What is the most impressive rise of a football team climbing through their respective nation’s league system? The most remarkable rise of a football team climbing through their nation’s league system could be Luton Town, which currently plays in the Premier League after being in the non-league system as recently as the 2013/14 season. Another notable example is AFC Bournemouth, which plays in the Premier League and was in League 2 in 2009.
Both have excellent climbs through the divisions, but are they really that impressive? What if a team had climbed up from their nation’s fourth tier of football?
Up to the top league with a European football opportunity while in the third tier? Pretty impressive, to say the least, some might say. What’s more, this achievement reached its pinnacle in just six years.
So why do we not mention this team when discussing exceptional climbs? Younger fans may not have heard of this club as they no longer exist. This is how Gretna Football Club bulldozed their way through the Scottish league system to play alongside Celtic and Rangers in the Scottish Premier League. A meteoric rise that ultimately ended in the dissolution of a club. A short story is all we have to remember them by.
Who Are Gretna?
So, who is Gretna Football Club? Founded in 1946, it is a small town based in Dumfries and Galloway, just a couple miles above the Anglo-Scottish border. The Anvils (nickname) was historically a tiny club lingering in the lower regions of football. Gretna Football Club, founded in 1946, is based in a small town in Dumfries and Galloway, just a few miles north of the Anglo-Scottish border. Historically known as The Anvils, the club was initially a tiny outfit competing in the lower tiers of football. They played in their local area for one season before the league moved them to the Carlisle and District League.
From 1947 onwards, the club technically played away games in different countries as part of the English football league system. Gretna never really lit up the English game, with their highest position in the Northern Premier League. Along with playing in the English game, like Cardiff and Swansea of Wales, they also participated in the FA Cup—the first Scottish-based side to take part since Queens Park in 1887, long before Gretna existed.
After two failed attempts to play in the Scottish league system, the authorities officially granted Gretna a place in 2002. From here, the story of rags to riches to rags again really begins. Not long after they entered the Scottish game, millionaire Brooks Mileson soon took over the club—the driving force behind Gretna FC’s progression.
The club, from a town of 3,000 people, was about to write history. Mileson quickly invested £8 million into the club to help boost them through the lower leagues of the Scottish game. Comparing the club to current news, one might be surprised to discover that they are supported by some investors, not the City Football Group, who bring an almost football manager-like perception of the game.
Invest money, buy players, outspend your competitors and watch the glory come to you. Early signs indicated this would occur, but the story, unfortunately, does not have a happy ending.
The meteoric rise began its ascent. Three back-to-back promotions from 2004 – 2007 had seen the club bypass all three Scottish football leagues to lift them into the Scottish Premier League. That is a total of 108 league games, with the club scoring 297 goals and conceding just 99, which is almost a plus 200 goals difference in three seasons.
It’s unheard of unless you look at a rare Sunday league team. A significant factor behind this prolific goal-scoring was the signing of striker Kenny Deuchar. A name synonymous with Scottish football, Deuchar played football alongside being a practising medical doctor. It has earned him the nickname ‘The Good Doctor’ from Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday.
Deuchar played 93 times for Gretna, scoring an impressive 63 goals; however, he could never replicate this form for any of his future clubs. This included a move to the United States to play for Real Salt Lake. Deuchar was a record breaker for Gretna, holding the record for most goals in a single season with 38 and most hat-tricks in a single season with 6.
The Pinnacle Of Gretna
During the 2005/06 season, the club went on an awe-inspiring Scottish Cup run. Playing their game in the 3rd tier of Scottish football at the time, Gretna reached the cup’s final. They were taking 12,000 fans from a 3,000-population town to watch them play Hearts of Midlothian. Unfortunately, the Edinburgh side defeated the travelling fans on penalties, shattering their dream. However, all was not doom and gloom, as Hearts had already qualified for Champions League participation due to their league position.
Therefore, UEFA rewarded Gretna FC, a side from the 3rd tier of Scottish football, with a spot in the UEFA Cup (now the Europa League) for finishing runners-up in the Scottish Cup. However, the newly successful club struggled in Europe and quickly fell to Derry City of Ireland. They were losing 7-3 on aggregate. Some blame could be placed on the club having to play away from home. Their home stadium, Raydale Park, was unsuitable for European football. So, they needed to make an 80-mile trip to Motherwell for their home leg.
In the 2007 season, Gretna found themselves at the top of the game in Scotland—the Scottish Premier League, Rangers, Celtic, Hearts, Aberdeen, etc. This, however, is where the wheels begin to come off for the club. Raydale Park did not meet league standards, so the club arranged a ground share with Motherwell’s Fir Park. It quickly became clear that the squad was not up for the challenge.
Gretna accumulated just 23 points all season, with their first victory a 3-2 win over Dundee United at Fir Park. So how did this club, which was dominant in all other leagues of Scotland and very competitive in the Scottish Cup, finish at the bottom?
The Decline
Unfortunately, the answer is not a footballing downfall but a financial one. The club had accumulated £4 million of debt, and when investor Mileson withdrew funding after falling ill and tragically passing away in late 2008, the club’s future was in the air. The decline was rapid and unstoppable; players went unpaid, and some refused to play until payments were made.
The temporary manager at the time, Dave Irons, swiftly left the club, and the financial problems led to a 10-point deduction, giving a total of 13 points at season’s end. With no backing from investors and no way to pay players or the staff, the league put together a payment package to allow the club to finish the rest of the season. Twenty-two players were eventually made redundant. The club were confirmed to be relegated following a 2-0 defeat to St Mirren.
The club set a May 2008 deadline to find a buyer. Otherwise, it would be forced to liquidate. No successful investors came in to save the club, so Gretna FC was relegated to the Third Division due to financial struggles. The league gave the club an extension of one week to find another investor.
With no staff left at the club and a failed takeover, the club formally liquidated in early August, leading to Annan Athletic replacing them in the league. Since that fateful day, a supporter’s trust has formed a new club, Gretna 2008. The league accepted the club to play in the East of Scotland Football League, where they shared a ground with Annan Athletic until 2009. Then the club agreed a lease with Raydale Partnership to play in their historical home ground.
Are There Answers To Some Questions?
This legacy leaves many questions: Is it possible to rise too quickly through the football league? Based on this evidence, you could say yes. This is less of a story of success and more of a story of a man who wanted to dominate Scottish football. Mileson came into Gretna FC and injected a vast sum of money to buy as much success as possible in the shortest time possible.
Overall, this dynamic was unsustainable, and the story had too many holes in the plot. Fans are often excited when new ownership comes into their club, promising investment and a vision to succeed in the coming years. What fans don’t frequently see is what happens when that money goes away. Is their club stable without the investment?
Is the money the only thing keeping their club afloat? In Gretna FC’s story, this happened to be the case; as soon as the money was retracted, the club was, too.
It is a remarkable story from a small town on the Anglo-Scottish border who dreamt of their underdog story—battling through league after league with success after success to ultimately fall and disappear. From rags to riches, back to rags, this was the story of Gretna Football Club, a short tale of how money does not always bring success.
Written and Researched by BSc Cavan Campbell
