View source for Gretna F.C.

{{Short description|Former association football club in Scotland}}
{{About|the club that existed from 1946 to 2008|the club founded in its place|Gretna F.C. 2008}}
{{EngvarB|date=June 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox football club
| clubname      = Gretna
| image         = GretnaFC crest.png
| fullname      = Gretna Football Club
| nickname      = Black and Whites; Anvils
| founded       = {{start date and age|df=yes|1946}}
| dissolved     = {{End date and age|df=yes|2008}}
| ground        = [[Raydale Park]]
| capacity      = 3,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scottishgrounds.co.uk/gretna.htm|title=Scottish Football Ground Guide – Raydale Park, Gretna Football Club|website=www.scottishgrounds.co.uk|access-date=1 June 2017|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120216010542/http://www.scottishgrounds.co.uk/gretna.htm|archive-date=16 February 2012}}</ref>
| chairman      = 
| manager       = 
| league        = 
| season        = [[2007–08 Scottish Premier League|2007–08]]
| position      = [[Scottish Premier League]], 12th ([[promotion and relegation|relegated]])
| website       =
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<!-- Away kit -->
| pattern_la2 =
| pattern_b2  =_thinwhitesides
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'''Gretna Football Club''' was a Scottish professional [[association football|football]] club based in the town of [[Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway]], close to the border between England and Scotland, that last competed in the [[Scottish Premier League]], the then top flight of [[Scottish football league system|Scottish football]]. Nicknamed the Black and Whites or the Anvils, the club was founded in 1946, and enjoyed rapid and continual success in the mid-2000s, reaching the [[List of Scottish Cup finals|Scottish Cup Final]] in 2006. However, the club fell into severe financial difficulties when its main financial backer, businessman [[Brooks Mileson]], withdrew funds due to ill health, leading the club to dissolve in 2008.

Despite being based in Scotland, the club participated in amateur and semi-professional leagues in [[Football in England|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 [[promotion and relegation|promoted]] through the Scottish leagues from the [[Scottish Football League|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 shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]] to [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Hearts]].

Gretna [[2007–08 Scottish Premier League|struggled badly in the SPL]] and the club were placed in [[Administration (law)|administration]] after Mileson withdrew his support due to illness.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2008/mar/23/newsstory.sport1|title=End of a romantic dream for the Roman Abramovich of Gretna|author=Neil Drysdale|date=23 March 2008 | work=The Guardian | location=London}}</ref> At the end of the season, all of the club's staff were made redundant and the club were initially relegated to the [[Scottish Football League Third Division|Third Division]] due to their inability to guarantee fulfilment of their [[2008–09 in Scottish football|forthcoming fixtures]]. After this demotion, the one remaining offer to buy the club was withdrawn.<ref name = "Existence">[https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7430745.stm Gretna no longer in existence], [[BBC News]], 2 June 2008.</ref> The club resigned their place in the [[Scottish Football League]] on 3 June 2008<ref>[http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/06/03/Gretna-resign-from-SFL/ Death knell for crisis club]{{dead link|date=November 2016 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, [[Setanta Sports]], 3 June 2008.</ref> and were formally liquidated on 8 August.<ref name="cumberland-news.co.uk">{{cite news|url=http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/1.218555 |title=Liquidation signals the final nail in Gretna coffin |work=The Cumberland News |date=8 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090314001628/http://www.cumberland-news.co.uk/1.218555 |archive-date=14 March 2009  }}</ref>

The club's [[supporters' trust]] then decided to establish a new club, [[Gretna F.C. 2008|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 Football Club.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/sport/Gretna-given-place-in-the.4279463.jp | title=Gretna given place in the East of Scotland League | work=The Scotsman | date=11 July 2008 | quote='We are obviously a new club carrying on the traditions of the old club and there is no connection with the old club other than the similarity in name,' said Hodge. }}</ref>

