The Red Lichties have had mixed success in recent years. In the 1996–97 season they hit the bottom of Scottish senior football as they finished last in the Third Division. However, the following season they were promoted back to the Second Division. They spent three years at this level before winning promotion to the First Division. They finished 7th in their first season in the First Division, 13 points clear of relegation troubles. However, in the 2002–03 season, the Red Lichties struggled badly, and finished bottom of the table, 20 points adrift of penultimate side Alloa Athletic. In the 2003–04 season, the Red Lichties narrowly avoided back-to-back relegations, as they escaped the drop on the last day of the season. In 2004–05, however, there was no escaping a 3–0 defeat at Dumbarton on 30 April 2005, which consigned the Red Lichties to the Third Division for the following season.