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Friday, 7 March 2008, 16:10 GMT

Gretna contemplate administration

Gretna caretaker manager Mick Wadsworth Gretna are considering going into administration as the Scottish Premier League's crisis-hit bottom club fights for survival.

Club officials emerged from a day of talks with insolvency experts Wilson Field Ltd to say that a final decision on Gretna's future had yet to be made.

But BBC Sport was informed that options would be considered over the weekend, with a statement likely on Monday.

Just 501 fans - a record SPL low - watched Thursday's match at Fir Park.

Speaking before Friday's meetings, chief executive Graeme Muir was hopeful that Gretna will not go into liquidation.

"I don't think it is just as bad as that, but we have a difficult situation at the club," he told BBC Sport.

"All we have done in the past few weeks is patch it up, but we are in a bit of a corner now"
Gretna caretaker manager Mick Wadsworth

"Does any club have a future when only 501 fans turn up?

"Dundee United did not bring many fans through, so I think many Scottish clubs are facing problems.

"We've been battling through the last three weeks and getting us to the end of the season is paramount."

Gretna's financial problems broke into the public domain when the club was late with player wages while owner Brooks Mileson was seriously ill in hospital.

"Thankfully, the payroll is up to date, but we have other creditors and we are trying to resolve that," said Muir.

Gretna have picked up just 16 points from 28 games in their first season in the top flight.

And, after Thursday's 3-0 defeat by Dundee United, Wadsworth could give no guarantees that Gretna would stay afloat until the end of the season.

"There's a lot of difficulty at the moment," he said.

"The finances and the survival of the club is on everyone's minds and that takes precedence. We are on a sticky wicket, put it that way.

"People have worked really hard to keep the thing going.

"All we have done in the past few weeks is patch it up, but we are in a bit of a corner now.

"I'm worried about the immediate future."

No money has been forthcoming from Mileson since he was discharged from hospital last month after being hit with a brain infection.

"Brooks is very ill," said Wadsworth. "We have no direct contact with Brooks.

"Everything is through Craig, his son, and it has been a tough call for Craig. We have got no financial assitance from that corner because Brooks is ill.

"If his illness is going to be long term then he has every right not to be worrying about a football club next season.

MY SPORT: DEBATE
" I hope Myles can make a full recovery. He and Gretna brought a lot to Scottish football"
clovisguy

"What we do hope is that we can cobble it together to get through this season so there is a graceful withdrawal if necessary.

"But our major hope is that he gets better and picks up the reins again, because without him we are in a very difficult situation."

Thursday's attendance was less than half the previous low between Gretna and Inverness and came after the match was postponed twice in six days.

"I think the SPL have let us down," said Wadsworth, whose club have been sharing a ground with Motherwell this season.

"To turn a game round in less than 48 hours when our public have got to travel the best part of a 200-mile round trip, I thought it was unfair. We wanted to play in a fortnight's time.

"I bet there were a lot of people who didn't know this game was on, Rangers and Everton were on telly, Bolton were probably on another channel."




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Related to this story:

Gretna 0-3 Dundee Utd (06 Mar 08 |  Scottish Premier )
Gretna finances still precarious (28 Feb 08 |  Gretna )
Gretna owner gets out of hospital (22 Feb 08 |  South of Scotland )
Gretna admit administration fear (19 Feb 08 |  Gretna )
Gretna players hit by pay delay (18 Feb 08 |  Gretna )

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