Reports that Gretna’s players were ready to go on strike this weekend, and force the postponement or even cancellation of the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match with Celtic, were denied yesterday by the man who is trying to salvage careers for the footballers inside Scotland’s most troubled club.

Fraser Wishart, the chief executive of PFA Scotland, met the Gretna squad yesterday at Raydale Park to inform them of the progress of a special Fifa dispensation that he is seeking on their behalf to help them to find new teams after the basement club’s move into administration.

However, the footballers’ union leader insisted that he knew nothing about plans to withdraw their labour on Sunday because of unpaid wages, putting the game against Celtic at Almondvale and the club’s future in doubt.

“I did not discuss strike action with the players and they did not bring it up with me,” Wishart said. “The players will be left up to their own individual decision about whether they play against Celtic, just as they were last week at Aberdeen.

“Of greater importance to them is the special Fifa dispensation. I have been working on that with Fifa to ensure that they are declared free agents before the closure of the transfer deadline in England in eight days’ time and 13 days in Scotland. If they have that freedom, they would hold their destiny in their own hands.”

The Gretna players are concerned that David Elliott, the administrator, could not give assurances that their contracts would be honoured until the end of the season. Gretna staff have been handed some unpaid wages by the administrator this week. It amounted to 55 per cent of one week’s pay, but they are still owed two full weeks plus bonuses.

Gretna had been confident that they would survive until this weekend, despite uncertainty over the future of their players. Chris Innes, Paul Murray and Greg Fleming did not play in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat away to Aberdeen as they did not want to jeopardise moves to other clubs.

Players are free to leave. Their contracts were breached by the wages nonpayment, but doubts about their ability to move on are causing problems. “Next week’s game is not in question and it will go ahead, that’s the impression we have,” a club spokesman said. “However, if other clubs come in for some of our players, there might be a few more losses.”

Celtic had welcomed the decision to move their Premier League game against Gretna to Almondvale. The SPL announced the move after a day of talks about the continuing problems at Gretna’s temporary home, Fir Park.

Celtic expressed their disappointment after their rearranged league game against Motherwell was called off on Saturday morning. So they were pleased that the uncertainty for fans had been averted for this week.

A Celtic spokesman said: “We obviously sympathise with our own supporters over the upheaval they’ve suffered with fixtures, and we welcome the SPL’s early decision on a venue for our match with Gretna.”

Celtic’s game with Motherwell has yet to be rescheduled after Saturday’s postponement - the eighth at Fir Park in two months amid drainage problems and heavy rain. And the Motherwell-Rangers game, postponed because of the CIS Insurance Cup final, must also be rearranged. The SPL has five games unscheduled before the split on April 5 and Lex Gold, the chief executive, said: “This is the most difficult and unprecedented fixture situation we’ve faced.”