==History==

===Formation===
An amateur club 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 local workers and servicemen returning from the [[World War II|Second World War]].<ref>[http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Last-Post-sounds-for-Gretna.4143774.jp Last Post sounds for Gretna, set up by war heroes to give village hope], [[The Scotsman]], 3 June 2008</ref><ref name="Tait">{{Cite book |title=Anvil – A Record of Gretna FC in the Scottish Football League |last=Tait |first=Jon |date=2016-01-05 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=9781326285371 |language=en}}{{self-published source|date=April 2020}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}} Former professional footballer [[James Kerr (footballer, born 1894)|James Kerr]] was one of the club's founders and as part of the club's committee, his opinion held sway when picking the team.<ref name="Tait" /> 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 Football League|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 [[Queen's Park F.C.|Queens Park]] in 1887. They managed to take [[Rochdale A.F.C.|Rochdale]] to a [[replay (sports)|replay]] in [[1991–92 FA Cup|1991]] and gave [[Bolton Wanderers F.C.|Bolton Wanderers]] a scare in [[1993–94 FA Cup|1993]] before being beaten.<ref>[http://sport.scotsman.com/scottishcupfinal/Gretna-grit-forged-in-FA.2775170.jp Gretna grit forged in FA Cup battle with Bolton], ''[[The Scotsman]]'', 13 May 2006</ref>

The club saw its future in [[Football in Scotland|Scottish football]] and applied twice to join the [[Scottish Football League|Scottish League]] in 1993 and 1999. To help boost their later application, they played a [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] XI in a game to raise money for victims of the [[Pan Am Flight 103|Lockerbie bombing]]. Gretna won 2–1 against a strong team.{{Citation needed|date=June 2007}}

===Period back in Scottish football===

====Rapid rise through the leagues====
[[File:Hearts vs. Gretna Scottish Cup final.jpg|right|thumb|[[Steven Pressley]] scores past Gretna [[Goalkeeper (association football)|goalkeeper]] [[Alan Main]] in the [[2006 Scottish Cup Final]] [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalty shoot-out]]]]In 2002, Gretna were elected to the [[Scottish Football League]] at the third attempt, taking the place of [[Airdrieonians F.C. (1878)|Airdrieonians]]. The club was soon taken over by [[Brooks Mileson]] and with his financial input Gretna's on-field fortunes improved. Gretna won the [[Scottish Football League Third Division|Division Three]], [[Scottish Football League Second Division|Division Two]] and [[Scottish Football League First Division|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 in Scottish football|2004–05]] season alone.

Gretna were also runners-up in the [[2005–06 Scottish Cup|2006 Scottish Cup]]. Gretna's 3–0 win in the semi-final against [[Dundee F.C.|Dundee]]<ref name="3-0 Dundee">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_cups/4860972.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Gretna 3–0 Dundee|date=1 April 2006 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> made them the first team from the third tier of Scottish league football to reach the final.<ref name="3-0 Dundee"/> Gretna lost to [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|Heart of Midlothian]] in [[2006 Scottish Cup Final|the final]] on [[Penalty shoot-out (association football)|penalties]] after a 1–1 draw.<ref name="Final v Hearts">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_cups/4764967.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Hearts 1–1 Gretna (4–2 on pens)|date=13 May 2006 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> 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 Europa League|UEFA Cup]]. Gretna faced [[League of Ireland]] side [[Derry City F.C.|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).<ref name="2-2 Derry">{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/5280926.stm|publisher=BBC Sport website|title=Derry City 2–2 Gretna (7–3 agg)|date=24 August 2006 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref>

Gretna had also been promoted to the First Division in 2006, and for much of the [[2006–07 in Scottish football|2006–07]] season, they led the division, with a margin of 12 points at one stage.<ref name="First Division" /> Manager [[Rowan Alexander]] was forced to step down in March 2007 due to unspecified health problems,<ref name="A sacked">[http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/06112007/58/spl-gretna-finally-sack-alexander.html SPL&nbsp;– Gretna finally sack Alexander] Yahoo! Eurosport UK. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2009</ref> though he later claimed that he had had no medical issues and had been asked to take time away by the club chairman.<ref>[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/6931195.stm Alexander refused Fir Park access] BBC Sport. 4 August 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2009</ref> Coach [[Davie Irons]] stepped up to the manager's position and Gretna's form dipped; second-placed [[St Johnstone F.C.|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 F.C.|Ross County]] 3–2 with a last-minute goal by [[James Grady (footballer)|James Grady]], ensuring [[promotion and relegation|promotion]] to the Scottish Premier League.<ref name="First Division">{{cite news | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/scot_div_1/6599245.stm | title=Ross County 2–3 Gretna | work=BBC Sport | date=28 April 2007 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref>

