SPL 2008-09 is over

By: Ian Rose | May 24th, 2009

Another SPL season is in the bag today. Here are the important things to know about how SPL 2008-09 finished up.

Helicopter Sunday
Rangers needed a win to be sure of winning the league today. On the strength of goals from Kyle Lafferty, Pedro Mendes and (who else) Kris Boyd, they won easily over Dundee United to wrap up the club’s fifth title of the SPL era, and 52nd title in the 112 competitive seasons of Scottish football. Celtic only managed a draw with Hearts, meaning that in truth, Rangers only would have needed a draw.

Hearts, Bairns and Dons to Europe
The other major move near the top of the table was Aberdeen jumping above Dundee United with their 2-1 win over Hibs. Combined with the beating United took from Rangers, that put Aberdeen into the final Europa League qualification spot. Scotland will be represented in Europe next season by Rangers and Celtic in the Champions League, and by Falkirk, Hearts and Aberdeen (plus Motherwell with a Fair Play entry) in the Europa League. Good luck to all of them – let’s get that coefficient back where it belongs.

Heartbreak in the Highlands
After five seasons of SPL football, Inverness Caledonian Thistle were relegated Saturday with their 1-0 loss to Falkirk at home. This means that the highland region will have no representative in the SPL next season. Two highland sides will rekindle their derby next season in the first division, with Caley facing rivals Ross County for the first time in the league since 2004.

The Saints are Marching Up
Caley Thistle will be replaced in the top flight by St. Johnstone, after seven years in the first division. They will get a chance at their local derby with Dundee United, though both sides have more of a rivalry with Dundee FC. Congratulations to the Perth club, and good luck to them back in the top flight. They certainly looked to be the best side in the first division this season and deserve their promotion.

So that’s it for the eleventh season of the Scottish Premier League era. Scotland’s 2009-10 European club campaign will begin on 2 July, as Motherwell enter in the first qualifying round of the Europa League due to their Fair Play bid. Here are the dates of entry for each of Scotland’s European representatives:

2 July – Motherwell – Europa League first qualifying round
16 July – Aberdeen – Europa League second qualifying round
28-29 July – Celtic – Champions League third qualifying round
30 July – Hearts – Europa League third qualifying round
20 August – Falkirk – Europa League playoff round
15-16 September – Rangers – Champions League group stage

Thanks for a great season of Scottish football, and Mon the Scots in Europe. SPL 2009-10 kicks off on August 15, three days after Scotland’s vital World Cup qualifier away against Norway.