Play-offs test bottle and the fans drink it in
End-of-season heartache was a familiar feeling during a career spent as the bridesmaid and never the bride.
Twice, with Clyde and East Stirling, I faced Ross County as they enjoyed promotion parties. Now every visit back to Dingwall is a walk down memory lane best forgotten.
Those promotion days were recalled when I met Falkirk’s John Baird this week and he talked about it being ‘our time’ for his Bairns.
It wasn’t to be though, Dundee United’s late goals ended his dream of making a return to the P r emi e r sh ip after a goal-laden s t i nt in t he Championship.
Four t ime s Baird has been in second spot – with St Mirren, Raith Rovers and now Falkirk.
It was difficult not to feel for him as that close-butno- cigar story was played out on Friday night at Falkirk Stadium.
The play- of fs have added high- stakes drama, matches where it’s all on the line and it’s an exciting if brutal part of Scottish football’s fabric. Our game’s all the better for it.
That familiar so-near-yetso- far feeling will be with Falkirk for months.
That ability to bounce back year on year is a credit to the resolve within the Bairns but there’s no consolation in losing out to a side which finished the season three points below them. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
It’s a format which has its critics, those who believe a season should be judged on a team’s efforts for the duration of the league campaign.
The scenario of a side finishing fourth best being able to clamber over the team finishing second and gain promotion isn’t ideal but that’s the deal and nobody knows it better than Falkirk.
The fact Falkirk Stadium was sold out for the meeting with United tel ls you the play-offs whet the fans’ appetites.
It’s heartache football at its best, the glory of the victors and the gut- wrenching feeling of being nearly men is what sells.
High- octane drama is what it’s about and a test of bottle separates the winners from the losers.
Peter Houston spoke of hi s Fa l k i r k side having character, as did his counterpart Ray McKinnon.
It transpired they were both right as they played out two brilliant semi-final ties.
Falkirk will have their day even if they don’t quite believe it at the moment.
It’s said that a season is a marathon and not a sprint but the play-offs have altered that.
Now there’s an extra dash to the finish and the best side doesn’t always win.