retired_blacko

Padraic Kennedy sat dumbstruck in the centre circle of Raydale Park, the sprinklers soaking him at regular intervals. It was all falling down around him. The welcome for Ederson had been brief. The Brazilian had taken a look around the stadium and decided Gretna was not for him. He revealed he had been late because of a stopoff at Wigan. He was to join the English side the next day. Kennedy didn’t understand how he did it at all. In some massive oversight, Ederson had apparently only signed an hour long contract, leaving him free to leave the club sometime after he set foot in the dressing rooms.

On top of that, Brooks Mileson had gone behind his back and released his first choice left back Lee Maddison. Kennedy knew that his assistant, Peter Beardsley was not a big fan of Maddison and had spoken to him several times about replacing him. But this was sickening. Beardsley had informed Mileson of his concerns and Maddison’s contract was terminated with immediate effect. He knew he now needed not only a new left back but an assistant whom he could trust as well.

Despite all of this, Kennedy knew he still held the upperhand. For Ederson was not the only Brazilian set to arrive at Raydale Park. Barring problems with a work permit, there would a South American face at Gretna rather soon.

retired_blacko

Wednesday 20th June 2005-05-10

St.Johnstone 1-0 Gretna Pre-Season Friendly

Padraic Kennedy was satisfied with his team’s first effort of the new season. His players had outplayed their St.Johnstone counterparts. They had been beaten by a Martyn Fotheringham free-kick.An excellent free kick but apart from that Gretna dominated. Luke Ibbotson and Kenny Deuchar were both guilty of missing good chances. In midfield David Noble was on top of things, controlling the flow of the game and putting his strikers through on goal on numerous occasions.

There was a debut from Scott Mc Laughlin. The 21 year old full back had been drafted in as a replacement for Lee Maddison. His signature from Livingston had caused controversy with the player declaring he wanted the team to be built around him. Kennedy played it down but in private it was just another blow in a week when Gavin Skelton missed training. He apologised soon after but under the surface there was still a lot of tension bubbling under the surface.

There has been little movement in the transfer window. Kennedy has taken his time in strengthening his squad. Doncaster’s Luke Steele turned down a chance to join the club and no other names have been leaked yet.

Gretna Line Up:1 David Mathieson,2 David Van Zanten,3 Jamie McQuilken, 4 Stewart Greacen, 5 Chris Innes,6 Steven Tosh,7 Ryan Baldacchino,8 Fergus Tiernan,9 David Noble, 10 Kenny Deuchar,11 Luke Ibbotson
Subs: David Graham for Tosh, David Bingham for Ibbotson, Michael Smith for Innes, Scott McLaughlin for Jamie McQuilken, Richard Prokas for Tiernan.

Attendance: 446

shannon2007

Dont worry too much about mistakes, we all make them. If its something overly bad that you feel ruins the flow of the story as one of the mods to sort it in the mod requests thread, but dont overly fuss

retired_blacko

I've done my last few bits in Word so thats cut down on them. They happen to me more often than not though

retired_blacko

It was a wet day in Gretna. 30 degrees and wet. The pitch at Raydale Park was in almost perfect condition for that afternoon’s game. Gretna were set to host Morton in the Challenge Cup first round. The season officially started here and Padraic Kennedy had every intention of starting on a good note.

Last year their cup form had been poor. Beaten by Raith in the Challenge Cup, they made the third round of the League Cup by an Aberdeen side which proved too strong for the Third Division underdogs. In fact their Scottish Cup campaign had ended at Morton’s Cappielow Park. Stewart Greacen, Morton’s captain that day was set to start in black and white this time and Kennedy knew that Morton were not the same team that had coasted to the Second Division title three months earlier.

With two hours to go until kick-off, the buzz of excitement was already building up around the ground. The most dedicated fans had commenced trickling into their seats from the local pubs. Banners and flags adorned the railings on all sides of the pitch adding some colour to the atmosphere.

There had been plenty of talk in the local papers in the days after the friendly with St.Johnstone. Reporters keen to see what changes had been made to the side were left mostly disappointed with the few additions that had been made. There was still no sign of a new goalkeeper, Alan Main had been released from the club and the Scot had made his way to Boston United.

