Gretna F.C. facts for kids
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| Full name | Gretna Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Black and Whites; Anvils | ||
| Founded | 1946 | ||
| Dissolved | 2008 | ||
| Ground | Raydale Park | ||
| Capacity | 3,000 | ||
| 2007–08 | Scottish Premier League, 12th (relegated) | ||
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Gretna Football Club was a professional football team from Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. This town is very close to the border between England and Scotland. The team was known as the Black and Whites or the Anvils.
Gretna FC was started in 1946. They became very successful in the early 2000s, quickly moving up through the Scottish football leagues. In 2006, they even reached the final of the Scottish Cup.
However, the club faced big money problems when their main supporter, a businessman named Brooks Mileson, became ill and stopped giving them money. Because of these financial troubles, the club had to close down in 2008.
Even though Gretna was a Scottish club, they played in English football leagues for many years. They joined the Scottish Football League in 2002. With a lot of financial help from Mileson, they quickly moved from the lowest Scottish league all the way to the Scottish Premier League in less than five years.
In 2006, they made it to the 2006 Scottish Cup Final, but they lost to Hearts after a penalty shoot-out.
Gretna struggled a lot in the Scottish Premier League. When Mileson stopped his support, the club went into "administration." This means a special person was put in charge to try and sort out their money problems. In the end, all the club's staff lost their jobs. The club was first moved down to a lower league, but then they had to leave the Scottish Football League completely in June 2008. The club officially closed down in August 2008.
After the original club closed, its fans decided to start a new team. This new club is called Gretna 2008. It started playing in a different league in July 2008. The new club shares the same fans and a similar name, but it is not legally connected to the old Gretna Football Club.
Contents
Club History
How the Club Started
Before Gretna FC, there was an amateur club called Gretna Green in the 1800s. But that team went bankrupt by the 1920s. So, there was no local team until Gretna Football Club was formed in 1946. It was started by local workers and soldiers returning from World War II.
One of the founders was James Kerr, who used to be a professional footballer. His ideas were very important when picking the team. At first, the club played in a local league called the Dumfries and District Junior League.
Playing in English Leagues
In 1947, Gretna FC moved to the Carlisle and District League in England. This was unusual because the club was based in Scotland, even though it was very close to the border. They played in this English league for many years.
In 1982, they joined a new league called the Second Division of the Northern League. They won this league right away and moved up. Then, they won the First Division two years in a row, in 1990–91 and 1991–92. This led to them moving up to the Northern Premier League.
During this time, Gretna FC even played in the famous FA Cup. They were the first Scottish club to play in the main part of the FA Cup since Queens Park in 1887. They played against big teams like Rochdale and Bolton Wanderers.
The club wanted to play in Scottish football. They tried to join the Scottish Football League twice, in 1993 and 1999. To help their second application, they played a game against a team from Rangers to raise money for people affected by the Lockerbie bombing. Gretna won that game 2–1.
Back in Scottish Football
Fast Rise Through the Leagues
In 2002, Gretna was finally accepted into the Scottish Football League. They took the place of another club called Airdrieonians. Soon after, a businessman named Brooks Mileson took over the club. With his money, Gretna started to win a lot.
Gretna won the Division Three, Division Two, and Division One titles in a row from 2005 to 2007. This means they moved up a league every single year! During these years, they scored an amazing 297 goals. In the 2004–05 season alone, they scored 130 goals.
Gretna also made it to the final of the Scottish Cup in 2006. They were the first team from the third level of Scottish football to reach the final. They beat Dundee 3–0 in the semi-final. In the final, they played against Heart of Midlothian and drew 1–1. They lost on penalties.
Because Hearts had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Gretna got to play in the UEFA Cup. This was a huge achievement for a team from the third division! Gretna played against League of Ireland team Derry City. They lost 7–3 over two games. Their home game was played at Fir Park in Motherwell because their own stadium, Raydale Park, was not big enough for European matches.
In 2006, Gretna was promoted to the First Division. For most of the 2006–07 season, they were at the top of the league. At one point, they were 12 points ahead! Their manager, Rowan Alexander, had to step down in March 2007. Coach Davie Irons took over. Gretna's performance dropped a bit, and they only had a one-point lead on the last day of the season. But they won their final game against Ross County 3–2 with a last-minute goal. This win meant they were promoted to the Scottish Premier League!