====Gretna in the Scottish Premier League====
During the [[2007–08 in Scottish football|2007–08 season]], Gretna had to play all their home games at [[Motherwell F.C.|Motherwell]]'s home ground of [[Fir Park]] because [[Raydale Park]] did not meet [[Scottish Premier League|SPL]] standards. Their first game in the SPL was against [[Falkirk F.C.|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 F.C.|Dundee United]] 3–2 at [[Fir Park]].<ref>{{cite news
| title = Gretna 3–2 Dundee United
| url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/scot_prem/7005516.stm
| publisher = [[BBC Sport]]
| date = 22 September 2007
| access-date =22 September 2007}}</ref>

Far worse news was that during this time the club's financial situation became dire. The club had accumulated debts of nearly £4m,<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7361405.stm | title= Gretna FC debt level almost £4m | work=BBC Sport  | date=23 April 2008 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> and owner [[Brooks Mileson]] fell ill and withdrew his financial support for the club<ref>{{cite news|last=Gordon|first=Phil|title=End is nigh as Gretna face cash deadline|publisher=Times Online|date=12 March 2008|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/scotland/article3543281.ece|access-date=21 March 2008 | location=London}}{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> (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 (association football)|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.<ref name="A sacked" />

On 18 February 2008 it was revealed that Gretna staff, including players, had not received their wages on time.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7250672.stm|title=BBC SPORT – Football – My Club – Gretna – Gretna players hit by pay delay|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=18 February 2008 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref> Irons and assistant manager [[Derek Collins]] both resigned<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7252368.stm|title=BBC SPORT – Football – My Club – Gretna – Irons quits Gretna for Morton job|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=19 February 2008 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref> from their posts the following day. Gretna director of football [[Mick Wadsworth]], assisted by Iain Scott and [[Andy Smith (footballer, born 1968)|Andy Smith]], took charge of first-team affairs. The club went into [[Administration (British football)|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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7291519.stm|title=BBC SPORT – Football – My Club – Gretna – Gretna edging closer to closure|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=13 March 2008 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref> The SPL agreed to pay the players' wages until the end of the 2007–08 season, ensuring that the club were able to complete its fixtures in the SPL.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7307222.stm|title=BBC SPORT – Football – My Club – Gretna – SPL money to help stricken Gretna|website=news.bbc.co.uk|date=20 March 2008 |access-date=1 June 2017}}</ref>

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".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7312756.stm|title=Gretna's Innes is made redundant|date=25 March 2008|access-date=3 January 2018|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7312756.stm|title=Gretna make 22 players redundant|date=26 March 2008|access-date=3 January 2018|publisher=BBC Sport}}</ref> Gretna were mathematically relegated from the SPL on 29 March 2008 after being defeated 2–0 by [[St Mirren F.C.|St Mirren]] at [[Love Street (stadium)|Love Street]], and broke the SPL's low attendance record on 5 April 2008 in their game against [[Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C.|Inverness]], when just 431 turned up for the match.<ref>[http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Attendance/0,,10002~20073,00.html Attendance statistics]  {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417082155/http://www.scotprem.premiumtv.co.uk/page/Attendance/0%2C%2C10002~20073%2C00.html |date=17 April 2008}}, [[Scottish Premier League]] official website</ref> They won their final SPL game, a home match against [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|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. Even without the point deduction, Gretna would have still been relegated by a 17-point margin behind [[Kilmarnock F.C.|Kilmarnock]].

