Gordon Strachan last night dismissed suggestions that the season should be extended in order to accommodate outstanding league and cup matches – a suggestion that Martin Bain, the Rangers chief executive, is in favour of due to the Ibrox club’s backlog of matches.

Rangers, with a domestic backlog combined with Uefa Cup duties which could mean the club playing four matches in eight days, are believed to be in favour of an extension. But the Celtic manager adamantly batted the suggestion away when it was put to him after his side’s 3-0 defeat of Gretna. “I think we should just get on with it,” Strachan said. “In 1983 at Aberdeen guys like Willie Miller played something like 73 games [during Aberdeen’s Cup Winners’ Cup run] and I don’t think the season was extended for that. So we would advocate that we all just get on with it.”

Strachan also lamented the three-match ban that Scott Brown, the midfield player, has incurred following his booking yesterday, a fate which means that Brown will miss the third Old Firm meeting of the season, scheduled for April 16, though he will be eligible to play against Rangers at Ibrox on Saturday.

Strachan hinted at frustration over Brown’s on-field discipline – he was booked at Almondvale for an inconsequential challenge. Without Brown, the Celtic manager could be forced to turn again to Massimo Donati, a player he omitted from his squad yesterday. “He [Brown] has to deal with his own indiscretions,” Strachan said. “We will miss him but I’m sure he will miss the game. If it was an unnecessary booking today, then he has to make sure he learns from it and cuts it out of his game. He’ll now miss three games, which could have been avoided.”

Strachan admitted that his team could play far better than they did. “The display was not great, but the result was very good,” he said. “Our performance on Tuesday [against Aberdeen] was far better, but we got the three points. So we’re happy with the form, though the performance can get better.”

Strachan confirmed that Scott McDonald, substituted with a calf injury, will pull out of Australia’s World Cup qualifier with China this week.

Meanwhile, Mick Wadsworth, the Gretna coach, confirmed that further departures from the club were taking place, despite Thursday’s loan to Gretna by the SPL. Fabian Yantorno, the Uruguayan striker, is leaving, as is Kenny Crichton, the club’s physio.

“In Fabian’s case we haven’t got the expense to send him to the right place, and his welfare is more important than anything,” Wadsworth said. “We just can’t afford it. Kenny is also leaving us, as he’s received a good offer from Falkirk. It’s just the way it is for us right now. We got the news [of an SPL loan] on Friday out of the blue – I thought the club might have hit the wall. Good on the SPL and the administrator – it has given us time and room for someone hopefully to come in and ensure that there is a Gretna FC next season.”

Using colourful language, Wadsworth also panned yesterday’s all-ticket arrangement for the match with Celtic. “There are so many things in life today where you say – where is the commonsense?” Wadsworth said. “If there was pay at the gate, did they think that the Khmer Rouge were going to turn up with Kalashnikovs? I didn’t know until today that it was all-ticket. It could have meant extra money for us, and you’re just left asking, where is the sense in it?”

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