The 2007–08 First Division season was the 14th season of the First Division in its current format of ten teams.
| Season | 2007–08 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Hamilton Academical |
| Promoted | Hamilton Academical |
| Relegated | Stirling Albion |
| UEFA Cup | Queen of the South |
| Top goalscorer | Richard Offiong (19) |
| Biggest home win | Livingston 6–1 Greenock Morton |
| Biggest away win | Stirling Albion 1–6 Dundee |
← 2006–07 2008–09 → | |
The team which finished first were automatically promoted to the Scottish Premier League. The team which finished bottom were automatically relegated to the Second Division and the team which finished second bottom were entered into the First division play-offs with the teams which finished second, third and fourth in the Third Division for a place in the 2008–09 First Division.
Promotion and Relegation from 2006–07 edit
SPL and First Division edit
Relegated from Premier League to First Division
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
First and Second Divisions edit
Relegated from First Division to Second Division
- Ross County
- Airdrie United (via play-offs)
Promoted from Second Division to First Division
- Greenock Morton
- Stirling Albion (via play-offs)
Events edit
- 29 March: Gretna are relegated from the SPL to the First Division after losing 2–0 to St Mirren.[1]
- 5 April: Ross County win promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions after defeating Berwick Rangers 4–0 and second place Airdrie United losing 2–1 to Brechin City.[2]
- 8 April: Stirling Albion are relegated from the First Division after a 1–0 defeat to Partick Thistle.[3]
- 19 April: Hamilton Academical win promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 2–0 over Clyde.[4]
- 10 May: Clyde retain their First Division status after defeating Airdrie United 3–0 on aggregate in the First Division play-off final.[5]
- 29 May: Play-off runners-up Airdrie United are promoted to the First Division following Gretna's demotion to the Third Division.[6]
League table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Academical (C, P) | 36 | 23 | 7 | 6 | 62 | 27 | +35 | 76 | Promotion to the Premier League |
| 2 | Dundee | 36 | 20 | 9 | 7 | 58 | 30 | +28 | 69 | |
| 3 | St Johnstone | 36 | 15 | 13 | 8 | 60 | 45 | +15 | 58 | |
| 4 | Queen of the South | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 47 | 43 | +4 | 52 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup second qualifying round[a] |
| 5 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 36 | 41 | −5 | 51 | |
| 6 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 40 | 39 | +1 | 45 | |
| 7 | Livingston | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 55 | 66 | −11 | 39 | |
| 8 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 40 | 58 | −18 | 37 | |
| 9 | Clyde | 36 | 9 | 10 | 17 | 40 | 59 | −19 | 37 | Qualification for the First Division Play-offs[b] |
| 10 | Stirling Albion (R) | 36 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 41 | 71 | −30 | 24 | Relegation to the Second Division |
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
- ^ Queen of the South qualified for the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round as Scottish Cup runners-up
- ^ The 9th placed team were entered into a play-off with the Second Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 First Division, Clyde won the play-off to stay in the division.
Results edit
Teams play each other four times in this league. In the first half of the season each team plays every other team twice (home and away) and then do the same in the second half of the season.