===Liquidation===
In early 2008 it was revealed by the [[Administration (law)|administrator]], Wilson Field of [[Sheffield]], that Gretna had [[creditor]]s of nearly £4m and [[asset]]s ([[Raydale Park]]) of £812,000. [[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 [[liquidation|liquidated]].<ref>[http://sport.scotsman.com/football/Gretna-administrator-racks-up-253000.4014502.jp Gretna administrator racks up £253,000 in fees for six weeks of work at crisis club], ''[[The Scotsman]]''.</ref><ref>{{cite news |title= Gretna deadline at season's end |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/south_of_scotland/7388156.stm |publisher=BCC News |date=8 May 2008 |access-date=8 May 2008 }}</ref>

After that deadline passed without a buyer making a firm offer, all the remaining [[employee]]s were made redundant, but it was reported that the club were still negotiating with an interested buyer.<ref>{{cite news |title=Gretna lay off remaining 40 staff|url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7408191.stm|publisher=BBC Sport |date=19 May 2008 |access-date=19 May 2008 }}</ref> On 29 May, Gretna were relegated to the [[Scottish Football League Third Division|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,<ref>Hannan, Martin. [http://scotlandonsunday.scotsman.com/football/Gretna39s-dream-is-crushed-as.4139947.jp Gretna's dream is crushed as funds bid fails], ''[[Scotland on Sunday]]'', 1 June 2008.</ref> 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.<ref name = "Existence"/>

Gretna resigned from the Scottish Football League on 3 June.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/7433470.stm | title= Gretna relinquish league status | work=BBC Sport  | date=3 June 2008 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref> Near neighbours [[Annan Athletic F.C.|Annan Athletic]] won the vote to replace Gretna in the Scottish league.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ukpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5i_VMae0C2Ffm_kImWgtQhDZtZjjQ |title=Annan win SFL place |work=Press Association }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> 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.<ref name="cumberland-news.co.uk"/>

====Successor club====
The Gretna Supporters Society, (a [[Supporters' trust]]) formed a new club, [[Gretna F.C. 2008|Gretna 2008]] on 2 July 2008 and applied to join both the [[East of Scotland Football League]] and the [[South of Scotland Football League]].<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.news-and-star.co.uk/1.137529 | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120907124815/http://www.news-and-star.co.uk/1.137529 | url-status=dead | archive-date=2012-09-07 | title=Rome: I'll be proud when Gretna tackle Reds }}</ref> They were accepted into the East of Scotland League, though they initially played their matches at the [[Everholm Stadium]] in [[Annan, Dumfries and Galloway|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.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/south_of_scotland/8028885.stm | title=Gretna enjoys football homecoming  | publisher=[[BBC News]]  | date=2 May 2009 | access-date=5 January 2010}}</ref>

==Seasons==
{{main|List of Gretna F.C. 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 to 2003, 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.

