Falkirk F.C.

"The Bairns" redirects here. For 2008 album by Rachel Unthank and the Winterset, see The Bairns (album).

Falkirk Football Club

Full name	Falkirk Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Bairns
Founded	1876
Ground	Falkirk Stadium Falkirk, Scotland (Capacity: 9,706)
Chairman	Martin Ritchie
Manager	Steven Pressley
League	Scottish First Division
2010–11	Scottish First Division, 3rd
Website	Club home page
Home colours Away colours
Current season

Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire. The club was founded in 1876 and currently competes in the Scottish First Division as a member of the Scottish Football League.

Club Formation and Early Years

The club's date of formation is a point of much contention, although most accounts point to the year 1876 as the probable ending 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.

The club were sent to the Scottish Football League in 1902 and were promoted to the old First Division in 1905. Before the First World War the club enjoyed a period of success, finishing second in the league in 1908 and 1910 and winning the Scottish Cup in 1913. The club's only other Scottish Cup victory came in 1957. In 1922 the club paid a world record transfer fee of £5000 to transfer Syd Puddefoot from West Ham.

Recent History

Denied Entry to Scottish Premier League

The Scottish Premier League (SPL) was founded in 1998. There were three occasions in which Falkirk were denied promotion (either directly or entry into a play-off) to the SPL.

When the Scottish Premier League was formed from the old Premier Division, the play-off between the second bottom team in the top division and the second team in the First Division was abolished 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 SPL was due to expand to 12 teams, Aberdeen, who finished bottom of the SPL, were 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 the next season. 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 and one from Inverness, who had been ground sharing with Aberdeen for the 2004/05 season. 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 that season, 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.

In season 2004/05 the required size of stadium was reduced from 10,000 to 6,000. Inverness, who had been ground sharing with Aberdeen – hundreds of miles away – finally benefitted from this change in attitude when they added two stands in a record 47 working days. 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 9 April 2005 after a 1–0 win over Ross County. Falkirk were able to play in Scotland's top flight as their new stadium meets SPL criteria.

Five Seasons in Scottish Premier League

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 the 2006–07 season, Falkirk finished in seventh position in the SPL with fifty points, and the following season 2007–08, they again finished in seventh.

In the 2008–09 season, Falkirk qualified for the Europa League for the first time in their history to make a club record of entering Europe and being in two semi finals in one season, the Scottish Cup and the League Cup. A dramatic final day saw Falkirk secure 10th place and avoid relegation with a 1–0 win against Inverness. They finished runners up in the 2008-09 Scottish Cup narrowly losing 1–0 to Rangers in the Final

On 8 June 2009, Falkirk manager John "Yogi" Hughes confirmed that he was taking the reins at the team he supported as a youngster Hibernian. Eddie May was confirmed as the new Falkirk Head Coach on 23 June 2009, assisted by Steven Pressley and Alex Smith.

In July 2009, Falkirk participated in competitive European football for the first time, drawn against Liechtenstein side FC Vaduz. In the first leg at the Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk won 1–0. However, in the return leg, Vaduz won 2–0 after extra time sending Falkirk out of the Europa League.

Eddie May resigned in February 2010, with Falkirk well adrift at the bottom of the SPL. Steven Pressley took over as manager and oversaw a significant improvement in form that left them well-placed for survival as the season drew to a close. The club didn't win any of their games after the league split however, and on 8 May 2010, Falkirk were relegated to the First Division after a 0–0 draw away to Kilmarnock.

Scottish First Division

In the 2010–11 season, Falkirk finished third in the First Division.

On 21 September 2011, Falkirk sensationally knocked the holders Rangers out of the Scottish League Cup, winning 3-2.. Having beaten another SPL team, Dundee United, in the following round , Falkirk lost to Celtic in the semi-final of the League Cup.

For more information on the current season, refer to 2011–12 Falkirk F.C. season.

Colours and badge

The club badge has for many years shown a football along with 'The Steeple', a local landmark. The 'Highlander' badge was used during the club's 1957 Scottish Cup triumph and again for the home shirt for 2007/08. This was intended as a 50th anniversary tribute to the cup winning side, but was introduced for the 51st anniversary of the cup winning season, as the Scottish Cup had last been won by Falkirk in season 1956/57. It should be noted that it is 50 years after winning the cup and not a commemoration of the cup-winning season.

From season 2008–09 the club returned to the steeple badge and Puma are the club's strip suppliers. Their current shirt sponsor is Central Demolition. Clark Eriksson also have their name on the back of all this season's shirts. Recent sponsors have included Budweiser Budvar, John R Weir Mercedes Group and Beazer Homes.

Stadium

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 2002–03 season.

Brockville Park was the home of Falkirk for most of the club’s existence. It was situated roughly a quarter of a mile from Falkirk town centre and was regarded as one of the most intimate and intimidating venues in Scotland to watch football.

