A spectacular strike from James Grady - his fourth goal in four games - was enough to keep Gretna top of the second division.
But they had to play the final 20 minutes with 10 men after Ryan Baldacchino was sent off for a second bookable offence.
Albion, seeking their first league win of the season, were twice denied an equaliser by the post.
Grady struck in the 32nd minute as Gretna struggled to impose themselves on Albion's hard-working defence. He picked up the ball near the edge of the box, turned and fired an unstoppable drive into the far corner of the net.
But Albion almost levelled a minute before the break when Allan Main let a Paul Hay 30- yard drive squirm through his fingers, and was relieved to see it bounce back off the post.
Baldacchino, who came in for some rough treatment, was booked for what seemed to be a fair 50-50 challenge in the 63rd minute, and was shown a yellow again and a red in the 69th after Hay was fouled on the edge of his area.
Afterwards, angry Gretna boss Rowan Alexander said it was a clear case of mistaken identity, and the club would appeal against any ban.
"The sending off was a joke," he said. "Baldacchino didn't make the challenge on their player. It was Ryan McGuffie - and we've got video evidence to prove it."
Against 10 men, Albion almost gained a late equaliser when David Turnbull outjumped the defence and met an Andy Graham cross with a powerful header that smacked off the top of the post.
Albion boss Allan Moore said "I think we deserved to get something out of the game for our second half performance, even before the player was sent off. I'm a bit disappointed because I think we gave Gretna too much respect in the first half."