2016–17 Falkirk F.C. season

Falkirk
2016–17 season
Chairman	Doug Henderson
Manager	Peter Houston
Stadium	Falkirk Stadium
Championship	Runners-up
Premiership play-off	Semi-final
League Cup	Group stage
Challenge Cup	Fourth round
Scottish Cup	Fourth round
Top goalscorer	League: Craig Sibbald (10); All: Sibbald, Baird & Miller (10)
Highest home attendance	7,926 vs. Dundee United, Play-offs, 19 May 2017
Lowest home attendance	1,073 vs. Brechin City, League Cup, 30 July 2016
Average home league attendance	5,032
Home colours	Away colours
	← 2015–16 2017–18 →

The 2016–17 season was Falkirk's fourth season in the Scottish Championship and their sixth consecutive season in the second-tier of Scottish football following their relegation from the Scottish Premier League at the end of the 2009–10 season . Falkirk also competed in the Challenge Cup, League Cup and the Scottish Cup.

Summary

Season

Falkirk finished as runners-up in the Scottish Championship for the second consecutive season and qualified for the Premiership play-offs, losing to Dundee United in the semi-final.^[1]

Results and fixtures

Win Draw Loss Postponed

Scottish Championship

6 August 2016 1	Falkirk	1 – 2	Hibernian	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Sibbald 9'	Report	Cummings 2', 48'	Attendance: 6,458 Referee: Kevin Clancy

13 August 2016 2	Greenock Morton	1 – 1	Falkirk	Cappielow, Greenock
15:00	Kilday 25'	Report	Leahy 90+2'	Attendance: 2,079 Referee: John Beaton

20 August 2016 3	Queen of the South	2 – 0	Falkirk	Palmerston Park, Dumfries
15:00	Dobbie 34', 50'	Report		Attendance: 1,841 Referee: Steven Kirkland

27 August 2016 4	Falkirk	1 – 0	Dumbarton	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Miller 86'	Report		Attendance: 4,311 Referee: Don Robertson

10 September 2016 5	Raith Rovers	0 – 2	Falkirk	Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy
15:00		Report	Baird 30' Taiwo 72'	Attendance: 2,320 Referee: Euan Anderson

17 September 2016 6	Falkirk	3 – 1	Dundee United	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Baird 18' Hippolyte 87' Miller 89'	Report	Obadeyi 33'	Attendance: 5,488 Referee: Crawford Allan

24 September 2016 7	Falkirk	2 – 0	Ayr United	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Meggatt 78 o.g.' Miller 90+1'	Report		Attendance: 4,345 Referee: Willie Collum

1 October 2016 8	St Mirren	1 – 1	Falkirk	St Mirren Park, Paisley
17:15	Walsh 87'	Report	Sibbald 9'	Attendance: 2,334 Referee: John Beaton

15 October 2016 9	Falkirk	2 – 1	Dunfermline Athletic	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Sibbald 27' Hippolyte 52'	Report	El Alagui 75'	Attendance: 6,377 Referee: Andrew Dallas

22 October 2016 10	Falkirk	2 – 4	Raith Rovers	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Baird 18' Miller 75'	Report	Davidson 17' Stewart 37', 79' McManus 72'	Attendance: 4,773 Referee: Barry Cook

29 October 2016 11	Dundee United	1 – 0	Falkirk	Tannadice Park, Dundee
15:00	Durnan 82'	Report		Attendance: 7,046 Referee: Euan Anderson

5 November 2016 12	Falkirk	1 – 1	Greenock Morton	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Miller 90+3'	Report	Kilday 87'	Attendance: 4,432 Referee: Greg Aitken

12 November 2016 13	Hibernian	1 – 1	Falkirk	Easter Road, Edinburgh
15:00	Hanlon 83'	Report	Taiwo 25' Baird 78'	Attendance: 14,551 Referee: John Beaton

