Substitute Allan Jenkins thumped home an injury-time equaliser to hand Gretna a dramatic point against Aberdeen in the Clydesdale Bank SPL at Fir Park.

Steve Lovell, another substitute, had struck four minutes from time to break the deadlock and appear to give Aberdeen all three points against the SPL's bottom club.

Kenny Deuchar then earned and missed a penalty a minute later before Jenkins lashed home a fine equaliser 17 seconds into injury time as a game of poor quality and few chances ended with an incredible burst of action.

Aberdeen manager Jimmy Calderwood was without three of his key players - most notably captain Scott Severin, who was ruled out with an ankle injury picked up against Rangers.

Zander Diamond and Andrew Considine were also missing from the Dons' defence while Chris Clark was another absentee from the side which drew with the Ibrox club.

Gretna boss Davie Irons had no such problems with only Martin Canning remaining on the sidelines so he named the same side which defeated Dundee United at Tannadice.

It was the Borderers who started on the front foot by hemming the visitors into their own half in the first five minutes and producing two strikes at goal from Deuchar and Fabian Yantorno.

Neither looked like defeating Jamie Langfield but a more threatening effort arrived in the seventh minute when Nicky Deverdics directed a header towards the top corner which the Aberdeen keeper handled efficiently.

The Dons produced their first shot four minutes later when Jamie Smith - handed a central striking role - drilled a left-foot effort towards the right corner, forcing Tony Caig to push the ball away.

Left-winger Sone Aluko tested Caig with a similar effort on 15 minutes in a lightning break inspired by a Langfield throw following a Gretna corner.

The best chance of the first half hour came in the 26th minute when a flick-on from Henry Makinwa was wastefully sliced high and wide by Yantorno from 15 yards out.

Calderwood's men then nearly took the lead in bizarre circumstances when Gretna defender Aurelien Collin blasted a clearance against Dons striker Lee Miller and the ball ricocheted over the stranded Caig but just wide of the home keeper's right-hand post.

The visitors went close to opening the scoring in a more conventional fashion 10 minutes before the break when Richard Foster burst down the left and his cross was narrowly missed at close range by Miller.

Gretna copied the move a minute later with Deverdics the architect on the left before his cross was sliced into the hands of Langfield by Dons defender Lee Mair as the half ended goalless.

Calderwood made a substitution at half time, introducing striker Lovell in place of the ineffective Karim Touzani in a move which saw Smith move back into central midfield.

Three minutes into the second half the lively Aluko danced past two Gretna defenders on the edge of the box but pushed his shot from 15 yards out just wide of the far post. Irons made his first change a minute later when Makinwa was replaced by Ryan McGuffie.

Ten minutes into the half a corner from Barry Nicholson was headed just wide by Dons striker Miller with Caig rooted to the spot.

The game suddenly livened up on the hour mark when a deflected cross from fit-again Derek Young was helped on at the near post by Lovell, and Miller headed goalwards only to see Gretna right-back David Cowan head off the line.

Seconds later Aluko, on loan from Birmingham City, lashed a fine effort which Caig did well to claw from his top left-hand corner.

Calderwood made his second switch soon after, the dangerous Aluko surprisingly being withdrawn in favour of Chris Maguire.

Irons replaced Deverdics with Allan Jenkins with quarter of an hour remaining as the visitors piled on the pressure with a succession of crosses and corners as they desperately sought a winner.

Aberdeen's final change was forced on them after Michael Hart was injured in a challenge with Yantorno and he was replaced by Daniel Smith.

The deadlock was finally broken four minutes from the end when Lovell finished from close range after Young and Miller had shown excellent persistence down the right.

The Dons' joy looked set to be short-lived when Deuchar was pushed over by Richie Byrne in the box a minute later and referee Brian Winter pointed to the spot.

However the Gretna striker struck the left-hand post with his effort and it rebounded to safety as the home side appeared to blow their chance of a point.

But 17 seconds into injury time Evan Horwood crossed from the left and another substitute, Jenkins, lashed the ball into the left corner of the net with his right foot to give Gretna a dramatic late draw.

Teams:

Gretna Caig, Cowan, Innes, Collin, Horwood, Yantorno, Skelton, Deverdics (Jenkins 76), Murray (McGill 81), Deuchar, Makinwa (McGuffie 49).

Subs Not Used: Fleming, Barr, McLaren, Paartalu.

Booked: Innes.

Goals: Jenkins 90.

Aberdeen Langfield, Hart (Daniel Smith 83), Touzani (Lovell 46), Byrne, Foster, Aluko (Maguire 63),Nicholson, Young, Mair, Jamie Smith, Miller.

Subs Not Used: Soutar, De Visscher, Jonathan Smith.

Booked: Foster.

Goals: Lovell 86.

Att: 1,730

Ref: B Winter (Scotland).