{{hidden begin
|toggle     = left
|title      = Key
}}
*NE = Not Eligible
*PR = Preliminary round
*QR1 = First qualifying round
*QR2 = Second qualifying round
*QR3 = Third qualifying round
*R1 = Round 1
*R2 = Round 2
*R3 = Round 3
*R4 = Round 4
*QF = Quarter-finals
*SPL = [[Scottish Premier League]]
*SFL 1 = [[Scottish Football League First Division|Scottish First Division]]
*SFL 2 = [[Scottish Football League Second Division|Scottish Second Division]]
*SFL 3 = [[Scottish Football League Third Division|Scottish Third Division]]
*NPL 1 = [[Northern Premier League First Division]]
*NFL 1 = [[Northern Football League|Northern Football League First Division]]{{hidden end}}
{| class="wikitable"
| style="background-color:#FFD700; padding:0.4em;" | <small>Champions</small>
| style="background-color:#C0C0C0; padding:0.4em;" | <small>Runners-up</small>
| style="background-color:#ccffcc; padding:0.4em;" | <small>[[Promotion and relegation|Promoted]]</small>
| style="background-color:#ffcccc; padding:0.4em;" | <small>[[Promotion and relegation|Relegated]]</small>
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan=2|Season
!colspan=9|League
!rowspan=2|[[FA Cup]]
!rowspan=2|[[FA Trophy]]
!rowspan=2|[[Northern Premier League Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]
|-
!Division
!   {{Tooltip|P|Played}}   !!   {{Tooltip|W|Wins}}   !!   {{Tooltip|D|Draws}}   !!   {{Tooltip|L|Losses}}   !!   {{Tooltip|F|Goals for}}   !!   {{Tooltip|A|Goals against}}   !!   {{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}   !!   {{Tooltip|Pos|Position}}  
|-
!1987–88
|[[1987–88 Northern Football League|NFL 1]]
||38||17||6||15||69||46||57
|7th
|[[1987–88 FA Cup#Second qualifying round|QR2]]
|[[1987–88 FA Trophy#First Qualifying Round|QR1]]
|
|-
!1988–89
|[[1988–89 Northern Football League|NFL 1]]
||38||23||6||9||79||44||75
|3rd
|[[1988–89 FA Cup#Second qualifying round|QR2]]
|[[1988–89 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|
|-
!1989–90
|[[1989–90 Northern Football League|NFL 1]]
||38||23||6||9||79||44||75
|2nd
|[[1989–90 FA Cup#First qualifying round|QR1]]
|[[1989–90 FA Trophy#Second round|R1]]
|
|-
!1990–91
|[[1990–91 Northern Football League|NFL 1]]
||38||30||5||3||86||23||95
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1990–91 FA Cup#Third qualifying round|QR3]]
|[[1990–91 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|
|-
!1991–92
|bgcolor=#CCFFCC|[[1991–92 Northern Football League|NFL 1]]
||38||25||10||3||81||33||85
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[1991–92 FA Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[1991–92 FA Trophy#First round|R1]]
|
|-
!1992–93
|[[1992–93 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||40||17||12||11||64||47||63
|6th
|[[1992–93 FA Cup#First qualifying round|QR1]]
|[[1992–93 FA Trophy#First round|R1]]
|?
|-
!1993–94
|[[1993–94 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||40||16||7||17||64||65||55
|10th
|[[1993–94 FA Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[1993–94 FA Trophy#First round|R2]]
|?
|-
!1994–95
|[[1994–95 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||14||13||15||64||66||55
|11th
|[[1994–95 FA Cup#First qualifying round|QR1]]
|[[1994–95 FA Trophy#First round|R1]]
|?
|-
!1995–96
|[[1995–96 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||40||13||13||14||75||65||52
|12th
|[[1995–96 FA Cup#Preliminary round|PR]]
|[[1995–96 FA Trophy#Third Qualifying Round|QR3]]
|?
|-
!1996–97
|[[1996–97 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||11||17||14||55||67||50
|16th
|[[1996–97 FA Cup qualifying rounds#1st qualifying round|QR1]]
|[[1996–97 FA Trophy#First Qualifying Round|QR1]]
|R2
|-
!1997–98
