Berwick Rangers andQueen's Park were competing in the Second Division after being promoted from theThird Division as champions and Second Division play-offs winners, respectively.[2]
Forfar Athletic andStranraer played Third Division football after being relegated as the Second Division's bottom team and Second Division play-off losers, respectively.[2]
East Stirlingshire had a suspended reduction to associate members hanging over them from the previous season. Finishing bottom of the Third Division would mean an automatic and instant reduction to associate members (and with it a potential expulsion from the league two years later at the end of the 2009–10 season), while finishing 9th or higher would annul any punishment.[citation needed]
10 May –Arbroath are promoted to the Second Division after a 2–1 aggregate win overStranraer in theSecond Division play-off final.[17] Cowdenbeath, who were beaten by Arbroath in the semi-finals, are relegated to the Third Division.
Celtic won their third consecutive title, having been off the pace for much of the season before a run of seven consecutive victories in the closing stages lifted them to the top of the table. Their title win was dedicated to the memory of assistant managerTommy Burns, who died from cancer a week before the season ended. Rangers lost out on the title thanks to indifferent form in the final weeks of the campaign, though the fact that they came so close and recorded victories in both domestic cups nonetheless meant the season was a considerable improvement on the two previous seasons, which both ended up trophyless and without a serious challenge for the title. Motherwell finished third and took the UEFA Cup berth, as former playerMark McGhee's return as manager brought a major turnaround in form.
At the other end of the table, Gretna's meteoric rise up the Scottish football pyramid came to a juddering halt; they went bottom of the table following a 4-0 thrashing in their first match, and never left it. The withdrawal of millionaire ownerBrooks Mileson plunged them into a financial crisis that forced the club into administration, resulting in them becoming the first top-flight club to earn a ten-point deduction for doing so. This helped cause them to set a new record for the lowest top-flight points total since the adoption of 3 points for a win, and their financial troubles would ultimately prove terminal, resulting in the club folding and being reformed asGretna F.C. 2008 in the Lowland League for the following year.
Source:Scottish Professional Football League Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored (C) Champions;(R) Relegated Notes:
^Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
^Hibernian qualified for theIntertoto Cup as the highest ranked club to apply for a place in the competition.
^At the end of the season,Gretna were relegated to theThird Division due to their financial struggles. However, as no buyer was found for the club, they resigned from theScottish Football League and were subsequentlyliquidated.
Hamilton Academical won the title, and with it, their third promotion in seven years, bringing them back into the top-flight for the first time since 1989.
Stirling Albion finished well adrift in bottom place, and suffered automatic relegation as a result. Clyde were sent into the play-offs, and retained their place in the First Division by beating Airdrie United in the final.
Source:BBC Sport 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 asScottish 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.
Ross County won immediate promotion back to the First Division, vindicating their shock decision to sack managerDick Campbell early in the campaign with the club top of the table, as rookie managerDerek Adams managed to further improve the club's form, resulting in them comfortably winning the title. Airdrie United initially lost out on promotion after failing to beat Clyde in the play-offs, but Gretna's demise meant Airdrie ended up being promoted anyway.
Berwick Rangers were relegated in bottom place after a dismal campaign, and Cowdenbeath joined them after losing in the play-offs.
Source:SPFL Archive Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions;(P) Promoted;(R) Relegated Notes:
^The 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams will be entered into a play-off with the First Division's 9th placed team. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 First Division, Clyde won the play-off to stay in the division. However, with Gretna being relegated to the Third Division, Airdrie were promoted to Division One. Airdrie United won promotion to the First Division after Gretna were relegated to the Third Division.
^The 9th placed team were entered into a play-off with the Third Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 Second Division, Cowdenbeath were relegated and Arbroath were promoted. Due to Gretna's relegation, Stranraer were also promoted.
East Fife won the division by a wide margin after their play-off heartbreak the previous season. Arbroath, who had likewise lost out on promotion in the previous season's play-offs, were victorious in this year's campaign. Stranraer, who lost to Arbroath in the play-off final, still ended up earning an immediate return to Division Two, thanks to Gretna's demise.
East Stirlingshire, who had been given a suspended reduction to associate members in the previous campaign (meaning they would have faced an expulsion vote had they finished bottom in both this and the next seasons), managed to avoid this fate by pulling above Forfar Athletic on the final day of the season. It was the first time since 2002 that any other team had finished bottom of the SFL pyramid.[citation needed]
Source:SPFL archive Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. (C) Champions;(O) Play-off winners;(P) Promoted Notes:
^Stranraer won promotion to Second Division after Gretna were relegated to the Third Division.
^The 9th placed Second Division team were entered into a play-off with the Third Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 Second Division, Cowdenbeath were relegated and Arbroath were promoted. With Gretna being relegated to the Third Division, Stranraer were also promoted.
^Had East Stirlingshire finished bottom of the table for what would have been a sixth consecutive time, they would have lost theirScottish Football League status, they finished second bottom.[citation needed]
Scotland failed in their attempt to qualify for theEuro 2008, finishing third inGroup B behind2006 World Cup finalistsFrance andItaly despite beating France twice. Scotland needed a win in their final group game against Italy to qualify, although a draw would have been enough ifUkraine beat France in the last group fixture. Scotland lost 2–1 as a result of a heavily criticised decision[62] by Spanish refereeManuel Mejuto González to award Italy a free kick instoppage time (resulting in a goal) when it was clear it should have been a free kick to Scotland.
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