Last updated 11:40, Wednesday, 07 May 2008

FOR SALE: Ailing football club.

In ideal location with splendid views over the Solway Firth, but dilapidated ground in need of full modernisation.

No players, small fan base, no youth structure, huge debts but plenty of potential to be a homely, little community club. Previous owner desperate to sell. Deadline for bids - next week.

Any takers? Anyone? Come on - surely there must be someone!

Buying Gretna must be about as appealing as a night out on tap water with Gordon Brown.

Tomorrow marks another pivotal moment in the club’s battle for survival as creditors, who claim they are owed nearly £4million, will meet with administrators controlling the stricken club’s affairs. And, unless a new saviour comes forward, the gates could be locked for good, with the club put into liquidation.

The array of silverware, pioneering spirit and colourful characters epitomising Gretna’s incredible journey from the Scottish Third Division to the SPL will become a distant memory.

What makes their plight all the sadder is that all the hard graft put in by coaches and players has all spectacularly unravelled and the heart and soul ripped out of the club by shocking mis-management behind the scenes.

Gretna will probably never recapture the glory days of reaching the Scottish Cup Final and winning three successive championships, but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth saving.

Little clubs like Gretna, Brechin City, East Fife and Montrose are all important to their community.

If a new owner is brave enough and wealthy enough to come to their rescue, the Borderers could be rebuilt, reinstated at Raydale Park and sustained as a small community club playing in Division One or Two.

Any takers?