Supporters and Rivalries
In the 2011–12 Scottish First Division Falkirk attracted an average of 3,188 spectators at home games at the Falkirk Stadium, the second largest average attendance after Dundee. The club's traditional rival is East Stirlingshire F.C., which is also based in Falkirk. The two teams regularly competed against each other in their early existences in the Stirlingshire Cup, as well as in league football following Falkirk's election to the Scottish Football League in 1902–03, two seasons after East Stirlingshire. As of September 2012, the last time the clubs played each other in a competitive league fixture was in April 1982, which East Stirlingshire won 3–0, when both clubs were in the First Division. Following East Stirlingshire's relegation that season, the two clubs have not competed in the same league; Falkirk predominantly in the First Division and East Stirlingshire in the Third Division. In 1999–2000 the clubs were drawn against each other in the second round of the Scottish League Cup, which Falkirk won 2–0 after extra time was played, the last competitive fixture between the clubs excluding the Stirlingshire Cup.
| Competition | Games | Falkirk Wins | East Stirlingshire Wins | Draw | Falkirk Goals | East Stirlingshire Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| League | 35 | 19 | 8 | 8 | 75 | 37 |
| League Cup | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 77 | 37 |
Falkirk arguably has an even stronger rivalry with Dunfermline Athletic. The towns of Dunfermline and Falkirk are roughly 13 miles apart, separated by the Firth of Forth. Both clubs are a similar size and have regularly competed at the same level in the SPL and First Division but the origin of the rivalry is unclear, as former Falkirk manager John Hughes said in an interview in 2005.
Read more about this topic: Falkirk F.C.
Famous quotes containing the word supporters:
“No Government can be long secure without a formidable Opposition. It reduces their supporters to that tractable number which can be managed by the joint influences of fruition and hope. It offers vengeance to the discontented, and distinction to the ambitious; and employs the energies of aspiring spirits, who otherwise may prove traitors in a division or assassins in a debate.”
—Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881)