Albion Rovers must play-off for their SPFL survival after finishing bottom of League Two - despite upsetting champions Stirling Albion 2-0 on the final day.
Rovers went into the game knowing they simply had to win and hope that nearest rivals Bonnyrigg Rose failed take anything at home to Elgin City to see them survive on goal difference.
But while Rovers did their part thanks to second half strikes by Joe Bevan and Charlie Reilly, Bonnyrigg's 3-0 win over Elgin means Sandy Clark's side still finish bottom of League Two.
And the Coatbridge club must now face Lowland League champions Spartans in the pyramid play-off final over the next two Saturdays in the fight to preserve their fourth-tier status.
Rovers named the same side which opened the scoring and lost 2-1 at East Fife last week.
The Binos, managed by ex-Rovers boss Darren Young who guided them to League Two title in 2015, made just one change following their League Two coronation against Forfar last week, and top scorer Dale Carrick was left out of the squad completely.
Kieran Moore fired an early warning to Rovers when his powerful strike inside the third minute flew wide and seconds later Kyle Fleming's cross got caught in the wind and almost landed in the net down the other end, but the ball fell narrowly wide and the Binos breathed a sigh of relief.
Neat feet from Bevan on the edge of the box allowed him to tee up strike partner Euan Mutale in nine minutes and the Dundee loanee's fierce strike brought out a good stop from Binos keeper Mark Weir at his near post.
Mutale had another big chance in 18 minutes when Reilly slipped him in and his low strike brought out another save from Weir. The rebound fell at the feet of Bevan but he couldn't get a clean connection on the ball to turn it into the net.
Rovers then had a stroke of luck 10 minutes before the break when Moore cut into the box and fired at goal, only to see his goalbound effort come off team-mate Flynn Duffy when it looked like he might break the deadlock.
Just as Rovers came back out for the second half, news filtered through that Bonnyrigg had taken the lead with an early second half goal against Elgin to put their destiny out of their hands.
However, Rovers gave themselves hope seven minutes into the second half of their game when Bevan slotted the ball past Weir inside the box from Blair Malcolm's pass, sparking a huge roar from the home support.
Despite the scoreline elsewhere, it gave the stadium a huge lift and Rovers should have doubled their advanatge momentts later.
A great move upfield saw Wilson combine with Mutale, whose flick sent Bevan through. He tried to pick out Reilly at the back post and when his cross was blocked, Wilson did find Reilly with his delivery, only for the usually reliable midfielder to snatch at his shot and allow Weir a comfortable stop.
The buzz around the stadium was quickly subdued around the hour mark as fans on their phones discovered Bonnyrigg had gone 2-0 up to make Rovers' efforts in vain.
But the fans were cheering again on 75 minutes when Reilly made it 2-0, riflling the ball off the underside of the bar and into the net after Bevan's shot inside the box had been parried by Weir.
The result means Rovers finish 10th, just a point behind Elgin City after 36 games.
Rovers can at least take the confidence from a strong performance when they travel to Spartans on Saturday, May 13 with the return leg of the final at Cliftonhill on Saturday, May 20.
ALBION ROVERS: Leighfield, Fernie (McColl 76), Wilson, Malcolm, Sonkur, Fleming, Graham, Leslie, Bevan (Duncan 88), Reilly, Mutale (Roberts 73).
Scorers: Bevan 52, Reilly 75
Bookings:
Subs not used: Smith, McCallum, Wright, Dolan.
STIRLING ALBION: Weir, McLean, Clark, McGregor, McGeachie, Duffy (Metcalfe 73), Banner, Moore (Rennie 87), Dunsmore (Donnelly 87), Hamilton (Kangni-Soupke 74), Spence (Meechan 87).
Scorers:
Bookings: McGregor
Subs not used: Currie, Wyles, Petrie.
Ref: Graham Grainger
HT: 0-0
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