Last updated 12:15, Monday, 07 April 2008

Gretna 1 Inverness CT 2: Just when it seemed as if Gretna had sunk as low as they could this season, they plumbed new depths on Saturday.

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Only 431 hardy souls turned out to watch the crisis-hit Borderers in their hour of need, saddling the club with the added ignominy of attracting the lowest-ever SPL attendance.

It was hardly surprising given the farcial build-up to a game which was in danger of not going ahead as Gretna continue to hover precariously on the brink of extinction.

Gretna’s financial crisis meant they didn’t even have a keeper on the bench, which was filled with kids no one’s ever heard of. Nor do they have a recognised striker. Full-back Kyle Naughton was forced to play up front.

These are desperate days indeed since owner Brooks Mileson walked away from his once beloved Borderers.

Yet once again adversity seems to bring out the best in Gretna’s players and Saturday’s scorer Craig Barr admitted the only time they can switch off from their troubles is during 90 minutes on the pitch.

"It’s a horrible situation,” admitted the youngster, whose late goal almost helped Gretna battle back for a point.

“We don’t know if we’re going to be paid or if games will go ahead. It would have been easy for us to give up but we’ve shown it’s not letting it bother us.

“Playing games is the only way we can escape from it all. It’s awkward because friends and family keep asking questions about it and the only chance to switch off is to go out and do what you love, which is play football. It’s the stuff off the pitch which is difficult.”

Barr saw nine senior players and 12 youth team members ruthlessly axed by the administrator controlling the club’s affairs in a bid to cut costs.

The former Blackburn Rovers starlet survived the cull and not he is just hoping to club can survive after fresh speculation the plug will be pulled after Wednesday night’s clash with St Mirren.

He said: “We all had to weigh up our options in case of the worst case scenario but I wouldn’t have wanted to leave Gretna.

“If it wasn’t for this club, I wouldn’t have won a First Division championship medal and I wouldn’t have had a chance to play in the SPL. That’s all I’ve ever wanted to do.

“We’ve heard rumours we may not get beyond Wednesday but we will have to wait until them to see if it’s true.”

Instead of raising the white flag, Gretna’s played instead rolled up their sleeves on Saturday with a typically gutsy display.

Goalkeeper Greg Fleming was again outstanding. No wonder Motherwell and Falkirk are keen.

The agile and brave youngster thwarted both Dennis Wyness and Phil McGuire early on with point-blank saves, before Markus Paatelainen then cracked a drive off the post, leaving Inverness boss Craig Brewster throwing his arms up in despair.

Paatelainen the missed a sitter when David Proctor burst through and his effort was saved by Fleming. The ball fell to Wyness who rolled it invitingly along the goal-line with Paatelainen just a yard away, but the Finn bewilderingly left it and the ball tricked wide.

Then Gretna had to survive a penalty scare when referee Mike Tumilty pointed to the spot after Abdul Osman handled the ball.

But the referee changed his mind after consulting with the far-side assistant and instead awarded a free kick on the edge of the box, which Don Cowie blasted wide.

With Caley Thistle’s feckless frontline ruing their missed chances, Gretna sensed that the game was there for the taking. John Paul Kissock went close just after the re-start but his 20-yard effort ricocheted off the woodwork.

Gretna’s dogged resistance was broken on 71 minutes when Dougie Imrie set up two goals for Inverness in the space of a minute.

First, he set up Roy McBain who rifled home a powerful shot on 71 minutes and then slipped the ball through for Don Cowie, who beat Fleming at the second attempt with a 15-yard volley.

Gretna’s heads didn’t go down and Barr gave them renewed hope on 81 minutes.

Caley keeper Michael Fraser failed to hold Kyle Naughton’s stinging shot and Barr tapped home the rebound.

MATCH FACTS

Gretna: Fleming, Griffiths, Skelton, Barr, Meynell, Osman, McGill, Deverdics (Wilkinson, 77), Naughton, Kissock (Taylor, 85), Murray (Hogg, 77), subs (not used): Schultz-Eklund, Fisher, Robinson and Sharples.

Inverness: Fraser, Tokely, McGuire, McBain, Wilson, Imrie, Cowie, Hastings, Wyness (McAllister, 83), Paatelainen (Hart, 83), subs (not used): Malkowski, Gillespie, Kerr, Vigurs and Duff.

Referee: Mike Tumilty

Crowd: 431

Goals: McBain, 71; Cowie, 72; Barr, 81

Bookings: Osman (foul), Tokely (dissent), Imrie (diving)

STAR MAN: Greg Fleming - But for woeful finishing by Caley Thistle’s forwards and an outstanding display by the young keeper, Gretna could have been on the receiving end of a thrashing.

KEY MOMENT: This game was there for the taking and, if John Paul Kissock had scored just after half-time, it would have been an entirely different outcome.