Last updated 19:42, Thursday, 10 July 2008

WORKINGTON Reds play their first pre-season friendly tomorrow - against re-formed Gretna.

Stuart Rome, who managed Reds’ reserves side for three years, is the new Gretna manager.

Also, Reds manager Darren Edmondson was with the Scottish club until joining the Borough Park side.

Rome admits it will be a proud moment when his resurrected home-town outfit Gretna play Reds.

He said: “I had three fantastic years at Workington, and made a lot of good friends among supporters.

“It was a wrench to leave. But I have lived in Gretna for 48 years, and to lose its football club after 65 years would have been so sad.

“We are still waiting confirmation where we’ll be playing next season. We have applied to join both the East and South of Scotland Leagues.

“And we just want to sustain ourselves, whichever league we are playing in. It’s not a case of going in singing and dancing. We want to be low key.”

In arranging the friendly, Edmondson was also keen to help Ron McGregor, chairman of the old Gretna club, and wife Helen, who the Reds boss knew during his time at Raydale.

Reds travel to face Farsley Celtic in the first round of the Setanta Shield Northern Section to be played in the week starting September 8.