Gretna F.C.

Gretna

Full name	Gretna Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Weddingmakers The Black and Whites The Celebrant The Monochrome The Anvils The Borderers
Founded	1946
Dissolved	2008
Ground	Raydale Park, Gretna
Ground Capacity	3,000[1]
2007–08	Scottish Premier League, 12th (relegated)
Home colours Away colours

Gretna Football Club was a Scottish football club that represented the town of Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, close to the border between England and Scotland. Founded in 1946, the club had rapid and continual success in the mid-2000s, and reached the Scottish Cup Final in 2006, but the club fell into severe financial difficulties when businessman Brooks Mileson, its main financial backer, withdrew funds due to ill health. The club was forced to dissolve in 2008.

Despite being based in Scotland, the club participated in amateur and semi-professional leagues in English football from 1947 until they were elected to the Scottish Football League at the third attempt in 2002. Relying heavily on substantial financial support from Mileson, the club were promoted through the Scottish leagues from the Third Division to the Scottish Premier League in less than five years. The club also reached the 2006 Scottish Cup Final, losing in a penalty shootout to Hearts.

The team struggled badly in the SPL and the club were placed in administration after Mileson withdrew his support due to illness.^[2] At the end of the season, all of the club's staff were made redundant and the club were initially relegated to the Third Division due to their inability to guarantee fulfilment of their forthcoming fixtures. After this demotion, the one remaining offer to buy the club was withdrawn.^[3] The club resigned their place in the Scottish Football League on 3 June^[4] and were formally liquidated on 8 August.^[5]

The club's supporters' trust then decided to establish a new club, Gretna 2008, who were accepted into the East of Scotland Football League on 11 July 2008. Whilst sharing the same fanbase and a similar name, the new club has no legal connection with the original Gretna F.C.^[6]

History

Beginnings

An amateur team called Gretna Green had existed in the town in the 19th century, but were bankrupt by the 1920s. This left the area without a team until Gretna Football Club was founded in 1946 by servicemen returning from the Second World War.^[7] The club initially played in the Dumfries and District Junior League.

Period in English football

The following year, the club moved to the Carlisle and District League. This was despite the club being based in Scotland, albeit very close to the Anglo–Scottish border. They remained in this league for all but one season until 1982, when the club moved to the newly created Second Division of the Northern League. The club won this league and were promoted immediately, before back-to-back championship wins in the First Division, in 1990–91 and 1991–92, resulted in their promotion to the first division of the Northern Premier League.

During this period, the club featured in the FA Cup, becoming the first club based in Scotland to appear in the competition proper since Queens Park in 1887. They managed to take Rochdale to a replay in 1991 and gave Bolton Wanderers a scare in 1993 before being beaten.^[8]

The club saw its future in Scottish football and applied twice to join the Scottish League in 1993 and 1999. To help boost their later application, they played a Rangers XI in a game to raise money for victims of the Lockerbie air disaster. Gretna won 2–1 against a strong team.^{[citation needed]}

Period back in Scottish football

Rapid rise through the leagues

In 2002, Gretna were elected to the Scottish Football League at the third attempt, taking the place of Airdrieonians. The club was soon taken over by Brooks Mileson and with his financial input Gretna's on-field fortunes improved. Gretna won the Division Three, Division Two and Division One titles in successive seasons from 2005 to 2007. During their seasons of successive promotions they scored 297 goals, 130 in the 2004–05 season alone.

Gretna were also runners-up in the 2006 Scottish Cup. Gretna's 3–0 win in the semi-final against Dundee^[9] made them the first team from the third tier of Scottish league football to reach the final.^[9] Gretna lost to Heart of Midlothian in the final on penalties after a 1–1 draw.^[10] As Hearts had finished second in the Scottish Premier League and had therefore qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Gretna became the first team from the third tier of the Scottish league to qualify for the UEFA Cup. Gretna faced League of Ireland side Derry City in the second qualifying round, but lost 7–3 on aggregate, losing the first leg 5-1 at Fir Park, Motherwell (Raydale Park was deemed unsuitable for European football).^[11]

