17, making him the world's youngest ever first team captain in football. ^[1]
The current manager is John "Yogi" Hughes, who had a distinguished career as a central defender with Falkirk before moving onto Celtic and Hibernian.

Falkirk Songs

The most recognisable Falkirk song is "Is this the way to amarillo?" by Tony Christie, sung at the start and after goals, it brings great memories amongst the Bairns.
In the terraces, the main songs are - You are my Falkirk (you are my sunshine) and "Na na na na na. .... Waahaaaaaay Falkirk Bairns!" amongst others. Another favourite is 'Falkirk Bairns' ("We're Blue! We're White! We're fucking dynamite! Falkirk Bairns! Falkirk Bairns"). Also the "Postcard from Greenock, Send us a Postcard from Greenock" was sang at the last game of the season when Dunfermline were relegated. The song 'Down in the town of Dunfermline' is sang by the Bairns both home and away.

Recent history

There were three occasions in which Falkirk were denied promotion (either directly or entry into a play-off) to the SPL.
When the SPL was formed from the old Premier Division the league abolished the play-off between the second bottom team in the Premier Division and the second team in the First Division during the 1997-98 season. Falkirk lay in second place in the First Division and were thus denied a play-off with Motherwell.
At the end of the 1999-2000 season, when the S.P.L was due to expand to 12 teams. The team that finished bottom of the SPL (Aberdeen) was due to compete in a three-way play-off against the teams that finished 2nd and 3rd in the First Division (Dunfermline and Falkirk respectively), with 2 of the 3 teams earning entry to the SPL for season 2000/01. Falkirk's Brockville ground did not meet the SPL requirements so they applied to groundshare at Murrayfield. This was rejected by the SPL, who in 2004 accepted an identical groundsharing bid at Murrayfield from Hearts (a team who were already S.P.L members). The play-off system was hence abandoned and Aberdeen and Dunfermline were allowed into the SPL for the following season.
In the 2001-02 season, Falkirk finished 9th in the First Division, which would have led to them being relegated to the Second Division, but were allowed to stay up due to the demise of Airdrieonians, who folded on the last day of that season.
The following season there had been talk of a new stadium for Falkirk, however, nothing materialized. Falkirk won the First Division in the 2002/03, with their ground still not meeting the stringent SPL stadia requirements. A vote to decide whether or not Falkirk should be allowed to play at New Broomfield (an SPL compliant stadium also home to Airdrie United) was held, and the SPL chairmen voted against them being allowed into the league, thus saving Motherwell from relegation.
The very next season the SPL changed the conditions allowing clubs entry. The required size of stadium was reduced from 10,000 to 6,000. Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who had been ground sharing with Aberdeen - hundreds of miles away - finally benefitted from this change in attitude. This also paved the way for Falkirk to enter the SPL on condition that they win the First Division title.
Falkirk finally won promotion to the Scottish Premier League on April 9 2005 after a 1-0 win over Ross County. Falkirk now play in Scotland's top flight as their new stadium meets SPL criteria.
The club finished in 10th place at the end of their first season in the SPL, ahead of Dunfermline Athletic (11th place) and Livingston (12th place).
In season 2006-2007, Falkirk finished in 7th position in the SPL with fifty points.
Falkirk have so far played two games in this seasons Clydesdale Bank Premier League, a 4-0 away win against Gretna on the first day of the new season, and in the other game they lost 4-1 at home to champions Celtic.

Managers

''This is a partial list of managers''

★ Bob Shankly ( - )

★ Reg Smith (1957-1959)

★ Tommy Younger (1959-1960)

★ Alex McCrae (1960-?)

★ John Prentice (1966-1968)

★ Willie Cunningham (1968-1972)

★ John Prentice (1973-1975)

★ George Miller (1976-1978)

★ Alex Totten (1982-1983)

★ Gregor Abel (1983-1984)

★ Billy Lamont (1984-?)

★ Dave Clarke (1987-1988)

★ Jim Duffy (1988-1989)

★ Billy Lamont (1989-1990)

★ Jim Jefferies (1990-1995)

★ John Lambie (1995-1996)

★ Gerry Collins (1996)

★ Eamonn Bannon (1996)

★ Alex Totten (1996-2002)

★ Ian McCall (2002-2003)

★ John Hughes & Owen Coyle (Joint) (2003)

★ John Hughes (2003-present)

Famous players

★ George Burley

★ Richard Cadette

★ Sir Alex Ferguson

★ Gary Gillespie

★ Jimmy Gilmour

★ Alan Gow

★ Mo Johnston

★ John Lambie

★ Russell Latapy

★ Kevin McAllister

★ Stewart Murdoch

★ Alex Parker

★ Alex Rae

★ Simon Stainrod

★ Anthony Stokes

★ Chris Waddle

★ David Weir

★ John White

Current squad (season 2007-2008)

Players in 'bold' have international caps.

Players out on loan

:''For recent transfers, see List of Scottish football transfers 2007-08.''

Club records

★ 'Record Victory:' 12-1 vs Laurieston FC, Scottish Cup 23 September 1893

★ 'Record Defeat:' 1-11 vs Airdrieonians Division 1, 28 April 1951

★ 'Record Attendance:' 23,100 vs Celtic, Scottish Cup, 21 February 1953

★ 'Most capped player:' Alex Parker, 14 caps, Scotland

★ 'Most league goals:' ''Dougie Moran'', 86

★ 'Most goals in one season:' ''Evelyn Morrision'', 43, 1928-29

Club honours

Cups:

★ 'Scottish Cup Winners' - 1913, 1957

★ 'Scottish Challenge Cup' - 1993, 1997, 2004
League:

★ 'Scottish Football Division 1' - 1990/91, 1993/94, 2002/03, 2004/05

★ 'Scottish Football League 2' - 1979/80

★ 'Second Division' - 1935/36, 1969/70, 1974/75

External links

★ Official site