First half of season edit
Second half of season edit
Top scorers edit
Source: The League Insider
Attendances edit
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Highest | Lowest | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee | Dens Park | 11,856 | 6,192 | 3,146 | 4,264 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | East End Park | 11,998 | 4,946 | 2,444 | 3,754 |
| St Johnstone | McDiarmid Park | 10,673 | 6,279 | 1,686 | 2,969 |
| Greenock Morton | Cappielow | 5,741 | 3,818 | 2,228 | 2,727 |
| Partick Thistle | Firhill Stadium | 10,887 | 4,914 | 1,149 | 2,591 |
| Hamilton Academical | New Douglas Park | 5,396 | 5,078 | 1,410 | 2,468 |
| Queen of the South | Palmerston Park | 6,412 | 3,005 | 1,484 | 1,965 |
| Livingston | Almondvale Stadium | 10,016 | 2,865 | 1,125 | 1,726 |
| Clyde | Broadwood Stadium | 8,006 | 1,979 | 910 | 1,298 |
| Stirling Albion | Forthbank Stadium | 3,808 | 2,215 | 431 | 1,166 |
Source: The League Insider
Managerial changes edit
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clyde |  Joe Miller
|
Mutual consent | 25 May | Colin Hendry
|
11 June |
| St Johnstone | Owen Coyle
|
Mutual consent[7] | 22 November | Derek McInnes
|
27 November |
| Dunfermline Athletic |  Stephen Kenny
|
Sacked | 4 December | Jim McIntyre
|
3 January |
| Clyde | Colin Hendry
|
Resigned | 18 January | John Brown
|
26 January |
| Greenock Morton | Jim McInally
|
Resigned | 12 February | David Irons
|
19 February |
| Livingston |  Mark Proctor
|
Sacked | 3 June[8] |  Roberto Landi
|
11 June[9] |
Monthly awards edit
| Month | First Division manager | SFL Player | SFL Young player |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | Billy Reid (Hamilton Academical) |
Richard Offiong (Hamilton Academical) |
Kevin McDonald (Dundee)
|
| September | Owen Coyle (St Johnstone) |
Second Division player | James McArthur (Hamilton Academical)
|
| October | Billy Reid (Hamilton Academical) |
Bryn Halliwell (Hamilton Academical) |
James McCarthy (Hamilton Academical)
|
| November | Alex Rae (Dundee) |
Kenny Deuchar (St Johnstone) |
Third Division player |
| December | Jim McIntyre (Dunfermline Athletic) |
Second Division player | Kevin McDonald (Dundee)
|
| January | Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South) |
Second Division player | Andy Jackson (St Johnstone)
|
| February | Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South) |
 Mickaël Antoine-Curier (Dundee) |
Graham Dorrans (Livingston)
|
| March | Ian McCall (Partick Thistle) |
 Jonathan Tuffey (Partick Thistle) |
Leigh Griffiths (Livingston)
|
| April | Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South) |
Mark McLaughlin (Hamilton Academical) |
Brian Easton (Hamilton Academical)
|
First Division play-offs edit
Semi-finals edit
The ninth placed team in the First Division played the fourth placed team in the Second Division and third placed team in the Second Division played the second placed team in the Second Division. The play-offs were played over two legs, the winning team in each semi-final advanced to the final.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alloa Athletic | 5–6 | Clyde | 2–1 | 3–5 |
| Raith Rovers | 2–4 | Airdrie United | 0–2 | 2–2 |
First legs
| Raith Rovers | 0–2 | Airdrie United |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Russell  31' 39' |
Second legs
| Clyde | 5 – 3 (a.e.t.) | Alloa Athletic |
|---|---|---|
| J. Gibson 30' Arbuckle 64'B. Gibson 68'McSwegan 84'Clarke 111' |
Report | B. Ferguson 40' Forrest 42'Bestvina 46' (o.g.) |
| Airdrie United | 2–2 | Raith Rovers |
|---|---|---|
| Prunty 10' Donnelly 77' |
Report | Weir 18' 81' (pen.) |
Final edit
The two semi-final winners played each other over two legs, the home team in the 1st Leg was determined by a draw conducted on 1 April 2008. The winning team was awarded a place in the 2008–09 First Division.
| Team 1 | Agg. | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airdrie United | 0–3 | Clyde | 0–1 | 0–2 |
First leg
| Airdrie United | 0–1 | Clyde |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Clarke 77' |
Second leg
| Clyde | 2–0 | Airdrie United |
|---|---|---|
| McSwegan 47' Clarke 65' |
Report |
Clyde remained in First Division.
Transfer deals edit
References edit
- ^ "St Mirren 2–0 Gretna". BBC Sport. 29 March 2008. Retrieved 29 March 2008.
- ^ "Ross County 4–0 Berwick Rangers". BBC Sport. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 7 April 2008.
- ^ "Partick Thistle 1–0 Stirling Alb". BBC Sport. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 8 April 2008.
- ^ "Hamilton Accies 2–0 Clyde". BBC Sport. 19 April 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2008.
- ^ "Clyde 2–0 Airdrie United (3–0)". BBC Sport. 10 May 2008. Retrieved 22 May 2008.
- ^ "Gretna demoted to Division Three". BBC Sport. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 29 May 2008.
- ^ Coyle left St Johnstone to become manager of Burnley.
- ^ "Livingston sack manager Proctor". BBC Sport. 3 June 2008. Retrieved 5 June 2008.
- ^ "Landi teams up with Hay at Livi". BBC Sport. 11 June 2008. Retrieved 12 June 2008.
External links edit
- Scottish First Division 2007–08 on BBC Sport: News Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine – Recent results Archived 12 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine – Upcoming fixtures Archived 18 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine – Current standings
- Official Football League site