Why the Gretna dream is not good for the SPL

As with the top flight, the Scottish Football League Division One took a surprisingly long time to declare a winner this season. Twelve points clear at the top at the turn of the year, and scoring for fun, Gretna looked a shoe-in for the title and their third successive promotion.

But their subsequent wobble, coupled with St Johnstone's great run of form (they were fighting in both Cup competitions, too, remember) made for a thrilling last day of the season. It's heartbreaking for the Perth team, who have ended up with nothing after a season that promised so much. They got to the semi-finals of both the League and Scottish Cups, and pushed Hibernian and Celtic hard in both games, but eventually the better-resourced teams came through.

On Saturday, they got even closer - they beat Hamilton 4-3 in a pulsating game, and for five minutes were Division One champions as it stood. But then the news came through from Dingwall - Gretna had scored in the last minute through James Grady to go 3-2 up against Ross County, and back above the Saints in the table. They held on and took the title by a single point.

Gretna's rise has been meteoric. The former English non-League team have risen from Division Three to the SPL inside five seasons, and became the darlings of many last season when they got to the Scottish Cup Final, and only lost out to Hearts on penalties. Those same observers will now be hailing the romance of this small-town club earning its chance to play against the giants of the Scottish game next season. Eccentric owner Brooks Mileson has promised he will invest more of his fortune to ensure that Gretna will be able to hold their own in the SPL.