Padraic Kennedy once again found himself sitting in the boardroom. He knew his tactics by know, it was four four two all the way. But selection problems still existed. Who to play beside Deuchar the main issue. New contracts had been handed out to many players who were set to be free agents in June 2006 and David Bingham was among them. Kennedy had been looking forward to this match for some time now. He was relishing the challenge of stepping up to the next level. Although he wasn’t quite sure how big the jump in quality was he had determined that Morton were the benchmark for talent in the Second Division. If they could match Greenock, they would have little trouble disposing of the other sides in the division.

He was confident the players he had at his disposal would be at ease this season and that was the reason for the lack of movement in the transfer window. He was still searching goalkeepers, but saw an ending coming soon. Talks with Irish keeper Nick Colgan had been going well and the deal looked all but done. The 31 year old international had been released by Barnsley in the summer and seemed pleased if not relieved that Gretna had come in for him. That was not the only deal being bartered at this point. Brazilian Naldo, also of RS Futebol had agreed terms with the Third Division champions. But the stumbling block had come with the work permit, or lack of one. It had gone to appeal and a decision was expected on the first of August.

Still, Kennedy was upbeat, pre-season had gone well with everyone looking in good shape. The fitness levels were quite high and chronic hangovers were definitely not as noticeable as the summer beforehand. A knock on the door announced the arrival of Brooks Mileson. The chairman had been away for the previous three days, sunning himself in the upmarket resort of Skegness. Kennedy was on one hand happy he was back. He would take care of some the more menial business that needed to be attended to on matchday but also felt he lost a little bit of his control when the Chairman stepped back into the boardroom.

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Kenny Deuchar was on his way to Raydale Park. His three-roomed apartment was only ten minutes away from his place of work. This was the part he liked most, the build-up to a new season. He loved the excitement etched on the face of every fan. He always walked to the ground on home matchdays. It was his kind of pre-match ritual. He took great delight in bumping into fans on their way to their pre-match drinks or in fact the stadium itself.

More so than other places, the town of Gretna hinged on its football team. In the past this had not been the case but since Brooks Mileson’s arrival the whole population took pride in the team. And because it was such a small community, Deuchar felt like just another village resident. He and the other players who lived locally were as much a part of the town as anyone’s neighbours or family. He had come to Gretna to get away from his life in Fife. Too many painful memories lay in that town and the people of Gretna had made him feel at home immediately.

He approached the gates of Raydale Park with a smile on his face, things were good and with any luck he would carry on his goalscoring blitz today

retired_blacko

Saturday 13th August 2005-05-11

Ross County 1-3 Gretna

Victoria Park Attendance : 5943

Man Of The Match : Stewart Greacen

Goals: Gretna: Deuchar (8), Greacen(25), Bingham(pen 88)
Ross County : Burke(pen 80)

Referee : Scott Brown

Twelve days earlier Ross County and Gretna had been made joint favourites for promotion at odds of 4-6. So the opening game of the Second Division season could well end up being the most important. For Padraic Kennedy and Gretna it had been a mixed two weeks since the Challenge Cup defeat to Morton. 2-1 had been a poor result but they played well and the game had given Kennedy a good indication of what needed to be changed and who his first choice eleven would be.

Nick Colgan signed on the third and he took his place between the sticks. Other good news was that the signing of Naldo had been agreed to go through on the first of January.

Kenny Deuchar had been a doubt for this game after picking up an injury in training but he was declared fit to start and it was he who opened the scoring on eight minutes. David Noble turned beautifully on the ball in midfield and fed a delightful through ball to Deuchar who duly rocketed the ball into the roof of the net.

Tempers ran high throughout the game and there were yellow cards for both teams within ten minutes of kick off. A throw in on the left-hand side of the pitch resulted in Gretna’s second. Taken quickly by Ryan Baldacchino, he found Luke Ibbotson who layed it off for Baldacchhino to cross for Stewart Greacen to head home from six yards. Both Deuchar and Noble were guilty of missing chances before the break.