19 November 2016 14	Ayr United	0 – 1	Falkirk	Somerset Park, Ayr
15:00		Report	Craigen 15'	Attendance: 1,414 Referee: Gavin Duncan

3 December 2016 15	Falkirk	3 – 1	St Mirren	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Miller 47' McHugh 78' Hippolyte 83'	Report	Morgan 17'	Attendance: 4,486 Referee: Craig Thomson

10 December 2016 16	Falkirk	2 – 2	Queen of the South	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Hippolyte 45+2', 54'	Report	Dobbie 34' Lyle 60'	Attendance: 4,170 Referee: Nick Walsh

17 December 2016 17	Dumbarton	2 – 1	Falkirk	Dumbarton Football Stadium, Dumbarton
15:00	Muirhead 44 o.g.' Fleming 68'	Report	Sibbald 66'	Attendance: 832 Referee: Matt Northcroft

26 December 2016 18	Dunfermline Athletic	1 – 1	Falkirk	East End Park, Dunfermline
15:00	McCabe 59 pen.'	Report	Hippolyte 10'	Attendance: 6,134 Referee: Euan Anderson

31 December 2016 19	Falkirk	1 – 2	Hibernian	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
12:30	Sibbald 15'	Report	Cummings 17' Commons 87'	Attendance: 6,747 Referee: Crawford Allan

7 January 2017 20	Raith Rovers	1 – 4	Falkirk	Stark's Park, Kirkcaldy
15:00	Johnston 9'	Report	Hippolyte 16' McHugh 25' Sibbald 38', 48'	Attendance: 2,202 Referee: Andrew Dallas

14 January 2017 21	Falkirk	1 – 1	Ayr United	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Grant 45+2'	Report	Harkins 24'	Attendance: 5,038 Referee: Bobby Madden

28 January 2017 22	St Mirren	1 – 2	Falkirk	St Mirren Park, Paisley
15:00	Loy 77'	Report	Baird 11', 63'	Attendance: 2,202 Referee: Alan Muir

4 February 2017 23	Falkirk	2 – 0	Dunfermline Athletic	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Baird 34' Miller 77'	Report		Attendance: 5,953 Referee: Willie Collum

11 February 2017 24	Falkirk	3 – 0	Dundee United	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Baird 5' Muirhead 53 pen.' Craigen 60'	Report		Attendance: 5,028 Referee: Euan Anderson

18 February 2017 25	Greenock Morton	2 – 2	Falkirk	Cappielow, Greenock
15:00	O'Ware 13' Forbes 68'	Report	Craigen 43' Muirhead 50 pen.'	Attendance: 2,397 Referee: Greg Aitken

25 February 2017 26	Falkirk	2 – 2	Dumbarton	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Leahy 37' Austin 59'	Report	Vaughan 38' Stirling 51'	Attendance: 4,160 Referee: Matt Northcroft

4 March 2017 27	Queen of the South	0 – 2	Falkirk	Palmerston Park, Dumfries
15:00		Report	Kidd 45' Sibbald 79 pen.'	Attendance: 1,995 Referee: Gavin Duncan

11 March 2017 28	Ayr United	1 – 4	Falkirk	Somerset Park, Ayr
15:00	Harkins 64'	Report	Austin 8', 63' Sibbald 90' Aird 90+2'	Attendance: 1,614 Referee: Steven McLean

18 March 2017 29	Falkirk	0 – 1	Greenock Morton	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
17:15		Report	Oyenuga 79'	Attendance: 4,584 Referee: Alan Muir

25 March 2017 30	Hibernian	2 – 1	Falkirk	Easter Road, Edinburgh
15:00	Ambrose 75' Keatings 90+2'	Report	Sibbald 77'	Attendance: 16,140 Referee: Kevin Clancy

1 April 2017 31	Falkirk	1 – 0	Raith Rovers	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Miller 71'	Report		Attendance: 4,823 Referee: Alan Muir

