| Season | 2011–12 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Ross County |
| Promoted | Ross County Dundee |
| Relegated | Ayr United Queen of the South |
| Matches | 180 |
| Goals | 507 (2.82 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Colin McMenamin (19) |
| Biggest home win | Partick Thistle 5–0Greenock Morton (30 September 2011) Raith Rovers 5–0Greenock Morton (3 March 2012) |
| Biggest away win | Hamilton Academical 1–6Dundee (3 December 2011) Queen of the South 0–5Partick Thistle (17 March 2012) |
| Highest scoring | (8 goals) Queen of the South 3–5Ross County (5 May 2012) |
| Longest winning run | 9 games Ross County |
| Longest unbeaten run | 34 games Ross County |
| Longest winless run | 9 games Ayr United |
| Longest losing run | 4 games Queen of the South Raith Rovers Falkirk Ayr United |
| Highest attendance | 5,862[1] Dundee vGreenock Morton (26 December 2011) |
| Lowest attendance | 859[2] Livingston vAyr United (6 March 2011) |
| Average attendance | 2,297 |
2012–13 → | |
The2011–12 Scottish Football League First Division, also known as the2011–12Irn Bru Scottish Football League First Division for sponsorship reasons, is the 18th season of theScottish First Division and the 106th season of a second-tierfootball league inScotland.Dunfermline Athletic are the current champions. It began on 6 August 2011 and is scheduled to end on 5 May 2012.The league comprises the teams ranked second through eighth of the2010–11 season, the relegated side from the2010–11 Premier League (Hamilton Academical), the2010–11 Second Division champions, and the winners of the 2010–11 First Division play-off (Livingston andAyr United respectively).
Dunfermline Athletic, champions of the2010–11 season, were promoted to the2011–12 Premier League.[3] The club thus completed a five-season tenure in the First Division. Dunfermline were replaced byHamilton Academical, who were relegated from the2010–11 Premier League after finishing at the bottom of the table;[3] Hamilton returned to the First Division after three years.
At the bottom end of the table, last-placedStirling Albion were directly relegated to the2011–12 Second Division[3] after being promoted to the second tier only one season earlier. They were replaced by the2010–11 Second Division championsLivingston,[3] who returned to the First Division after two consecutive promotions in two years; the club had previously been demoted for financial irregularities at the end of the2008–09 season.[4]
An additional place in the league was available via a play-off tournament between the ninth-placed First Division team,Cowdenbeath, and the sides ranked second through to fourth in the Second Division,Ayr United,Forfar Athletic andBrechin City respectively. The tournament was won by Ayr United,[3] who therefore were promoted back to the First Division after a one-year absence; Cowdenbeath hence were relegated,[3] returning to the Second Division after just one season.
| Team | Location | Stadium | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr United | Ayr | Somerset Park | 10,243 |
| Dundee | Dundee | Dens Park | 12,085 |
| Falkirk | Falkirk | Falkirk Stadium | 9,120 |
| Greenock Morton | Greenock | Cappielow | 11,612 |
| Hamilton Academical | Hamilton | New Douglas Park | 6,096 |
| Livingston | Livingston | Braidwood Motor Company Stadium | 10,122 |
| Partick Thistle | Glasgow | Firhill Stadium | 13,079 |
| Queen of the South | Dumfries | Palmerston Park | 6,412 |
| Raith Rovers | Kirkcaldy | Stark's Park | 10,104 |
| Ross County | Dingwall | Victoria Park | 6,310 |
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Shirt sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr United | Nike | Bodog | |
| Dundee | Puma | Kilmac Energy | |
| Falkirk | Puma | Central Demolition | |
| Greenock Morton | Puma | Ferguson's Chocolates (H), Buchanan's Toffees (A), Millions Chews (T) | |
| Hamilton Academical | Nike | M&H Logistics (H), Life Skills Centres (A,T) | |
| Livingston | Umbro | Fasteq | |
| Partick Thistle | Puma | macb (Until March) Just Employment Law (March onwards) | |
| Queen of the South | Joma | Border Utilities Ltd | |
| Raith Rovers | Puma | Kittys & Styx (H), ACA Sports (A) | |
| Ross County | Nike | Highnet |
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Promotion, qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ross County(C, P) | 36 | 22 | 13 | 1 | 72 | 32 | +40 | 79 | Promotion to thePremier League |
| 2 | Dundee(P) | 36 | 15 | 10 | 11 | 53 | 43 | +10 | 55[a] | |
| 3 | Falkirk | 36 | 13 | 13 | 10 | 53 | 48 | +5 | 52 | |
| 4 | Hamilton Academical | 36 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 55 | 56 | −1 | 49 | |
| 5 | Livingston | 36 | 13 | 9 | 14 | 56 | 54 | +2 | 48 | |
| 6 | Partick Thistle | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 50 | 39 | +11 | 47 | |
| 7 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 11 | 11 | 14 | 46 | 49 | −3 | 44 | |
| 8 | Greenock Morton | 36 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 40 | 55 | −15 | 42 | |
| 9 | Ayr United(R) | 36 | 9 | 11 | 16 | 44 | 67 | −23 | 38 | Qualification for theFirst Division play-offs |
| 10 | Queen of the South(R) | 36 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 38 | 64 | −26 | 32 | Relegation to theSecond Division |
