John Rankin bemoans 'unfair' end to Championship season

Saturday’s 3-0 win for Livingston at New Douglas Park drew the West Lothian side level with a stuttering Falkirk at the summit of the league.  

All being equal the two teams would go head to head on level pegging for a place in the Premiership on Friday night when Livi play Partick Thistle and Falkirk host Hamilton. 

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Should the latter lose their appeal against the points deduction on Thursday their relegation to League One will be confirmed. They would enter a game critical to Falkirk’s promotion chances with their jobs in doubt and their heads in a morass not of their making. 

“Yeah, something has happened and we've obviously had to come up in front of the SPFL,’ said Accies manager John Rankin after the defeat to Livingston. “But we are putting a lot of jobs and livelihoods at risk, there is no certainty for anyone. 

“We are going into Friday night - the most important game in the league season - and we are playing against a team who can win the league at a full stadium at Falkirk. 

“Falkirk deserve that right, but my players will not know their fate until Thursday night after training. 

“We cannot do any more prep. We don't know what we need to do and no other team does either. 

"Then we need to turn up at Falkirk and they don't know what they are going to come up against, what mood we are going to be in or where we are in the league. 

"It is affecting a lot of teams and a heck of a lot of people. 

"When I look at it, it is unfair on about eight teams. The timing of it is wrong. Last week, when we were playing Queen's Park, none of us really knew what we were doing or what we were working towards. 

“Not only that, we are asking players from eight teams to go on the pitch and go with a certain amount of uncertainty at this time of the season. It is wrong but we need to roll our sleeves up for the final game of the season.” 

If Saturday was Hamilton’s final game at New Douglas Park – they’ve yet to reach a rental agreement with the stadium owners over next season – it was an inglorious way to end things. 

A crowd of 1155 watched Livingston ramp up the pressure on John McGlynn’s Falkirk through a Robbie Muirhead double and a second half header from substitute Tete Yengi. 

Level on points with the Bairns, David Martindale bemoaned his side’s inability to score more goals. 

While a place in the play-off semi-finals is assured, goal difference could cost them an automatic return to the top flight if Falkirk beat a Hamilton team relegated, flattened and deflated by events on Thursday. 

"If the point deduction is upheld and Accies are relegated, does it help Falkirk’ asked the Livingston manager. “Probably, let's be honest.  

“There's probably boys in the Accies dressing room who have relegation clauses in their contracts, others coming out of contract and it is League One football next season. 

“You will have boys' heads that will be down. John [Rankin's] head will be down because he has been relegated through no fault of his own. 

"So you are going to have a despondent bunch of players and staff through no fault of their own. I don't think that is ideal. 

“If the decision goes against them, I think Falkirk benefits massively from that. It is players' livelihoods. It is a relegation on players' and coaches' CV's through no fault of their own. It is difficult to go into those games positively if they don't win their appeal. 

"But, I will caveat that and say if Accies are successful with their appeal, you could argue that it gives them a lift going into the Falkirk game. 

"It would have made a lot more sense for the integrity of the league, especially with Hamilton's last two games against Livingston and Falkirk, to have made this decision a bit earlier for everyone's sake.”