FALKIRK have endured more hard luck stories in recent times than a Vegas gambler. Beaten Scottish Cup finalists two years ago and promotion play-off fallers in the seasons either side of that, it has been a tale of so near yet so far for Peter Houston’s men.

Craig Sibbald has felt it more than most. A local boy, Sibbald is still only 21 but is fast approaching the sixth anniversary of his Falkirk debut in 2011. This will almost certainly be his last season with his boyhood team and he is determined to bow out with a happy ending. Another crack at promotion via the play-offs will begin on Tuesday and Sibbald hopes this time Falkirk can make it all the way, having lost in last year’s final to Kilmarnock.

“I’m sick of the hard luck stories, like the Scottish Cup final and the play-offs,” he said. “Especially as a Falkirk fan, it’s hard to take. But we’ve got another chance of it this season, so hopefully we can go one better.

“The club’s got a good town behind it and the fans want to see us going back up to the Premiership, and they would all turn out if that was to happen. Games like these get the fans coming out, they all want to see us in the big games. So, I think it could be a big club.

“I’ve had a few folk asking for tickets and they’ll all be there supporting us. Everyone’s just been saying to try our best to get the club up. After the heartbreak of the last few years they want a bit of success and hopefully we do it.”

There is a sense of frustration that had Falkirk been more consistent it could have been them rather than Hibernian who claimed the one automatic promotion slot out of the Championship.

“We know ourselves we’ve not been performing to the levels of last season,” Sibbald said. “So, it is annoying inside, because we know Hibs were there for the taking. But wee last-minute goals against us or missing chances late on - if wasn’t for things like that we could have been a lot closer and fighting Hibs. But it just wasn’t to be in the end. The play-offs give us another chance to go up and hopefully we can do it.

"We've consistently been in them so the supporters and other teams expect us to be there but it's a hard task. We've done well to get second and hopefully we can get over that final hurdle this year.”

Sibbald’s talents mean he will likely not be short of suitors were he to leave Falkirk in the summer but, should he move on, he wants to do so with his childhood favourites back in the top division for the first time since 2010.

"I don't know what's happening to be honest [with his own future],” he added. “I just signed with an agent there so I need to sit down and talk to him. Everyone's aspirations is to move on and play at a higher level and I'm no different. But firstly I would like to get Falkirk up in the Premiership and see how it goes from there.”