The main stand was situated on (roughly) the West of the pitch and was mostly for home supporters and directors, with a small part towards the North end allocated to away fans. The Cooperage Lane terracing was on the South of the pitch and was for home supporters. The Watson Street terracing was on the North of the pitch and was for away fans. Part of the Watson street end was closed in latter years as it failed to gain a safety certificate. The Hope Street end was divided into home and away fans and housed the famous Brockville “choir”.

Due to the SPL's stadium requirements, the Brockville site, home of Falkirk for over 100 years, was no longer suitable for the club's ambitions. For season 2003–04, the club groundshared with Stenhousemuir at Ochilview stadium.

At the start of season 2004–05 they moved into a new purpose built stadium which meets SPL criteria. The ground currently consists of three stands with one open side.

The old Brockville ground was demolished in 2003–04 and the land is now home to a branch of the Morrisons supermarket, which has several items of Falkirk memorabilia on site, including a turnstile from the old ground.

Training facilities

The Falkirk first team, Future Team and academy players train at the international-class sports facilities at Stirling University.

International players

During the 2009-10 season, Falkirk Football Club was represented at all levels of Scotland international, from Under-15 up to full senior international. While he was a Falkirk player, Darren Barr played all of the second half in the friendly international on 20 August 2008 of Scotland v Northern Ireland (0–0).

The table below shows players with the most full senior international caps earned while playing with Falkirk FC:

Player	Country	Caps earned with Falkirk
Alex Parker	Scotland	14
Russell Latapy	Trinidad & Tobago	14
Brent Rahim	Trinidad & Tobago	10
Densill Theobald	Trinidad & Tobago	7
Sammy Wilson	Northern Ireland	6
Joe Gowdy	Northern Ireland	4
John White	Scotland	4
Collin Samuel	Trinidad & Tobago	4
James Croal	Scotland	3
Patsy Gallacher	Ireland	2
Robert Campbell	Scotland	2

Honours

Cups

• Scottish Cup:
  • Winners (2): 1913, 1957
  • Runners-up (2): 1997, 2009

• Scottish League Cup:
  • Runners-up (1): 1947–48

• Scottish Challenge Cup:
  • Winners (3): 1993, 1997, 2004

League

• Scottish League - highest division (equiv. Scottish Premier League) :
  • Runners-up (2): 1907–08, 1909–10

• Scottish Football League First Division:
  • Winners (7): 1935–36, 1969–70, 1974–75, 1990–91, 1993–94, 2002–03, 2004–05

• Scottish League Division Two:
  • Winners (1): 1979–80

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 players: Alex Parker (Scotland), Russell Latapy (Trinidad And Tobago), 14 Caps
• Most Senior Goals (Including Wartime Goals): Kenneth Dawson [1934–35 to 1950–51], 243
• Most Senior Goals (Excluding Wartime Goals): Kenneth Dawson [1934–35 to 1950–51], 155
• Most League Goals: Kenneth Dawson [1934–35 to 1950–51], 130
• Most Premier/Division 1 Goals: Jock Simpson [1905–06 to 1921–22], 115
• Most Scottish Cup Goals: Robert Keyes [1934–35 to 1938–39], 12
• Most League Cup Goals: Angus Plumb [1949–50 to 1954–55], 25
• Most League Goals in One season: Evelyn Morrison, 43, 1928–29
• Most Goals in One season: Angus Plumb, [1951–52] 50

(25 League, 1 Scottish Cup, 13 League Cup, 6 Dewar Shield, 4 Stirlingshire Cup, 1 Festival of Britain Cup)

• Most Senior Appearances: Tom Ferguson [1919–20 to 1931–32], 497
• Most League Appearances: Tom Ferguson [1919–20 to 1931–32], 450
• Most Scottish Cup Appearances: Tom Ferguson [1919–20 to 1931–32], 47
• Most League Cup Appearances: John Markie [1964–65 to 1975–76], 68

Falkirk in Europe

Season	Competition	Round	Club	Score
2009–10	UEFA Europa League	Q2	FC Vaduz	1–0, 0–2 (AET)

Current squad

As of 2 February 2012

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player GK Graham Bowman GK Michael McGovern DF Rhys Bennett (on loan from Bolton Wanderers) DF Steven Brisbane DF Darren Dods DF Kieran Duffie DF Stephen Kingsley DF Tam Scobbie DF Murray Wallace (on loan from Huddersfield Town) MF Blair Alston

No. Position Player MF Jay Fulton MF Willie Gibson MF Mark Millar MF Stewart Murdoch FW Farid El Alagui FW Ryan Millar FW Craig Sibbald FW David Weatherston FW Jordan White

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player MF Jack Compton (on loan to St. Johnstone) MF Dale Fulton (on loan to Clyde)

No. Position Player FW Ally Graham (on loan to Dumbarton)

Special players

Famous Players

Inclusion Criteria for Famous Players

• Have played fifty or more games for the club, or
• Have played less games but had/has a prominent football managerial career, or
• Have played at least three games for the club and had/has a senior international football playing career

List of Famous Players

The fans voted Kevin McAllister their player of the millennium.