Teams play each other four times in this league. In the first half of the season each team plays every other team twice (home and away) and then do the same in the second half of the season, for a total of 36 games
| Home \ Away | AYR | DND | FAL | GMO | HAM | LIV | PAR | QOS | RAI | ROS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr United | 1–3 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–3 | |
| Dundee | 1–1 | 4–2 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | |
| Falkirk | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 4–3 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 1–1 | |
| Greenock Morton | 4–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | |
| Hamilton Academical | 2–3 | 1–6 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | |
| Livingston | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 0–3 | |
| Partick Thistle | 4–0 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | |
| Queen of the South | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–5 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–3 | 0–0 | |
| Raith Rovers | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 3–2 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 0–2 | 0–1 | |
| Ross County | 4–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 4–2 |
| Home \ Away | AYR | DND | FAL | GMO | HAM | LIV | PAR | QOS | RAI | ROS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ayr United | 3–2 | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 3–1 | 1–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | |
| Dundee | 4–1 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Falkirk | 3–2 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 2–5 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–3 | 1–1 | |
| Greenock Morton | 3–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–3 | 1–0 | 2–2 | 1–3 | 1–1 | |
| Hamilton Academical | 3–2 | 3–1 | 0–1 | 4–3 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 0–2 | |
| Livingston | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 0–4 | 3–1 | 2–2 | 4–0 | 1–3 | |
| Partick Thistle | 4–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–1 | |
| Queen of the South | 2–1 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 0–4 | 0–5 | 1–0 | 3–5 | |
| Raith Rovers | 2–2 | 0–1 | 2–2 | 5–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 1–1 | |
| Ross County | 1–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 |
The fourth placed team in theSecond Division (Airdrie United) will play the ninth placed team in the First Division (Ayr United) and third placed team in the Second Division (Dumbarton) will play the second placed team in the Second Division (Arbroath). The play-offs will be played over two legs, the winning team in each semi-final will advance to the final.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | 2–1 | Arbroath | 2–1 | 0–0 |
| Airdrie United | 3–1 | Ayr United | 0–0 | 3–1 |
First legs
Second legs
| Ayr United | 1–3 | Airdrie United |
|---|---|---|
| Geggan Longridge Tiffoney | Holmes McLaren |
The two semi-final winners will play each other over two legs. Originally, the winning team only was to be awarded a place in the2012–13 First Division. Following theRangers F.C. administration situation, both teams were awarded places.
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dumbarton | 6–2 | Airdrie United | 2–1 | 4–1 |
First leg
| Dumbarton | 2–1 | Airdrie United |
|---|---|---|
| Prunty Wallace | Bain |
Second leg
| Airdrie United | 1–4 | Dumbarton |
|---|---|---|
| Holmes Bain | Dargo Gilhaney Wallace |
| Player | For | Against | Result | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queen of the South | Greenock Morton | 4–1 | 17 September 2011 | |
| Dundee | Hamilton Academical | 6–1 | 3 December 2011 | |
| Livingston | Raith Rovers | 4–0 | 18 February 2012 | |
| Ross County | Ayr United | 3–2 | 29 February 2012 | |
| Livingston | Raith Rovers | 3–0 | 10 April 2012 | |
| Raith Rovers | Falkirk | 3–2 | 21 April 2012 | |
| Partick Thistle | Dundee | 3–0 | 21 April 2012 |
| Rank[6] | Player | Team | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hamilton Academical | 5 | 2 | |
| Hamilton Academical | 8 | 1 | ||
| 3 | Dundee | 4 | 2 | |
| Falkirk | 7 | 1 | ||
| 5 | Queen of the South | 3 | 2 | |
| 6 | Ross County | 5 | 1 | |
| Livingston | 5 | 1 | ||
| Livingston | 5 | 1 | ||
| 9 | Falkirk | 8 | 0 | |
| Queen of the South | 8 | 0 |
| Month | First Division Manager of the Month | SFL Player of the Month | SFL Young player of the Month | Ginger Boot | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manager | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | Player | Club | |
| August[7] | Greenock Morton | Hamilton Academical | Falkirk | Third division player | ||||
| September[8] | Falkirk | Falkirk | Second division player | Greenock Morton | ||||
| October[9] | Ross County Falkirk | Falkirk Ross County | Partick Thistle | Second division player | ||||
| November[10] | Dundee | Dundee | Second division player | Third division player | ||||
| December[11] | Partick Thistle | Falkirk | Third division player | Third division player | ||||
| January[12] | Falkirk | Third division player | Third division player | Third division player | ||||
| February[13] | Falkirk | Second division player | Hamilton | Second division player | ||||
| March | ||||||||
| April | ||||||||