8 April 2017 32	Dundee United	1 – 1	Falkirk	Tannadice Park, Dundee
15:00	Murray 50'	Report	Leahy 83'	Attendance: 6,313 Referee: Euan Anderson

15 April 2017 33	Falkirk	2 – 2	St Mirren	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Miller 20' McHugh 77'	Report	Loy 5' McGinn 59'	Attendance: 4,734 Referee: Craig Thomson

22 April 2017 34	Dunfermline Athletic	1 – 2	Falkirk	East End Park, Dunfermline
15:00	Clark 35' Martin 58'	Report	Muirhead 53' Austin 70'	Attendance: 5,076 Referee: Gavin Duncan

29 April 2017 35	Falkirk	2 – 2	Queen of the South	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Austin 31' Muirhead 71 pen.'	Report	Dobbie 9', 78'	Attendance: 4,673 Referee: Crawford Allan

6 May 2017 36	Dumbarton	0 – 1	Falkirk	Dumbarton Football Stadium, Dumbarton
15:00		Report	Austin 85'	Attendance: 1,660 Referee: Don Robertson

Premiership play-off

16 May 2017 Semi-final 1st Leg	Dundee United	2 – 2	Falkirk	Tannadice Park, Dundee
19:45	Murray 16' Spittal 53'	Report	Craigen 27' McKee 59'	Attendance: 7,034 Referee: Bobby Madden

19 May 2017 Semi-final 2nd Leg	Falkirk	1 – 2 (3 – 4 agg.)	Dundee United	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
19:45	Craigen 11'	Report	Murray 76' Spittal 87'	Attendance: 7,926 Referee: Kevin Clancy

Scottish League Cup

Group stage

Results

16 July 2016 Group stage	Stirling Albion	1 – 0	Falkirk	Forthbank Stadium, Stirling
15:00	Smith 41'	Report		Attendance: 1,315 Referee: Colin Steven

19 July 2016 Group stage	Falkirk	3 – 0	Elgin City	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Vaulks 28' Miller 36' McHugh 88'	Report		Attendance: 1,276 Referee: Kevin Graham

23 July 2016 Group stage	St Johnstone	3 – 0	Falkirk	McDiarmid Park, Perth
15:00	Swanson 25 pen.', 38 pen.' MacLean 68'	Report		Attendance: 2,725 Referee: Bobby Madden

30 July 2016 Group stage	Falkirk	2 – 0	Brechin City	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	Gasparotto 50' Austin 53'	Report		Attendance: 1,073 Referee: Kevin Graham

Group G Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	PW	PL	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification	STJ	FAL	STI	BRE	ELG
1	St Johnstone (Q)	4	3	0	1	0	11	2	+9	10	Qualification for the Second round	—	3–0	4–0	—	—
2	Falkirk	4	2	0	0	2	5	4	+1	6		—	—	—	2–0	3–0
3	Stirling Albion	4	2	0	0	2	6	7	−1	6		—	1–0	—	—	4–1
4	Brechin City	4	1	1	0	2	5	8	−3	5		p1–1	—	2–1	—	—
5	Elgin City	4	1	0	0	3	6	12	−6	3		1–3	—	—	4–2	—

Source: SPFL
(Q) Qualified to the phase indicated

Scottish Challenge Cup

3 September 2016 Third round	Falkirk	6 – 1	Elgin City	Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk
15:00	McHugh 5', 55' Hippolyte 32' Baird 43', 71' McCracken 48'	Report	Nicolson 38'	Attendance: 1,591 Referee: Colin Steven

7 October 2016 Fourth round	Ayr United	1 – 0 (a.e.t.)	Falkirk	Somerset Park, Ayr
19:45	Harkins 114'	Report		Attendance: 1,247 Referee: Alan Muir

Scottish Cup

21 January 2017 Fourth round	Greenock Morton	2 – 0	Falkirk	Cappielow, Greenock
15:00	Lindsay 39' Forbes 47'	Report		Attendance: 2,349 Referee: Greg Aitken

