Aberdeen 3-0 Gretna

Mar 16 2008 Gordon Waddell At Pittodrie

Doomed Gretna Keep Their Pride Intact As They Slide Into Abyss

IF a team died here, at least they died with their boots on.

Gretna may be living hand to mouth but they still played with their hearts on their sleeves as they slid to defeat.

And despite goals from Chris Maguire, Lee Miller and Barry Nicholson consigning them a step closer to the abyss, their makeshift side of loan signings, kids and a scattering of never-say-die pros can at least say they never threw in the towel on their club.

Whether the Black and Whites still have a team to face Celtic this time next week is the big question.

And it's one stand-in boss Mick Wadsworth couldn't answer last night - because he doesn't know if HE'LL be there to pick them.

Asked if he was confident Gretna would survive to the end of the season, the Yorkshireman sighed: "Not confident, just realistic.

"We're in a perilous state and it was a big shock when the income stream from Brooks Mileson stopped.

"I only wish he could have engineered a more graceful withdrawal for us. But I haven't spoken to him in weeks. I suppose it's understandable that his family are protecting him.

"Will I have enough players to pick from next week? I don't even know if I'll be here to pick them.

"I'm in exactly the same boat as everyone else from the groundsman to the players. If the administrator sees fit to cut costs it could be me who goes.

"And I'd rather it was me than one of the younger coaches.

"And I want to make this clear - whatever decision the players made, to play or not to play, they did it for sound reasons. I don't want any negativity about them."

They say that whenever you cross the white line, nothing else matters. Whether you're playing for money or love, football is still football.

And the 14 who did play in black and white shirts here proved that.

A bus journey at 8am to get them here. Five of them on loan from clubs in England. Only four over the age of 21. Their keeper and back four barely reaching 20 as an average age.

In midfield, Nicky Deverdics, a 20-year-old kid who'd said he wouldn't play for fear of his career going down the pan with one injury, then felt like he couldn't let the side down.

Likewise Gavin Skelton and Paul Murray on the bench. None knowing their futures beyond the 90 minutes in front of them.

But from the moment they huddled up in front of a single busload of Raydale fans before kick off they gave it their lot and, whatever you think of the way Gretna have lived outside their means, for that you have to commend them.

Sadly for them, it still wasn't enough - although for huge chunks of the game it looked like it might have been.

The Dons were on a hiding to nothing anyway - win and it's all they were expected to do, lose or draw to a makeshift ragbag and it's an embarrassment.

But despite chasing a first league win since January 2, their early play was seriously lacking in urgency.

Despite Gretna settling in to weather the storm with a 4-5-1, it never looked like a backs-to-the-wall display at any point.

Gretna almost took the lead when Ben Wilkinson met Ryan Baldacchino's cross with a snap volley from 12 yards in the 37th minute that Derek Soutar did well to keep out.

But five minutes before the break Dons finally put some snap of their own into a move and reaped the benefits.

A well-worked move between Miller, Nicholson and Jeffrey De Visscher teed up Maguire who hit a right-foot curler past Artur Krysiak for the opener.

Not that it impressed Jimmy Calderwood who hooked both Maguire and Karim Touzani at the interval, replacing them with Stevie Lovell and Sone Aluko.

The changes took time to make a difference. Barring two long range efforts from Scott Severin and Alan Maybury, the second from 35 yards fumbled badly by Krysiak, Gretna looked as untroubled as they had in the opening half.

But as the week's events finally took their toll, they succumbed with 20 minutes left.

Miller converted a spot-kick he earned himself when he burst clear down the left before being bundled to the ground by Krysiak.

And two minutes later Nicholson drilled home the goal of the game.

He met a nice Lovell feed 22 yards out with the laces of his right boot and sent the ball flying past the on-loan Polish keeper.

Calderwood said: "Gretna played with a lot of spirit given the circumstances. We were on a hiding to nothing, though, and you could see we got nervous whenwe didn't break them early but the goal came at a vital time.

"Maguire wasn't a happy bunny that he came off at half time but the wee man's done well for us - we just needed a burst of pace to get beyond their line.

"And the second and third goals broke them.

"Now we need to win our next three games to make the top six - and even that might not be enough."

REF WATCH

DOUGIE McDONALD wasn't tested in a tame affair and let play flow. Issued just one yellow card, for dissent, although it came from a dodgy decision.

Rating: 7/10.