|[[1997–98 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||13||9||20||58||64||48
|15th
|[[1997–98 FA Cup#Third qualifying round|QR3]]
|[[1997–98 FA Trophy#First Qualifying Round|QR1]]
|R1
|-
!1998–99
|[[1998–99 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||16||10||16||73||80||58
|12th
|[[1998–99 FA Cup#First qualifying round|QR1]]
|[[1998–99 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|R1
|-
!1999–00
|[[1999–2000 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||11||7||24||48||78||40
|19th
|[[1999–2000 FA Cup#Second qualifying round|QR2]]
|[[1999–2000 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|First Group Stage
|-
!2000–01
|[[2000–01 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||12||12||18||72||82||48
|16th
|[[2000–01 FA Cup#Preliminary round|PR]]
|[[2000–01 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|Group Stage
|-
!2001–02
|[[2001–02 Northern Premier League|NPL 1]]
||42||19||7||16||66||6||63
|7th
|[[2001–02 FA Cup#Second qualifying round|QR2]]
|[[2001–02 FA Trophy#Second round|R2]]
|Group Stage
|-
|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!rowspan=2|Season
!colspan=9|League
!rowspan=2|[[Scottish Cup]]
!rowspan=2|[[Scottish League Cup|League Cup]]
!rowspan=2|[[Scottish Challenge Cup|Challenge Cup]]
!rowspan=2 colspan=2|Europe
!colspan=2|Top league goal scorer
|-
!Division
!   {{Tooltip|P|Played}}   !!   {{Tooltip|W|Wins}}   !!   {{Tooltip|D|Draws}}   !!   {{Tooltip|L|Losses}}   !!   {{Tooltip|F|Goals for}}   !!   {{Tooltip|A|Goals against}}   !!   {{Tooltip|Pts|Points}}   !!   {{Tooltip|Pos|Position}}  
!Name
!Goals
|-
!2002–03
|[[2002–03 Scottish Third Division|SFL 3]]
||36||11||12||13||50||50||45
|6th
|[[2002–03 Scottish Cup#Third round|R3]]
|[[2002–03 Scottish League Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[2002–03 Scottish Challenge Cup#First round|R1]]
|colspan="2" rowspan="4"|
|[[Mark Dobie|Dobie]]
|10
|-
!2003–04
|[[2003–04 Scottish Third Division|SFL 3]]
||36||20||8||8||59||39||68
|3rd
|[[2003–04 Scottish Cup#Second round|R2]]
|[[2003–04 Scottish League Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[2003–04 Scottish Challenge Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[Martin Cameron (footballer)|Cameron]]
|17
|-
![[2004–05 Gretna F.C. season|2004–05]]
|bgcolor=#CCFFCC|[[2004–05 Scottish Third Division|SFL 3]]
||36||32||2||2||130||29||98
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[2004–05 Scottish Cup#Third round|R3]]
|[[2004–05 Scottish League Cup#First round|R1]]
|[[2004–05 Scottish Challenge Cup#Quarter-finals|QF]]
|'''[[Kenny Deuchar|Deuchar]]'''
|'''38'''
|-
![[2005–06 Gretna F.C. season|2005–06]]
|bgcolor=#CCFFCC|[[2005–06 Scottish Second Division|SFL 2]]
||36||28||4||4||97||30||88
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|bgcolor=silver|[[2006 Scottish Cup Final|Runners-up]]
|[[2005–06 Scottish League Cup#Second round|R2]]
|[[2005–06 Scottish Challenge Cup#First round|R1]]
|'''[[Kenny Deuchar|Deuchar]]'''
|'''18'''
|-
![[2006–07 Gretna F.C. season|2006–07]]
|bgcolor=#CCFFCC|[[2006–07 Scottish First Division|SFL 1]]
||36||19||9||8||70||40||66
|bgcolor=gold|1st
|[[2006–07 Scottish Cup#Fourth round|R4]]
|[[2006–07 Scottish League Cup#Third round|R3]]
|[[2006–07 Scottish Challenge Cup#Quarter-finals|QF]]
|[[UEFA Cup]]
|[[2006–07 UEFA Cup#Second qualifying round|QR2]]
|'''[[Colin McMenamin|McMenamin]]'''
|'''24'''
|-
![[2007–08 Gretna F.C. season|2007–08]]
|bgcolor=#FFCCCC|[[2007–08 Scottish Premier League|SPL]]
||38||5||8||25||32||83||13
|12th
|[[2007–08 Scottish Cup#Fourth round|R4]]
|[[2007–08 Scottish League Cup#Third round|R3]]
|[[2007–08 Scottish Challenge Cup|NE]]
|colspan="2"|
|[[Kenny Deuchar|Deuchar]]
|6
|-
|}

