Jenkins sees a brighter future ahead for Gretna

The Gretna midfielder Allan Jenkins is targeting success in a league within a league after his historic winner against Dundee United on Saturday.

The former Stranraer player rose at the back post to head home four minutes from time to give Gretna a 3-2 victory, their first in the Scottish Premier League. And, with the opening win under their belt, Jenkins believes Gretna can now assert their authority in the lower reaches of the SPL.

"I think we have got to be realistic and realise where we have come from and the standard of opposition," he said. "But, in the same breath, I don't think you can settle for thinking, 'Right, let's finish second bottom.' Safety is the main aspect, obviously, but we can strive to finish as high as possible. With the league being as tight as it is so far, we can get as high as possible."

He added: "We're not going to kid ourselves and say we're going to finish third or fourth. We are realistic enough to know that perhaps it will be between three or four teams down the bottom in a mini- league, so to speak. Hopefully, we can finish on top of that."

Gretna's full-back David Cowan scored a first-half double to cancel out Prince Buaben's early opener and the game seemed destined to finish level after Lee Wilkie headed home a 65th-minute corner. But Jenkins came off the bench to hit the winner and he felt his side deserved their break after six winless games.

"It was a pretty even game, but we have been due a result," the 25-year-old said. "We were due a wee turn of luck – we have been unfortunate in a few games."