Player statistics

As of 19 May 2017 (UTC)^[2]

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Championship		League Cup		Scottish Cup		Other
No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	IRL	Danny Rogers	32	0	28+0	0	3+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
2	DF	SCO	Lewis Kidd	18	1	12+2	1	2+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
3	DF	SCO	Luke Leahy	38	3	31+0	3	4+0	0	0+0	0	3+0	0
4	DF	SCO	Aaron Muirhead	31	4	24+2	4	2+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	0
5	DF	SCO	David McCracken	18	1	16+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	1
6	MF	SCO	Joe McKee	5	1	2+1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	1
7	MF	ENG	Tom Taiwo	38	1	30+1	1	1+3	0	0+0	0	1+2	0
8	MF	SCO	Mark Kerr	39	0	29+1	0	4+0	0	1+0	0	4+0	0
9	FW	SCO	John Baird	43	10	32+2	8	2+2	0	0+1	0	2+2	2
10	MF	SCO	Craig Sibbald	45	10	35+1	10	4+0	0	1+0	0	3+1	0
11	FW	ENG	Myles Hippolyte	35	8	22+8	7	1+0	0	1+0	0	2+1	1
14	DF	SCO	Peter Grant	22	1	20+1	1	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+0	0
15	DF	CAN	Luca Gasparotto	36	1	27+2	0	4+0	1	0+0	0	3+0	0
16	FW	ENG	Nathan Austin	23	7	7+10	6	2+2	1	0+0	0	2+0	0
18	FW	SCO	Lee Miller	37	10	16+14	9	1+2	1	1+0	0	2+1	0
19	FW	SCO	Bob McHugh	42	6	15+18	3	2+2	1	0+1	0	2+2	2
21	FW	SCO	Scott Shepherd	13	0	2+9	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
22	DF	SCO	Liam Henderson	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
23	DF	SCO	Tony Gallacher	8	0	5+1	0	0+0	0	1+0	0	1+0	0
24	GK	SCO	Robbie Thomson	9	0	7+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0
26	GK	SCO	Lewis McMinn	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
28	MF	ENG	James Craigen	34	5	13+14	3	4+0	0	1+0	0	2+0	2
30	FW	SCO	Kevin O'Hara	0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0
31	MF	SCO	Cameron Blues	1	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+1	0
33	MF	CAN	Fraser Aird	13	1	5+7	1	0+0	0	1+0	0	0+0	0
44	DF	SCO	Paul Watson	19	0	10+1	0	4+0	0	1+0	0	3+0	0
Players who left the club during the 2016–17 season
6	MF	WAL	Will Vaulks	1	1	0+0	0	1+0	1	0+0	0	0+0	0
6	MF	SCO	John Rankin	17	0	7+6	0	2+0	0	0+0	0	1+1	0
58	GK	TUR	Deniz Mehmet	2	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	0+0	0	2+0	0

Club statistics

League table

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Promotion, qualification or relegation
1	Hibernian (C, P)	36	19	14	3	59	25	+34	71	Promotion to Premiership
2	Falkirk	36	16	12	8	58	40	+18	60	Qualification for the Premiership play-off semi-finals
3	Dundee United	36	15	12	9	50	42	+8	57	Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-finals
4	Greenock Morton	36	13	13	10	44	41	+3	52	Qualification for the Premiership play-off quarter-finals
5	Dunfermline Athletic	36	12	12	12	46	43	+3	48

Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted

Division summary

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36
Ground	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A
Result	L	D	L	W	W	W	W	D	W	L	L	D	D	W	W	D	L	D	L	W	D	W	W	W	D	D	W	W	L	L	W	D	D	W	D	W
Position	9	7	8	6	5	4	3	3	3	5	5	5	5	5	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4	3	3	3	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2

Updated to match(es) played on 6 May 2017. Source: ^[3]
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Transfers

