Alexander made a return to Gretna last December, 12 years after leaving when Gretna were playing in the Scottish Premiership.
After the Lowland League was declared null and void by the Scottish Lowland Football League earlier this month due to the Covid-19 crisis, the club decided to act quickly as they prepare for next season – whenever that will be played.
Since replacing Chris Humphrey at the Raydale helm, Alexander has overseen ten games which has brought an improvement in results, including a 1-0 win away at Cumbernauld Colts.
Gretna FC 2008 chairman Alex Thomson said: “Regarding Rowan, myself and our board of directors are delighted that Rowan has decided to stay on for the 2020-2021 season. “He came to our club at a difficult time and steadied the ship with our existing players. Although we did not win as many games as I’m sure he would have liked to, we did manage to stop leaking goals and started strengthening all aspects of our games.
“It’s a shame that we couldn’t see the season out but unfortunately that was out of our hands.”
He added: “Rowan and the chief executive are already looking to the season ahead with regards to bringing in players, and once these terrible times are behind us, we can look forward to an exciting season. Financially it will be a difficult season for us, as it will be for all small clubs in football, as we have had no income for the last few months of the season but bills still need paid.”
Meanwhile, Gretna are looking for donations so the club can continue to operate during the coronavirus situation. They have joined the ‘DonateATicket’ national campaign, in which supporters can donate the value of a match day ticket, from a fan who would have attended the game if Covid-19 had not affected sport and day to day life across the UK. After the decision was taken to null and void the Lowland League when Gretna had six games remaining, with four of them to be hosted at Raydale Park, a huge amount of income was denied for the club. Since joining this fundraiser, The Black and Whites have, however, generated over £200 and sit in 33rd place on the leaderboard, which is above regional clubs such as Annan Athletic and Queen of the South. Each ticket sold has them sitting in fourth place from all the teams that competed in the Lowland League, with only Berwick Rangers, East Stirlingshire and Gala Fairydean Rovers ahead of them. Gretna FC 2008 chairman Alex Thomson said: “We would like to take this opportunity to thank all supporters and sponsors for their continued support through this tough time.” Anyone who would like to donate can do so by visiting https://donateaticket.com/donate/gretna-2008/
