By Amanda Little

Last updated 10:30, Saturday, 03 May 2008

Nine-year-old Gretna fan Rufus Hodge knew what he had to do to help save his beloved club – he roped his dad into the fight for survival.

Rufus persuaded his dad Anton to take him to a supporters’ rally arranged to help save the stricken club, which is facing the threat of closure after going into administration with debts of nearly £4 million.

Now Anton is helping to lead the campaign to stop the Borderers disappearing completely off the football map after becoming secretary of the Gretna Supporters’ Society action group.

When father and son cheered their heroes on at Hampden Park in the 2006 Scottish Cup Final, they never dreamed that less than two years later it would be fighting for its very existence.

On Thursday, the administrators controlling the troubled club’s affairs will hold a creditors’ meeting, with 139 individuals and businesses owed money following the collapse of financial affairs at Raydale Park after owner Brooks Mileson ended his backing.

The outlook remains bleak for Gretna, and their fate could now be in the hands of creditors, who may call for a winding up order.

Anton and other members of the Gretna fans’ action group are frantically raising funds and whipping up support to ensure the club survives.

They have thrown their weight behind Glasgow football agent Paul Davies’ bid to buy the club and their chief aim is for Gretna to return to Raydale Park after a season ground-sharing at Motherwell, and play in the Scottish First Division next season following their relegation from the SPL.

If that fails and the administrator decides to shut the gates for a final time, the club, which won three successive championships, played at Hampden in front of 50,000 fans and qualified for the UEFA Cup during its fairytale rise to the SPL, will regain its anonymity by returning to its humble non-league roots.

Anton feels it would be a disaster if the club became extinct as he knows only too well its positive impact on the community.

He said: “We live near Brampton but Rufus is a staunch Gretna supporter. He became involved when coaches from the Football in the Community department went into his school to coach the youngsters.

“When the club went into administration, I was dragged to the Gretna Supporters’ Society meeting by Rufus and by the end of the meeting I was on the newly-formed action group.

“It would be terrible if Gretna no longer existed. I know it sounds twee, but the club is a strong part of the community and it matters to a lot of people.

“There was a real family atmosphere at Raydale Park with fans of all ages watching games with a light-hearted, friendly and non-threatening atmosphere. With small club, you get to know the players.

“The club has been criticised for not having big crowds but we were getting over 2,000 at Raydale Park in the First Division last season. You look at the likes of Brechin City, Cowdenbeath and East Fife – like Gretna they’re all important to their own community.

“When the Gretna Supporters’ Society called the public meeting, 150 fans turned up. We had a speaker from Supporters Direct to advise us and he had never seen such a good turn out of fans.

“We’ve had a fantastic time over the last four years with everything that has been achieved and it would be terrible to think that all the hard work could be thrown away.”

If Anton and fellow members of the action group could wave a magic wand, they would like to see Paul Davies and the businessmen backing him take control of Gretna.

Davies – the son of the club’s security chief Ken Davies – is one of three potential saviours and the Glasgow football agent and consultant wants to help establish a club which can be more self-sustaining instead of relying again on a wealthy benefactor.

The action group is trying to raise £35,000 through a gala evening, auction, donations and sponsored events to help bring Raydale Park up to standard so it can reach Scottish First Division stadium criteria.

Fans also want to secure a seat on the board in the future, and a proper shareholding to provide a new owner with extra resources.

It will be hard for fans to take, but there is a Plan B if Gretna faces the worst-case scenario and the administrator pulls the plug.

Anton said: “Our preferred option is that Paul Davies takes over but we are open-minded about that as another acceptable owner may come forward.

“We know we need the ground brought up to scratch and to get the necessary safety certificates and Ken Davies is advising us there.

“We would like to think we’ll be back at our own ground playing in the First Division next season. We’re in the dark about what is going to happen but the bottom line is that we would like to see football being played in Gretna. It might be we’ll be playing non-league in either England or Scotland.

“That’s not what we want but it’s better than nothing. The difficulty is there’s no pyramid system in Scottish football so we might never make it back to the Scottish League.

“There are a lot of bridges to be built, especially if you look who is on the list of creditors and we also need to build bridges with the local authority.

“Whatever happens at Gretna there will be a new regime. The important thing is that we’re back at Raydale, which has a place in people’s hearts.

“We want the club to be a part of the community again – because that’s how most of us became supporters.”