A Brief History
Part Nine - Top Flight Bairns
Season 2005-06 saw the club play in the Scottish Premier League for the first time. Falkirk held their own and finished in a respectable 10th position. The club's home form suffered, however, with only 2 league wins at The Falkirk Stadium all season.
Falkirk built on their successful first season and maintained their SPL status for another 4 seasons. Two 7th place finishes were above everyone's expectation and in season 2007-08 the club were only 8 minutes away from a top six finish. A late goal earned Aberdeen a 2-1 win which saw them leapfrog Falkirk into 6th position in the last match before the league split.
Seasons 2008-09 & 2009-10 were both spent battling relegation as the club suffered a loss of form. Both seasons ended in final day drama as Falkirk, sitting bottom, faced the club directly above them for the prize of SPL safety. A 1-0 win at Inverness Caledonian Thistle was enough to keep Falkirk up in 2008-09 but a 0-0 draw at Kilmarnock saw the Bairns relegated back to the Scottish League First Division in 2009-10.
In spite of the poor league form, season 2008-09 turned out to be a pretty successful season in the club's history. In addition to the final day survival at Inverness, the club reached the Semi-final of the Scottish League Cup and the final of the Scottish Cup. The 2-0 win over rivals Dunfermline Athletic at Hampden Park ensured that Falkirk qualified for European football for the first time (Scott Arfield celebrates the decisive penalty - right). The final was narrowly lost but Falkirk outplayed Rangers for long spells of the match and were unlucky not to have taken the match to extra-time.