Players in

Player	From	Fee
James Craigen	Raith Rovers	Free^[4]
Lewis Kidd	Queen of the South	Free^[5]
Luca Gasparotto	Rangers	Free^[6]
Danny Rogers	Aberdeen	Loan^[7]
John Rankin	Dundee United	Free^[8]
Robbie Thomson	Hamilton Academical	Free^[9]
Fraser Aird	Rangers	Free^[10]
Joe McKee	Carlisle United	Free^[11]

Players out

Player	To	Fee
Blair Alston	St Johnstone	Free^[12]
David Smith	Dumbarton	Free^[13]
Will Vaulks	Rotherham United	Undisclosed^[14]
Kevin O'Hara	East Fife	Loan^[15]
Kevin McCann	Albion Rovers	Free
John Rankin	Queen of the South	Free^[16]
Liam Henderson	Cowdenbeath	Loan^[17]
Deniz Mehmet	Port Vale	Free^[18]

References

^ "Falkirk 1-2 Dundee United (agg 3-4)". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.
^ "Falkirk 2016/2017 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
^ "Scottish Championship 2016/17". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "James Craigen eager to go out on high at Raith Rovers ahead of summer Falkirk move". deadlinenews.co.uk. Deadline News. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Lewis Kidd signs for Falkirk". falkirkherald.co.uk. Falkirk Herald. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Gasparotto pens Bairns deal". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Bairns Delight as Rogers Returns". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "John Rankin Signs for the Bairns". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Robbie Thomson signs for Falkirk". falkirkherald.co.uk. Falkirk Herald. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Fraser Aird: Midfielder leaves Rangers to join Falkirk". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Joe McKee makes deadline day move". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Blair Alston: Midfielder moves to St Johnstone from Falkirk". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Winger confirms deal with gaffer". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Dumbarton FC. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Will Vaulks: Rotherham United sign Falkirk midfielder". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "O'Hara joins East Fife on loan". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 23 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "John Rankin leaves Falkirk to join Queen of the South". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Henderson set for Cowdenbeath loan". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
^ "Deniz Mehmet: Port Vale sign former Falkirk goalkeeper until end of season". bbc.co.uk/sport. Falkirk FC. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[1] "Falkirk 1-2 Dundee United (agg 3-4)". BBC Sport. BBC. 19 May 2017. Retrieved 22 May 2020.

[stats-2] "Falkirk 2016/2017 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 20 May 2020.

[3] "Scottish Championship 2016/17". worldfootball.net. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[4] "James Craigen eager to go out on high at Raith Rovers ahead of summer Falkirk move". deadlinenews.co.uk. Deadline News. 25 March 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[5] "Lewis Kidd signs for Falkirk". falkirkherald.co.uk. Falkirk Herald. 15 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[6] "Gasparotto pens Bairns deal". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[7] "Bairns Delight as Rogers Returns". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 8 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[8] "John Rankin Signs for the Bairns". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[9] "Robbie Thomson signs for Falkirk". falkirkherald.co.uk. Falkirk Herald. 3 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[10] "Fraser Aird: Midfielder leaves Rangers to join Falkirk". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[11] "Joe McKee makes deadline day move". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[12] "Blair Alston: Midfielder moves to St Johnstone from Falkirk". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 26 May 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[13] "Winger confirms deal with gaffer". dumbartonfootballclub.com. Dumbarton FC. 27 June 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[14] "Will Vaulks: Rotherham United sign Falkirk midfielder". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[15] "O'Hara joins East Fife on loan". spfl.co.uk. SPFL. 23 July 2016. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[16] "John Rankin leaves Falkirk to join Queen of the South". bbc.co.uk/sport. BBC Sport. 5 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[17] "Henderson set for Cowdenbeath loan". falkirkfc.co.uk. Falkirk FC. 31 January 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

[18] "Deniz Mehmet: Port Vale sign former Falkirk goalkeeper until end of season". bbc.co.uk/sport. Falkirk FC. 1 March 2017. Retrieved 27 May 2020.

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