==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
*Cumberland Senior Cup
**'''Champions''' (11): 1958–59, 1959–60, 1966–67, 1982–83, 1983–84, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92, 1993–94, 1994–95, 1996–97
**'''Runners-up''' (8): 1952–53, 1956–57, 1960–61, 1967–68, 1974–75, 1977–78, 1985–86, 1992–93

===Scottish football===
*[[Scottish Cup]]
**'''Runners-Up''' (1): [[2005–06 Scottish Cup|2005–06]]
*Scottish Football League Division One
**'''Champions''' (1): [[2006–07 in Scottish football|2006–07]]
*Scottish Football League Division Two
**'''Champions''' (1): [[2005–06 in Scottish football|2005–06]]
*Scottish Football League Division Three
**'''Champions''' (1): [[2004–05 in Scottish football|2004–05]]

==Club records==
* '''Best [[FA Cup]] performance''': First round, [[1991–92 FA Cup|1991–92]], [[1993–94 FA Cup|1993–94]]
* '''Best [[FA Trophy]] performance''': Second round, [[1988–89 FA Trophy|1988–89]], [[1993–94 FA Trophy|1993–94]], [[1998–99 FA Trophy|1998–99]], [[1999–2000 FA Trophy|1999–00]], [[2000–01 FA Trophy|2000–01]], [[2001–02 FA Trophy|2001–02]]
* '''Best [[Scottish Cup]] performance''': Runners-up, [[2005–06 Scottish Cup|2005–06]]
* '''Best [[Scottish League Cup]] performance''': Third round, [[2006–07 Scottish League Cup|2006–07]], [[2007–08 Scottish League Cup|2007–08]]
* '''Best [[Scottish Challenge Cup]] performance''': Quarter-finals, [[2004–05 Scottish Challenge Cup|2004–05]], [[2006–07 Scottish Challenge Cup|2006–07]]
* '''Best [[UEFA Europa League]] performance''': Second qualifying round, [[2006–07 UEFA Cup qualifying rounds|2006–07]]
* '''Record victory'''&nbsp;– 20–0 ''v.'' Silloth (1962)
* '''Record defeat'''&nbsp;– 2–9 ''v.'' [[Ashton United F.C.|Ashton United]] (2000)
* '''Most league points in a season'''&nbsp;– 98 (2004–05)
* '''Most league goals in a season'''&nbsp;– 38, [[Kenny Deuchar]] (2004–05)
* '''Most hat-tricks in a season'''&nbsp;– 6, [[Kenny Deuchar]] (2004–05)

==European record==
Gretna qualified for a UEFA club competition on one occasion. In 2006, Gretna reached [[2006 Scottish Cup Final|the final of the Scottish Cup]] whilst competing in the Scottish Second Division and were beaten by [[Heart of Midlothian F.C.|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 [[2006–07 UEFA Cup#Second qualifying round|second qualifying round]] by [[Derry City F.C.|Derry City]], representing the Republic of Ireland, in a [[two-legged tie]].

{|class="wikitable"
! Season
! Competition
! Round
! Opponent
! Home
! Away
! Aggregate
|-
|[[2006–07 UEFA Cup|2006–07]]
|[[UEFA Europa League|UEFA Cup]]
|Second qualifying round
|[[Derry City F.C.|Derry City]]
|align="center"|1–5
|align="center"|2–2
|align="center"|3–7
|-
|}

==Managerial history==
*[[Mike McCartney (footballer)|Mike McCartney]] (1988–2000)
*[[Rowan Alexander]] (2000–2007)<ref>{{cite news | url=http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/scotland/article355367.ece | work=The Independent | location=London | title=A pipe dream come true: Gretna's romance of the cup | date=3 April 2006 | access-date=4 May 2010 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013184105/http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/scotland/article355367.ece | archive-date=13 October 2007 | df=dmy-all }}</ref>
*[[Davie Irons]] (2007–08)
*[[Andy Smith (footballer born 1968)|Andy Smith]] (2008)
*[[Mick Wadsworth]] (2008)

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060211172654/http://www.gretna.vitalfootball.co.uk/ Vital Gretna] (archived)
*[https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/g/gretna/default.stm Gretna BBC My Club page]
* [http://www.fitbastats.com/gretna/index.php Results and statistics] at ''Fitbastats''

{{Gretna F.C.}}
{{Scottish Premier League}}
{{Scottish Football League}}
{{Defunct Scottish football clubs}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Gretna F.C.| ]]
[[Category:Association football clubs established in 1946]]
[[Category:1946 establishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Association football clubs disestablished in 2008]]
[[Category:2008 disestablishments in Scotland]]
[[Category:Defunct football clubs in Scotland]]
[[Category:Expatriated football clubs]]
[[Category:Football clubs in Dumfries and Galloway]]
[[Category:Scottish Premier League teams]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League teams]]
[[Category:Gretna, Dumfries and Galloway]]
[[Category:Companies that have entered administration in the United Kingdom]]