Club X fixture shock

Motherwell hope to stay in the SPL next season

X will mark the spot when the Scottish Football League announces its fixtures before knowing whether the First Division will next year include Falkirk or Motherwell.

League champions Falkirk are awaiting a decision from a Scottish Football Association panel over the Scottish Premier League vote that has prevented them winning promotion.

But fixtures for both the SPL and SFL will be released on Thursday.

And league secretary Peter Donald said: "We will just refer to it with a general heading such as 'First Division club X' in the fixture list.

"Hopefully, the matter will be resolved before we get much further into the close season.

We are merely trying to manage the situation as best we can League secretary Peter Donald

"It would obviously be better to know who we will have in each division, but it is a matter outside of our control.

"It is down to Falkirk, the SPL and the SFA and we are merely trying to manage the situation as best we can.

"Our clubs need to know their fixtures and we have contractual obligations to other parties.

"But the majority of our business will go on unaffected."

SPL clubs voted by a narrow majority against allowing the Bairns groundshare with Second Division Airdrie United at a board meeting last month.

Motherwell in Bell's Cup draw

Last month's Bell's Cup draw included both Falkirk and Motherwell as one team while the First Division champions went to an appeal.

Motherwell finished bottom of the top flight and were reprieved by the vote.

A defiant SPL will print their fixture list by including Motherwell in the top flight.

However, Falkirk hope to overturn that through the SFA, or a possible examination by the Office of Fair Trading.

Some Falkirk supporters have even petitioned the Scottish Executive over their exclusion from the SPL.

The club will present their appeal to a three-man SFA panel on Thursday evening, although no verdict is expected immediately.