Gretna in the Scottish Premier League
In the 2007–08 season, Gretna had to play all their home games at Motherwell's stadium, Fir Park. This was because Raydale Park did not meet the standards for the SPL. Their first SPL game was a 4–0 loss to Falkirk. They continued to struggle, only getting four points in their first 12 games. Their first SPL win was on 22 September 2007, when they beat Dundee United 3–2.
At the same time, the club's money problems became very serious. The club owed almost £4 million. Owner Brooks Mileson became ill and stopped giving money to the club. He sadly passed away in November 2008. The club also had problems with its management. Rowan Alexander was still officially the manager, but Davie Irons was in charge of the team. In November 2007, Gretna officially fired Alexander and made Irons the manager.
In February 2008, it was revealed that Gretna staff and players had not been paid on time. Irons and his assistant resigned the next day. The club went into "administration" on 12 March 2008. This happened because Mileson stopped his support. Under SPL rules, this meant they automatically lost ten points. The SPL agreed to pay the players' wages so the club could finish the season.
To save money, the club had to make many staff and players leave. On 29 March 2008, Gretna was officially moved down from the SPL after losing to St Mirren. They also set a record for the lowest attendance in the SPL on 5 April 2008, when only 431 people came to watch their game. They won their last SPL game 1–0 against Hearts. They finished the season with 13 points. Even without the point deduction, they would have still been moved down.
Club Closure
In early 2008, it was found that Gretna owed nearly £4 million. Their stadium, Raydale Park, was worth £812,000. The tax office was owed almost £600,000. They threatened to close the club down, which led to Gretna going into administration. On 8 May, the people in charge of the administration said that if no buyer was found by 17 May, the club would be "liquidated." This means it would be officially closed down.
No buyer made a firm offer by the deadline. All the remaining employees lost their jobs. On 29 May, Gretna was moved down to the Third Division because of their money problems. The Scottish Football League said they would kick the club out if a takeover didn't happen soon. When a takeover deal fell through on 1 June, the administrators decided to sell Raydale Park for something other than football.
Gretna officially left the Scottish Football League on 3 June. A nearby club, Annan Athletic, took Gretna's place in the league. With no stadium, no staff, no players, and no league to play in, the club had to close. It was officially liquidated on 8 August.
The New Club
The Gretna Supporters Society, which is a group of fans, started a new club called Gretna 2008 on 2 July 2008. They joined the East of Scotland Football League. At first, they played their games at the Everholm Stadium in Annan. In May 2009, the new club returned to Raydale Park. They now rent the stadium from a community group.
Club Honours (Awards)
English Football Achievements
- Northern League Division One
- Winners (2): 1990–91, 1991–92
- Second Place (1): 1989–90
- Northern League Division Two
- Second Place (1): 1982–83
- Cumberland Senior Cup
- Winners (11): 1958–59, 1959–60, 1966–67, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97
- Second Place (8): 1952–53, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1992-93
Scottish Football Achievements
- Scottish Cup
- Second Place (1): 2005–06
- Scottish Football League Division One
- Winners (1): 2006–07
- Scottish Football League Division Two
- Winners (1): 2005–06
- Scottish Football League Division Three
- Winners (1): 2004–05
Club Records
- Biggest win – 20–0 against Silloth (1962)
- Biggest loss – 2–9 against Ashton United (2000)
- Most league points in one season – 98 (2004–05)
- Most league goals by one player in a season – 38, Kenny Deuchar (2004–05)
- Most hat-tricks (3 goals in one game) in a season – 6, Kenny Deuchar (2004–05)
European Football Record
Gretna played in a UEFA club competition one time. In 2006, Gretna reached the final of the Scottish Cup while they were still in the Scottish Second Division. They lost to Heart of Midlothian. Usually, the winner of the Scottish Cup goes to the UEFA Cup. But because Hearts had already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Gretna got their spot as the runners-up.
Gretna was knocked out in the second qualifying round by Derry City from the Republic of Ireland. They played two games against them.
| Season | Competition | Round | Opponent | Home | Away | Total Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | UEFA Cup | Second qualifying round | Derry City | 1–5 | 2–2 | 3–7 |
Club Managers
- Mike McCartney (1988–2000)
- Rowan Alexander (2000–2007)
- Davie Irons (2007–08)
- Andy Smith (2008)
- Mick Wadsworth (2008)
See also
In Spanish: Gretna Football Club para niños
