LONG-SERVING Gretna midfielder Gavin Skelton saw the club slip out of the Premier League on Saturday, and insists there are further battles ahead for players at the crisis club.
St Mirren pair Craig Dargo and Billy Mehmet scored the goals which condemned Gretna to the drop at Love Street. After Gretna recently entered administration, however, Skelton – who joined the club in their days as an English non-league side – conced
es the pain of relegation may soon be enhanced.
"I would be lying if I said it didn't bother me," said Skelton, 27. "We are desperate. People say we have nothing to play for, but we have our own future careers to play for, as well as the club. You never want to lose any game – not even a five-a-side in training.
"The pressure regarding relegation is off, but there is always pressure in football. We just have to look after ourselves as professionals and do the best we can.
It has been the week from hell."
He recalled how, on Tuesday, youth-team coach Iain Scott had to tell the players there would be redundancies the next day. "To say it killed training is an understatement," said Skelton. "I feel for the young lads who have come from all over Britain."
He added: "I think we have had a great time, the rollercoaster has been incredible, but I just hope for the supporters that there is still a club at whatever level."
Meanwhile, Dargo hinted at the promise of many more goals to come for St Mirren after finally breaking his duck for the Paisley side on his 14th appearance. The striker had been prolific for previous club Inverness Caledonian Thistle and also had a fair scoring record for Kilmarnock prior to his spell in the Highlands.
St Mirren team-mates had defended the 30-year-old, pointing to the goals he had created, but all the while there was nagging frustration for the player who was brought to Love Street by Gus MacPherson last summer.
"I suppose it is a bit of a relief to get the goal," Dargo admitted. "My all-round play has been quite decent but it's nice to score. It took me a wee while to get my first goal at Caley Thistle, but then I scored 35 goals in 50-odd games or so."
Dargo was running the show in the first half against a Gretna side who suspected they were condemned men weeks ago, a feeling which was effectively confirmed as the club's administrators axed 22 players barely 72 hours before the St Mirren fixture.
In a short spell after his 27th-minute opener, Dargo rifled two shots over the bar and another against the Gretna woodwork. Billy Mehmet later sealed victory by scoring shortly after half-time.
"Of course I enjoyed it," Dargo said. "It was nice and I thought the one that hit the post was going to sneak in. We knew Gretna were going to have a go at us. All credit to them, it's a hard circumstance these guys have got to play in."
The full article contains 531 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