Half-Time : Padraic Kennedy was satisfied with his teams efforts in the first half. They had been downbeat after the loss to Morton but seemed to have picked themselves up well. His teamtalk was brief. Just the usual, keep it tight at the back and take any chances that arose. He was concerned at some of the tackles that were flying in but chose to let it go. His main concerns were for Deuchar who he knew wouldn’t last much longer. But he bell interrupted his thoughts and the teams headed back to the pitch.

The first chance of the second half fell to Ross County but Gary Mc Swegan couldn’t direct his shot on target. On sixty two minutes a reckless challenge from Luke Ibbotson was rewarded with a second yellow card and Gretna were down to ten men. David Bingham had just replaced Deuchar and now he was alone up front. Ross County pressed but couldn’t break down the Gretna defence which had fallen deeper and deeper until Greacen brought down Alex Burke in the area. Burke converted the resulting penalty to make it 2-1.

This triggered a Gretna revival with Bingham causing all sorts of problems dropping back into the hole. David Noble won a free kick on the edge of the box. Bingham hit the post but when the rebound fell to Noble he was held back. Bingham slotted home the second penalty of the afternoon.

The final whistle blew and Kennedy heaved a sigh of relief. He felt vindicated on his suspicions of the quality of the Second Division. He was disappointed with Ibbotson’s sending off but knew he had only himself to blame for not calming the youngster down.

Team:

Gretna

N.Colgan
S.McLaughlin
D.Van Zanten
S.Greacen
C.Innes
R.Baldacchino
S.Tosh
F.Tiernan
D.Noble
K.Deuchar
L.Ibbotson

Subs:

D.Bingham for K.Deuchar
D.Mathieson
M.Smith
D.Graham
J.McQuilken

retired_blacko

Kenny Deuchar’s small apartment was in a mess. Clothes were strewn across the floor, various pieces of leftover food lay on plates on lockers and tables everywhere. The answering machine buzzed to record yet another message from the secretary at the club. The man himself could be found buried under five layers of blankets and sheets on the sofa. Padraic Kennedy had given him Friday off to get his head right for Saturday’s game against East Fife.

The gam had already started off the pitch the day before with Fife boss Jim Moffat categorically stating that Gretna would not gain promotion and he intended to hammer home this point on Saturday with a victory. Kennedy was quick on the warpath slamming Moffat, offering east Fife as candidates for relegation and displaying his now infamous arrogance declaring his side would unquestionably win promotion and the league title.

But this media battle was not what troubled Deuchar. He had scored twice the previous Saturday as Gretna disposed of Berwick 3-0 at home. He dreaded games against East Fife, they only served to bring back his past.

Two years ago, Deuchar had been playing with Fife. He was knocking in goals for fun, 11 in the first 12 league games. He just been married to his girlfriend, Laura and they were expecting their first puppy at Christmas. Things were superb until Deuchar set eyes on Fife’s new canteen manager, Gladys Hughes. The seventy three-year-old pensioner was a local woman hired by the club to cook for the players as money was tight. Deuchar was immediately attracted to her short, thinning grey hair and the way she took five minutes to construct a logical sentence.

The affair was brief, the couple rendezvousing at a local motel to conduct their infidelity. But after two weeks, Hughes broke off the relationship. She was being moved to a retirement home by her uncaring daughter (her husband had passed away the year before). She did however have time before she left to sell her tale to a notorious tabloid.

The morning after Deuchar helped Fife to a 1-0 victory at home, Hughes broke the news of her imminent departure to him. The next day her kiss and tell was the lead story all across Scotland. Deuchar went into a downward spiral, his wife left him, gaining custody of the newly born puppy and Deuchar’s beloved goldfish “Sammy”. His goals dried up, he failed to score again that season. By the summer, East Fife had had enough of their striker who no longer looked like any sort of a footballer.

Luckily, Padraic Kennedy took him under his wing and with the aid of Brooks Mileson’s pockets, Deuchar became a Gretna player. He spent the summer keeping a low profile and by the time the first game of the season came around, he was scoring goals again. But whenever Fife were mentioned around him there was an awkward silence, everyone conscious of Deuchar’s past. He knew he had to try and forget but it was too hard. East Fife was where he lost the only two women he ever loved. He knew he had to focus on the game, but how could he when he would be surrounded by players and coaches who reminded him only of his time with Gladys Hughes?

retired_blacko

Brooks Mileson chuckled to himself. In fact chuckled is too weak a word. Let's start again...

