By Patrick Hill

Last updated at 09:56, Friday, 07 March 2008

CRISIS club Gretna could be hit by an instant two-division demotion – if they get relegated from the Scottish Premier League.

Graeme Muir

The Black and Whites need a history-making comeback if they are to avoid dropping out of the SPL after just one season.

They are now 11 points adrift of second bottom St Mirren with 11 games left but Gretna still have to play the Paisley club three times before the end of the season.

The Scottish Football League is considering its options amid fears that Gretna’s Raydale Park home would not be fit to meet the First Division’s minimum stadium requirements in time for the start of next season.

SFL chiefs have a number of concerns, including the capacity, the floodlights, the toilet and catering facilities and the fact Raydale Park doesn’t have a safety certificate.

It is understood they first outlined the required improvements when Gretna won promotion from the Second Division in May 2006.

David Longmuir, the SFL’s chief executive, has now written to the club demanding to see their plans to upgrade Raydale, in case they finish bottom of the SPL.

The league’s eight person management committee – made up of representatives from Partick Thistle, Airdrie, Livingston, Hamilton, Cowdenbeath, Alloa, Arbroath and Dumbarton – will also discuss the issue in more depth later this month.

An SFL insider told The Cumberland News: “There’s no telling what could happen at this stage. It’s all ifs and buts but it’s absolutely right to suggest that relegation to the Second Division is a possibility.

“The problem is that there’s no precedent for this because it isn’t something we’ve dealt with before. We never envisaged that a club relegated from the SPL could have a stadium not up to First Division standard.

“At the minute they’re still members of the SPL but we can’t leave it until the end of the season because we need to start planning ahead. They’ll be asked to outline their plans within the next few weeks.”

Gretna chief executive Graeme Muir said the club are aware of the SFL’s concerns and are working to resolve them.

He said: “We already have a full club licence which many clubs don’t have and we have every intention of getting a safety certificate for Raydale Park.”

Meanwhile, SPL chief Iain Blair has defended the decision to allow Gretna to ground share with Motherwell this season. He insisted there are no plans to ban SPL clubs from sharing grounds in future, despite both clubs encountering severe problems with the Fir Park pitch.

“There are no more games being played at Fir Park this year than last year,” said Blair.

“Last year Motherwell reserves were playing there so there are exactly the same number of games being played.

“To say there is a policy one way or the other is inaccurate. Each case will be viewed on its merit.”

n Gretna were in SPL action in their re-arranged game against Dundee United at Fir Park last night.

First published at 01:31, Friday, 07 March 2008
Published by http://www.newsandstar.co.uk