Other great players from the past include Alex Parker (the club's most capped Scotland player), John White, Simon Stainrod, Richard Cadette and Crawford Baptie.

European Cup winner Gary Gillespie began his career at the club, captaining the side at 17, making him the world's youngest ever first team captain in football.^{[citation needed]}

Born on or before 1950

• Syd Puddefoot
• Jock Simpson
• James "Jerry" Dawson
• Alex Scott
• Alex Parker
• Willie Ormond

• John White
• Craig Brown
• George Burley
• John Lambie
• Sir Alex Ferguson

Born between 1950 and 1980 inc.

• Kevin Drinkell
• Andy Gray
• Gary Gillespie
• Mo Johnston
• Frank McAvennie
• Peter Houston
• Jackie McNamara
• Neil McCann
• Owen Coyle

• Alex Rae
• Tommy Coyne
• Simon Stainrod
• Chris Waddle
• Kevin McAllister
• David Weir
• Russell Latapy
• Stephen Pressley
• Stuart Kennedy

Born after 1980

• Darren Barr
• Anthony Stokes
• Tim Krul

Leading goalscorers

These are the players and a breakdown of their goals, of everyone who has scored 75 or more senior goals for Falkirk FC

Player	Prem/Div 1	1st/Div 2	ScotCup	LeaCup	Other	WWII	Total	Career
Kenneth Dawson	91	39	12	13	–	88	243	1934–1951
Robert Keyes	67	29	12	–	–	38	146	1934–1942
Jock Simpson	115	–	8	–	–	–	123	1905–1922
James Inglis	46	–	2	5	–	62	115	1942–1950
Doug Moran	40	47	5	14	2	–	108	1956–1968
John Fitzsimmons	6	–	–	6	2	76	90	1942–1947
Angus Plumb	33	25	3	25	–	–	86	1949–1955
Alex Carruthers	31	15	5	–	–	35	86	1935–1942
Evelyn Morrison	75	–	5	–	–	–	80	1927–1930
James Robertson	74	–	2	–	–	–	76	1910–1919

Most appearances

This is a list of Falkirk players who have played 350 or more senior matches for the club:

Player	League	ScotCup	LeagCup	OthCups	WWII	Total	Position	Career
Tom Ferguson	451	47	–	–	–	498	GK	1919–1932
John Markie	349	17	68	4	–	438	D/M	1964–1976
Tom Scott	387	30	–	2	–	419	Def	1917–1929
George Watson	353	17	28	11	–	409	GK	1975–1987
Ian Rae	292	22	63	11	–	388	LB	1951–1966
Kenneth Dawson	204	20	23	–	135	382	OL	1934–1951
George Gibson	288	15	50	13	–	366	D/M	1966–1977
Scott MacKenzie	309	24	20	12	–	365	D/M	1991–2005
Kevin McAllister	302	26	17	6	–	351	OR	1982–2002

Managers

• John Fleming (?–1878)
• George Richardson (1878–1882)
• Robert Bishop (1882–1886)
• David Moffat (1886–1888)
• Robert Bishop (1888–1891)
• Thomas Waugh (1891–1892)
• Thomas Hamilton (1892)
• Murdoch McIntyre (1893)
• Robert Bishop (1893–1896)
• David Walker (1896–1898)
• Charles Napier (1898–1900)
• William Nicol (1900–1924)
• David Reid (1924–1927)
• John Richardson (1927–1932)
• Willie Orr (1932–1935)
• John Marshall (1935)
• Tully Craig (1935–1950)
• Bob Shankly (1950–1957)
• Jim McPhie (1957)
• Reg Smith (1957–1959)
• Tommy Younger (1959–1960)
• Alex McCrae (1960–65)
• Sammy Kean (1965–1966)
• John Prentice (1966–1968)
• Jim Rowan (1968)
• Willie Cunningham (1968–1972)

• John Prentice (1973–1975)
• Ronnie McKenzie (1975)
• George Miller (1976–1978)
• Billy Little (1977–1979)
• John Hagart (1979–1982)
• John Bennie (1982)
• Alex Totten (1982–1983)
• Gregor Abel (1983)
• Bob Shaw (1983)
• Billy Lamont (1983–1987)
• Dave Clarke (1987–1988)
• Jim Duffy (1988–1989)
• Dom Sullivan (1989)
• Billy Lamont (1989–1990)
• Dom Sullivan (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 and Owen Coyle (Joint) (2003)
• John Hughes (2003–2009)
• Eddie May (2009–2010)
• Steven Pressley (2010–present)

External links

• Falkirk FC Official site
• The Brockville Spirit Fanzine
• My Club – Falkirk BBC Sport
• One F in Falkirk
• Falkirk FC History