Chesney feared he had given it away

DEIVIDAS CESNAUSKIS today admitted his overwhelming emotion as the final whistle sounded at Hampden on Saturday was relief that the second-half penalty he conceded did not cost Hearts their first Scottish Cup victory in eight years.

The Lithuanian winger handed Gretna a lifeline when he was penalised for bringing down former Hibs midfielder John O'Neil inside the area and Ryan McGuffie converted the penalty after Craig Gordon's initial save.

That set up a nail-biting finale as the minnows threw everything they had at the Jambos but the SPL side's experience told from the spot, Michal Pospisil firing home before Gretna's Gavin Skelton missed in a thrilling 4-2 shoot-out to spark wild celebrations among those in maroon.

The Hearts supporters may have believed the penalty decision had been harsh but Cesnauskis himself had no complaints. He said: "I was worried that I had cost us the cup, so I am very relieved that we went on to win it.

"Maybe some people thought that it should not have been a penalty but, yes I think it should have been because I touched their player. Maybe he went down a little too easily but it does not matter now because we have won the cup.

"It was a great occasion for everyone but especially for the fans, they were amazing and they made the atmosphere amazing. We wanted to win it for them."

The vast majority of supporters in the national stadium - and no doubt those watching on television - would surely have expected Hearts to go on and record an emphatic win after Rudi Skacel's opener just before half-time.

But Gretna have refused to follow the script in this competition this season and were determined not to let their cup dream die without a fight. McGuffie's penalty seemed to inject a new confidence into the Raydale Park side and Cesnauskis admitted the Jambos had to fight tooth and nail for the trophy.

"I feel very good because we won," he added, "although it was a difficult game for us, but we expected that from Gretna.

"I think that we played quite well but we did not take the chances when we had them and that made it more difficult for us. Maybe Rudi could have had another one or two goals and Paul Hartley could maybe have scored too. But we won the cup and that is the most important thing.

"Also I think I could maybe have scored in the first minutes of the game, so there were many chances for us but we missed them and that gave Gretna some confidence.

"It was a very big day for me personally, but also a very big day for my career. I won the championship with Lokomotiv Moscow in Russia and I have also got two cup medals from Lithuania but this was also very special for me. I have got a bit of a collection at home now and I will put this medal with the rest of them.

"For the whole team, all of the players not just me, this cup and the whole season has been amazing. We were under a lot of pressure and it was good to finally win the cup so we had some good celebrations in the dressing room after the game - with champagne of course."

The nerve-jangling victory, combined with the fact that Hearts will be playing Champions League football next season, has been more than enough to convince Cesnauskis that he wants to stay with the club for at least another season.

His loan deal from Kaunas has now officially expired but, with 18 months still to run on his contract with the Lithuanian side, he is hoping that the two clubs can come to some agreement to extend his stay at Tynecastle.

"I do not know what will happen now because my loan deal from Kaunas has finished but I want to stay," he added.

"I still have one year and a half left on my Kaunas contract and I would like to spend at least another year of that with Hearts.

"I have really enjoyed the season at Hearts, we got second place in the league and now we have also won the cup, it is very good for a first season. The club will be playing Champions League football next season and I hope I can be involved in that because I think the club could do well."

The 24-year-old admits that moving to Scotland has proved to be something of a culture shock in footballing terms but believes that the fast pace and hard tackles of the game in this country will contribute to making him a better, more rounded, player in the long run. He added: "Scottish football is very different from anywhere else I have played, there are a lot more tackles for a start and maybe the game is a bit too fast.

"That can be a good thing, it can help make me a better player because now when I am tackled I am stronger and I can stand up. If I played in another country I would not have learned to do that."

Having played in more than 30 league and cup games this season, the Lithuanian admits he is now looking forward to recharging his batteries over the summer and, after the cup celebrations have died down, will fly out to his homeland to catch up with friends and family. "I will go home to Lithuania for the summer now and see my family, I also have friends in Moscow and I will spend some time with them because I live five hours from Moscow.

"It has been a very long season and I think all of the players are looking forward to having some time off now, we have five weeks to go away, see our friends and have some holidays and come back refreshed for the new season and of course for the Champions League."

Taken from the Scotsman