A second half hat-trick by Kenny Deuchar saw league leaders Gretna eventually run out comfortable winners against a spirited Stenhousemuir side by four goals to one.
The Warriors started promisingly, and Joe Savage tested Gretna keeper David Mathieson in the first minute of the game. The home side
took the lead in the third minute when Paul McGrillen gave the deftest of touches to help a David McInally corner into the net.
McGrillen then looked as if he had scored a second goal in the ninth minute, but he was adjudged to be offside. Gretna equalised in the 11th minute when a Derek Townsley shot took a wicked deflection that wrong-footed home keeper Willie McCulloch and landed in the net.
Just after this a hailstorm started and although brief caused the pitch to become tricky. Much of the play after this was scrappy,
but the home side came close to scoring once again when the luckless McGrillen saw a header beat David Mathieson but stick in the mud about a foot from the line, allowing Ryan McGuffie to clear.
Gretna took the lead in the 61st minute when Deuchar had a simple tap-in from a Steven Tosh cross after a clever free-kick from Townsley. Deuchar made it 3-1 with a glancing header in the 79th minute before scoring his third a minute later to put the game beyond doubt.