I ventured over the border to watch a Lowland League game between Gretna 2008 and Tranent FC from near Edinburgh.

I arrived at Gretna’s huge car park with 5 minutes till kick off and took some time negotiating the haphazard parking. Although it had been a glorious day the temperature had dropped to 14 degrees and with clear skies was expected to drop further.

The stadium has an all weather synthetic pitch which is very flat. There was a large seated covered stand at one end, a clubhouse for drink and food , changing room and a small covered seated stand down a side with fencing and no standing on the other side. The other end was open with just some flat standing.

The suffix 2008 gives a clue here to one of the most fascinating football   stories of the 21st century. I first remember noticing Gretna, a team in Scotland, playing in the English Northern Premier League and at the same time Berwick Ranger, a team in England, playing in the Scottish League system.

But Gretna’s situation was to change and propel them on a roller coaster journey with some amazing ups and downs. They decided to apply to join the Scottish Football league and successfully started in the Scottish third division for the 2002/03 season replacing Airdrieonians who had folded. Brooks Mileson who had made a lot of money in insurance and had invested in football teams decided that there could be an opportunity at Gretna having just failed to invest heavily in his adopted home of Carlisle.

There has been much writing about how with the injection of money they managed to gain three straight promotions to the Scottish Premiership, and appeared in a Scottish F.A. cup final on the way. Their appearance in the top tier of Scottish football shocked the game, they even qualified for Europe, but it had some drawbacks in that home games had to be played at Motherwell’s ground due to their own stadium not meeting grading regulations. A round trip of over 150 miles for home supporters from a town of around 3000 didn’t generate the money to pay for the team which had to be heavily subsidised by Brook Mileson and other board members. It couldn’t last and when Mileson became ill and the money stream dried up they were placed in administration in March 2008. By August 2008 the club was liquidated and in November Brook Mileson had died.

But local football fans did not want to see the club gone forever and formed Gretna 2008, initially playing in the East Of Scotland League but gaining entry to the Lowland league in 2013, where they sit today.

Tranent by contrast were formed in 1911 and were a continual force in Scottish Junior Football joining the Scottish Pyramid System in 2018;. After winning the premier league of the East of Scotland League they were promoted to the Lowland League where last season they won the Lowland League Cup.

Gretna 2008 F.C. 2 Tranent F.C. 2

Tuesday 17th September 2024 19.45 kick off. Scottish Lowland league.

Raydale Park, Dominion Road, Gretna, Dumfriesshire, DG16 5AP

Anvils v The Belters, 12th v 6th

Gretna; Black and white horizontal hooped shirts with black shorts: Tranent; All Royal Blue strip.

The game was fast and furious from the off with both teams going for a result. Gretna had the best of the early play forcing corners and using the full width of the pitch. I was impressed by the speed and skill of the teams and the engrossing play meant that the first half was over in a flash. Although Gretna had had the best of the play neither team had looked like scoring.

Within a minute of the restart some cross passing in front of goal led to Tranent taking the lead with a curling shot from Gray into the top right hand corner. Gretna were stunned and within 5 minutes it was 2 nil as Tranent’s midfield play moved the ball Mc Gowan who drilled the ball along the ground into the net. Tranent looked the most likely to score again as the half progressed although Gretna were still competing. With 10 minutes left the game turned when Gretna attacked down the right and the waist high cross was not cleared by a Tranent defensive mix up that allowed a Gretna player, Dean Brotherson, to sneak in to score. It was now game on and Gretna piled on the pressure and a few silly fouls and pushing by both teams only raised the temperature.

As some in the crowd made their way to the exit a brilliant cross from the right touch line was met by a Gretna forward unopposed at the back post to head the ball down into the net for two all. Although well into injury time there was still time for the referee to give a yellow card to a Gretna defender for dissent after a coming together of their goalkeeper and a Tranent forward. As this was his second yellow he was ordered off.

A great exciting half that shows real depth in Lowland football and makes a mockery of the very difficult entry opportunities into the SFL. Scottish football should restructure and open up their pyramid system. I really enjoyed the experience.

Unfortunately there were no chips so I had to partake of a Scotch pie. Not a fan of these I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it.