Gretna had also been promoted to the First Division in 2006, and for much of the 2006–07 season, they led the division, with a margin of 12 points at one stage.^[12] Manager Rowan Alexander was forced to step down in March 2007 due to unspecified health problems,^[13] though he later claimed that he had had no medical issues and had been asked to take time away by the club chairman.^[14] Coach Davie Irons stepped up to the manager's position and Gretna's form dipped; second-placed St. Johnstone went on a good run, leaving Gretna with only a one-point lead going into the final day of the season. Gretna beat Ross County 3–2 with a last-minute goal by James Grady, ensuring promotion to the Scottish Premier League.^[12]

Gretna in the SPL

During the 2007–08 season, Gretna had to play all their home games at Motherwell's home ground of Fir Park because Raydale Park did not meet SPL standards. Their first game in the SPL was against Falkirk which ended in a 4–0 defeat for Gretna. They continued to struggle, only gaining four points in their first 12 games and having to wait until 22 September 2007 for their first win in the SPL, defeating Dundee United 3–2 at Fir Park.^[15]

Far worse news was that during this time the club's financial situation became dire. The club had accumulated debts of nearly £4m,^[16] and owner Brooks Mileson fell ill and withdrew his financial support for the club^[17] (Mileson never fully recovered from his health problems and died on 3 November 2008). A confused management situation did not help. Whilst Rowan Alexander was officially still manager, Davie Irons was in control of the team. On 6 November 2007, Gretna officially sacked Alexander as manager and formally installed Irons in his position.^[13]

On 18 February 2008 it was revealed that Gretna staff, including players, had not received their wages on time.^[18] Irons and assistant manager Derek Collins both resigned^[19] from their posts the following day. Gretna director of football Mick Wadsworth, assisted by Iain Scott and Andy Smith, took charge of first-team affairs. The club went into administration on 12 March 2008 after Mileson's withdrawal of support. Under SPL regulations, this resulted in an automatic ten point deduction, meaning they had a total of only six points from 28 games on the date of entering administration.^[20] The SPL agreed to pay the players' salaries until the end of the 2007–08 season, ensuring that the club were able to complete its fixtures in the SPL.^[21]

Administration led to cost-cutting and redundancies; club captain Chris Innes was made redundant on 25 March 2008, with the club explaining that he had "attracted interest from other clubs".^[22] The following day, 22 players, including eight members of the senior squad, along with coaching staff and the former owner's son were also made redundant.^[23] Gretna were formally relegated from the SPL on 29 March 2008 after being defeated 2–0 by St. Mirren at Love Street, and broke the SPL's low attendance record on 5 April 2008 in their game against Inverness, when just 431 turned up for the game.^[24] They won their final SPL game, a home match against Hearts 1–0 with a goal from Gavin Skelton, which meant they finished the season with 13 points, narrowly avoiding setting a record low points total for the Scottish top-flight.

Demise

In early 2008 it was revealed by the administrator, Wilson Field of Sheffield, that Gretna had creditors of nearly £4m and assets (Raydale Park) of less than £12m. HM Revenue and Customs was owed nearly £600,000 in total, and it was their threat to wind up the company that precipitated Gretna's move into administration. On 8 May, the administrator set a deadline of 17 May for a buyer to be found, or the club would be liquidated.^[25][26]

After that deadline passed without a buyer making a firm offer, all the remaining employees were made redundant, but it was reported that the club were still negotiating with an interested buyer.^[27] On 29 May, Gretna were relegated to the Third Division due to their financial struggles, with the Scottish Football League threatening expulsion should a takeover not be completed within a week. After a takeover bid fell through on 1 June,^[28] the administrators confirmed the following day that they would look to sell Raydale Park to someone who will use the site for something other than football.^[3]

Gretna resigned from the Scottish Football League on 3 June.^[29] Near neighbours Annan Athletic won the vote to replace Gretna in the Scottish league.^[30] With no ground, staff, players or a competition to play in, the club's dissolution was inevitable and the club was formally liquidated by the administrators on 8 August.^[5]

