St Mirren manager Gus MacPherson has paid tribute to Gretna's patchwork team for making the most of their final games in the SPL.The teams meet for the third time on Wednesday, with Saints seeking a hat-trick of wins after clocking up two victories at Love Street.

Gretna's relegation from the SPL was confirmed just days after they docked 10 points for going into administration and a large number of players and staff have since been made redundant.

The Borders club were not even in a position to name a substitute goalkeeper on the bench at the weekend.

But MacPherson reckons their plucky performance against Inverness Caledonian Thistle served as a warning to his own players ahead of their clash at Fir Park.

He said: "We will go into the game in a confident frame of mind but the last two games were close, 1-0 and 2-0, so there wasn't a great deal in them.

"Gretna have to be given credit for their performances since all their trials and tribulations came to light.

"In their last three games - against Celtic, St Mirren and Inverness - they played very well and worked extremely hard.

"That was no surprise though.

"It hasn't been easy for them but they have gone about their business in the same way in terms of attitude."

Much has been made of the state of the Fir Park pitch this season and the Lanarkshire venue also has the dubious honour of twice witnessing the lowest crowd in the SPL's history thanks to their tenants.

The visit of Dundee United attracted a record low of 507 last month, before Saturday's clash with Caley Thistle attracted just 431.

But MacPherson insists there will be no excuses as far as his players are concerned.

He said: "Every game is difficult and our players are professional footballers who do the job and make sure they are prepared.

"They know it's going to be a difficult game and they have to approach it in the right manner.

"There may be an issue with the atmosphere and we know it's going to be different from the fantastic atmosphere at Easter Road.

"The problems with the surface have been well-documented also but there are a few pitches not in the best state at the moment so we know what to expect."

Saints were left shellshocked when Hibernian netted twice in the opening five minutes at Easter Road at the weekend.

But the Paisley club refused to crumble and only the heroics of goalkeeper Andy McNeil prevented them from leaving Edinburgh with a share of the spoils.

MacPherson was thrilled with the attitude of his men and has called for more of the same against Gretna.

"The spirit is very good," he said.

"I felt we played pretty well on Saturday after a poor start and, after the first 20 minutes, we held our own and created a few chances.

"If I get a similar performance to the second half at Easter Road in tomorrow night's game I'll be pleased."

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