Big day beckons Gretna after semi-final victory

Gretna's meteoric rise up the football ladder reached new heights yesterday when they beat Dundee 3-0 to reach the Scottish Cup final.

The club from a small town of 3,000 inhabitants just over the border with England plays in the third tier of Scottish football and last week celebrated sealing the Division Two title.

They were admitted to the Scottish Football League only in 2002 and can now look forward to a Cup final against Edinburgh heavyweights Hearts or Hibernian who play today.

It will be the first Scottish Cup final not featuring either Glasgow giants Rangers or Celtic since 1997.

"This is unbelievable...it never ends does it?" manager Rowan Alexander said. "That was our Cup final, never mind what happens now. We looked strong in the second half and we have churned it out and churned it out."

Kenny Deuchar rounded Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Kelvin Jack to slot an angled drive into the net in first half stoppage time.

Ryan McGuffie made it 2-0 after 57 minutes from the penalty spot after he was brought down by Bobby Mann.

Dundee skipper Barry Smith turned the ball into his own net for Gretna's third after 81 minutes.

"It's absolutely magnificent," said striker James Grady. "At the start of the season we were looking to win the league, but to get to the Scottish Cup final, it's absolutely fantastic."