Successor club

The Gretna Supporters Society, (a Supporters' trust) formed a new club, Gretna 2008 on 2 July 2008 and applied to join both the East of Scotland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League.^[31] They were accepted into the East of Scotland League, though they initially played their matches at the Everholm Stadium in Annan. The club returned to Raydale Park in May 2009 which it now leases from the Raydale Partnership, a community group of which Gretna Supporters Society is a member.^[32]

Seasons

This is a list of seasons from the 1987–88 season from their time in England's Northern Football League and later the Northern Premier League and from 2002–03, when the club was admitted to the Scottish Football League to 2007–08, when the club resigned its membership from the league and was liquidated following financial difficulties. The list details Gretna's record in major league and cup competitions, and the club's top league goal scorer of each season where available. Top scorers in bold were also the top scorers in Gretna’s division that season. Records of minor competitions are not included.

Champions

Runners-up

Promoted

Relegated

Season	League									FA Cup	FA Trophy	Challenge Cup
	Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos
1987–88	NFL 1	38	17	6	15	69	46	57	7th	QR2	QR1
1988–89	NFL 1	38	23	6	9	79	44	75	3rd	QR2	R2
1989–90	NFL 1	38	23	6	9	79	44	75	2nd	QR1	R1
1990–91	NFL 1	38	30	5	3	86	23	95	1st	QR3	R2
1991–92	NFL 1	38	25	10	3	81	33	85	1st	R1	R1
1992–93	NPL 1	40	17	12	11	64	47	63	6th	QR1	R1	?
1993–94	NPL 1	40	16	7	17	64	65	55	10th	R1	R2	?
1994–95	NPL 1	42	14	13	15	64	66	55	11th	QR1	R1	?
1995–96	NPL 1	40	13	13	14	75	65	52	12th	PR	QR3	?
1996–97	NPL 1	42	11	17	14	55	67	50	16th	QR1	QR1	R2
1997–98	NPL 1	42	13	9	20	58	64	48	15th	QR3	QR1	R1
1998–99	NPL 1	42	16	10	16	73	80	58	12th	QR1	R2	R1
1999–2000	NPL 1	42	11	7	24	48	78	40	19th	QR2	R2	First Group Stage
2000–01	NPL 1	42	12	12	18	72	82	48	16th	PR	R2	Group Stage
2001–02	NPL 1	42	19	7	16	66	6	63	7th	QR2	R2	Group Stage

Season	League									Scottish Cup	League Cup	Challenge Cup	Europe		Top league goal scorer
	Division	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts	Pos						Name	Goals
2002–03	SFL 3	36	11	12	13	50	50	45	6th	R3	R1	R1			Dobie	10
2003–04	SFL 3	36	20	8	8	59	39	68	3rd	R2	R1	R1			Cameron	17
2004–05	SFL 3	36	32	2	2	130	29	98	1st	R3	R1	QF			Deuchar	38
2005–06	SFL 2	36	28	4	4	97	30	88	1st	Runners-up	R2	R1			Deuchar	18
2006–07	SFL 1	36	19	9	8	70	40	66	1st	R4	R3	QF	UEFA Cup	QR2	McMenamin	24
2007–08	SPL	38	5	8	25	32	83	13	12th	R4	R3				Deuchar	6

Players

Gretna's final squad

The squad given here is made up of the players registered to the club on the date of Gretna F.C.'s final league match (Gretna 1–0 Hearts, 14 May 2008).

Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player 2 DF Craig Barr 7 MF Ryan Baldacchino 11 MF Gavin Skelton 12 MF Brendan McGill 17 MF Steven Hogg 20 MF Nicky Deverdics 24 GK Greg Fleming 26 MF Paul Murray 27 MF Abdul Osman 34 MF Dan Robinson

No. Position Player 36 DF Danny Hall 37 DF Kyle Naughton (on loan from Sheffield United) 38 MF John Paul Kissock (on loan from Everton) 39 MF Ben Wilkinson (on loan from Hull City) 40 GK Artur Krysiak (on loan from Birmingham City) 41 DF Rhys Meynell (on loan from Barnsley) 43 DF Erik Schultz-Eklund 45 MF Nathan Fisher 46 FW Nathan Taylor 47 DF Jack Sharples

Honours

English football

• Northern League Division One
  • Champions (2): 1990–91, 1991–92
  • Runners-up (1): 1989–90

• Northern League Division Two
  • Runners-up (1): 1982–83

Scottish football

• Scottish Cup
  • Runners-Up (1): 2005–06

• Scottish Football League Division One
  • Champions (1): 2006–07

• Scottish Football League Division Two
  • Champions (1): 2005–06

• Scottish Football League Division Three
  • Champions (1): 2004–05

Records

• Record victory: 20–0 v Silloth (1962)
• Record defeat: 2–9 v Ashton United (2000)
• Most league points in a season: 98 (2004–05)
• Most league goals in a season: 38, Kenny Deuchar (2004–05)
• Most hat-tricks in a season: 6, Kenny Deuchar (2004–05)

European record

Gretna qualified for a UEFA club competition on one occasion. In 2006, Gretna reached the final of the Scottish Cup whilst competing in the Scottish Second Division and were beaten by Heart of Midlothian. The winner of the Scottish Cup would normally qualify for the UEFA Cup, but because Hearts had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League through their league ranking in the Scottish Premier League, the place was passed to Gretna as runners-up. They were eliminated in the second qualifying round by Derry City, representing the Republic of Ireland, in a two-legged tie.

Season	Competition	Round	Opponent	Home	Away	Aggregate
2006–07	UEFA Cup	Second qualifying round	Derry City	1–5	2–2	3–7

Former managers

• Rowan Alexander (2000–2007)^[33]
• Davie Irons (2007–08)
• Mick Wadsworth (2008)
• Andy Smith (2007–08)

References

External links

• Gretna Mad – "The definitive Gretna website"
• Vital Gretna
• Gretna BBC My Club page

v t e Gretna Football Club Club Honours Seasons The club Players Managers Seasons 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 Grounds Raydale Park Fir Park (2006, 2007–08) Almondvale Stadium (2008) Notable match 2006 Scottish Cup Final Related articles Gretna F.C. 2008

v t e Scottish Premier League (1998–2013) « Scottish Football League Premier Division (1975–98) Scottish Premiership (2013– ) » Former teams Aberdeen Celtic Dundee Dundee United Dunfermline Athletic Falkirk Gretna Hamilton Academical Heart of Midlothian Hibernian Inverness Caledonian Thistle Kilmarnock Livingston Motherwell Partick Thistle Rangers Ross County St. Johnstone St. Mirren Seasons 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 Clubs Stadia Foreign players Hat-tricks Yearly awards Monthly awards

v t e Defunct and former Senior Scottish football clubs Former Scottish Premier League members Gretna Former Scottish Football League members Abercorn Airdrieonians (1878) Armadale Arthurlie Ayr Ayr Parkhouse Bathgate Beith Bo'ness Broxburn United Cambuslang Clackmannan Clydebank Cowlairs Dumbarton Harp Dundee Wanderers Dykehead Edinburgh City Galston Glasgow Thistle Gretna Helensburgh Johnstone King's Park Leith Athletic Linthouse Lochgelly United Mid-Annandale Nithsdale Wanderers Northern Peebles Rovers Port Glasgow Athletic Renton Royal Albert Solway Star St Bernard's Third Lanark Vale of Leven Former Highland Football League members Caledonian Elgin Caledonian Inverness Celtic Inverness Citadel Inverness Thistle Inverness Union Former East of Scotland Football League members Tollcross United Former South of Scotland Football League members Stranraer Athletic Tarff Rovers Whithorn Pre-Scottish Football League (-1890) 23rd Renfrew RV Alexandra Athletic Blythswood Callander Clydesdale Crown Dumbreck Eastern Glasgow Rovers Granville Southern Western