Gretna resigned from the Scottish Football League

Gretna have resigned from the Scottish Football League, the League confirmed today.

SFL A spokesman said: "I received this morning to reveal the Gretna FC administrator of the resignation of Scottish League football with immediate effect.

"I accepted this resignation on behalf of the Scottish Football League and accordingly, we now have a vacancy in the third division and are looking for candidates".

Gretna the resignation of the promise of a busy summer for the SFL and potential candidates for the vacancy in the IRN Bru-Third Division.

The SFL have set a deadline of Thursday, June 12 prospective new clubs to apply for admission.

The Management Committee SFL then visit each applicant club by Friday, June 27.

Applicant clubs will then be invited, following the assessment, to submit their plans and activities of football at all 29 members of the SFL at an extraordinary general meeting to be held at Hampden Park on Thursday, July 3.

The 29 SFL clubs then vote on the day to decide which club has been invited to join the SFL as a third division club after the 2008-09 season.

East of Scotland side Spartans are early favorites to become the latest members of the SFL.

The Director General Derick Rodier said earlier in the week that the Edinburgh is expected to Gretna deceased to be formalized.

He said: "We are at the beginning of preparations in case an application process. It is tentative, but we expect different things.

"We are moving to our new Ainslie Park ground in summer and the field will be ready by the end of August.

"The soil is SFL-standard, it has a 500-seat stand and a capacity between 2500 and 3000.

"We have the third generation Astroturf pitches for training and which will also be used by the Spartans Academy.

"Our long-term goal is always to take the SPL, but we're not counting all those chickens.

"I'm not sure we will be favourites to get in, I do not know which other clubs are interested.

"But what we have to do is make sure we are ready to apply".

East of Scotland League rivals Annan are also interested in buying Gretna, but projectors are to be built in their Galabank ground.

Annan has embarked on an upgrade from their soil after Peterhead and Elgin beat them in both places offered extra SFL in 2000.

Secretary of the club Alan Irving said: "We have a new 500-seat stand and concrete terraces to the four corners of the earth.

"The only stumbling block could be the flood.

"We have a building permit for them and we were in the throes of trying to obtain financing before it blew up. Who was scheduled to occur this year. "