Brooks Mileson laughed demonically to himself. Hmmmm. Not quite right either...

Brooks Mileson sold drugs to children, tripped up an old lady with a zimmer frame and roared with delight at a cat getting run over. Perfect.

The chairman was in a particularly jubilant mood. He always loved releasing players, if only for the look on their faces as he ripped up a £5000 weekly contract with their names on it. Todays victims had been two reserves who had no purpose but to take money out of his pocket.

He was doubly excited at the prospect of East Fife at home. Raydale Park would be the place to be tomorrow afternoon. The games between the two sides were always lively and Mileson could predict blood being spilt.

"Deborah!",he called at his secretary.

"Yes, sir", came the speedy reply

"You're fired. Get yuor stuff and get out. You have five minutes."

God, he thought to himself, I love redundancy Fridays.

retired_blacko

27th August 2005

Gretna 2-0 East Fife

At Raydale Park

Attendance : 783

Referee : Campbell Carson

The buildup to this game had been wild as Kennedy and Moffat lambasted each other in the press. Both teams had full squads and neither manager was willing to concede even an inch of ground so early in the season.

The Gretna team sat silently in the dressing room. Padraic Kennedy stood in the centre barking some late instructions to his back four. He knew this game was crucial to Gretna’s season. He didn’t like losing, not East Fife, Brazil or anyone. He had no injury worries and still held the firm belief that a full strenght Gretna squad could comfortably take anything that was thrown at them. His team talk was nothing unusual just the same cliched comments. He loved this feeling of anticipation.

First Half

It was a slow start to the first half, little action as both teams looked nervous on the ball. Ryan Baldacchino received a yellow card on 20 minutes for a diving and suddenly the game burst into life. East Fife missed a great chance and then came Gretna’s first goal.


Good work from Baldacchino down the left won him some space and his pinpoint cross found Steven Toshat the back post who nodded the ball back into the far corner. Kennedy heaved a sigh of relief. The scores stayed same until half time as East Fife wasted another chance.

Second Half

A bright Gretna start led to chances for Baldacchino and Innes but both failed to hit the target. With 15 minutes to play another David Bingham’s jinking runs won Gretna a free kick 25 yards from goal. Up stepped David Noble who whipped the ball into the far corner. 2-0 and Kennedy knew it was all over. He began warming up subs. Kenny Deuchar was replaced by Ibbotson and David Graham was brought to add some pace to midfield. Deuchar had looked off the pace all afternoon but Kennedy knew it was nothing to be overly worried about.

The referee whistled to bring an uncomfortable game to an end. There was a handshake between the two bosses but it appeared awfully forced and the papers the next morning would bring more uncourteous comments from both parties.

Gretna Team

N.Colgan
D.Van Zanten
S. NcLaughlin
C. Innes
S. Greacen
S. Tosh
R. Baldacchino
R. Prokas
D. Noble
K. Deuchar
D. Binghma

Subs

D. Graham for S. Tosh
L. Ibbotson for K. Deuchar
M. Smith
D. Nicholls
D. Mathieson

retired_blacko

4th September 2005

New Assistant At Gretna

At a press conference this morning, Gretna manager Padraic Kennedy announced 49 year old Wolfgang Grobe as his new assistant. The experienced German brings a wealth of tactical knowledge to the club. His man management skills are also believed to be a major factor in Kennedy’s decision.

Grobe takes over from Peter Beardsley who was sacked after a falling out with Kennedy over player issues.

At the conference Grobe stated he was delighted to be at Gretna and was looking forward to working with the players on a daily basis,

“ When offered the job by Padraic, I was more than happy to join. Gretna is an adventurous club and I feel honoured to take a part in their campaign.

I hope I can bring something different to the club. New ideas and hopefully we can continue moving Gretna forward. I am relishing training on Monday morning just to get a feel for the club.”