Hartley feared he'd blown it as he watched penalties on TV

PAUL Hartley achieved a notable Scottish Cup first on Saturday, if not the one he would have dreamed of in the build-up to the final.

An outstanding season for the Hearts midfielder appeared certain to turn horribly sour when he was sent off in the final minute of extra-time for a petulant retaliatory kick at Gretna defender Derek Townsley. The offence came just three minutes after Hartley had been cautioned for dissent as he furiously protested referee Dougie McDonald's failure to award Hearts a penalty kick when Rudi Skacel was fouled by Alan Main.

The second yellow card saw Hartley making the ignominious journey back to the dressing-room, only the fourth player in the 132-year history of the competition to be sent off in the final. Unlike the three men who transgressed before him, however, Hartley still ended up with a winner's medal.

For Jock Buchanan of Rangers in 1929, Celtic captain Roy Aitken in 1984 and then Hearts skipper Walter Kidd, the last player shown a red card in a final before Hartley when he was dismissed in the 1986 final, leaving their team-mates a man down had also coincided with defeat.

As Hearts' regular penalty taker this season, to such tremendous and significant effect, Hartley feared the same fate awaited him as Saturday's match went down to a shoot-out without him.

"I thought I had maybe cost Hearts the Scottish Cup," said Hartley. "I tried to get out to watch the penalties from the dug-out, but the officials said I wasn't allowed, so I had to go back to the dressing-room and watch it on the telly. It was incredibly nervous.

"It was pretty desperate having to watch it like that, especially as I would have taken our first penalty. I know big Elvis has taken them before but as it turned out, we took four fantastic penalties. I knew Robbie Neilson had a great throw, but I didn't realise he could kick the ball that far - his was a fabulous penalty.

"Clare Cowan, our press officer, was in the dressing room watching it with me and I just gave her a big cuddle when we won. No-one was going to stop me getting on to the pitch to join the celebrations, though. It was a fantastic feeling. I've waited a long time for this, to win a major trophy, and the celebrations with the rest of the lads were something I'll never forget.

"I don't have mixed feelings about it at all now. The red card was a disappointment, but it doesn't matter because we have won the cup. That's all that counts in the end. You have to give Gretna credit, they were absolutely fantastic. They had more of the chances in the second half and in extra-time, so we were at a desperate stage then. We are probably lucky to have won the cup."

Hartley will now miss the start of Hearts' defence of the trophy next season, his dismissal on Saturday earning him an automatic one-match suspension which he will serve by sitting out the holders' third-round tie. The 29-year-old Scotland midfielder was highly critical of referee McDonald's performance, most notably the penalty claim which provoked his initial dissent.

"I came in and watched it again after I was sent off and it was a stonewall penalty," claimed Hartley. "I don't know how Dougie McDonald couldn't see that. He gave Gretna a penalty, which probably was a penalty, but Rudi was straight through on goal and was definitely fouled. Rudi's reputation, having been booked a few times for diving in the past, probably went against him this time but it was a clear-cut penalty.

"I think even Alan Main knows it should have been a penalty and I couldn't believe the ref didn't give it. That's when the red mist came down for me and I got the yellow card. I was raging, because I knew that was our chance to win the cup before the end of extra-time, not to mention that I would have taken the penalty and could have been the hero."

Steven Pressley left Hampden clutching the Scottish Cup with one hand and holding his four-year-old son Aaron, Hearts' mascot for the day, with the other. You sensed the trophy would not be easily parted from the club captain who believes his team were almost undone at the last by the physical and mental turbulence he has guided them through in an astonishing campaign at Tynecastle.

"We have endured a lot this season and maybe it just finally caught up with us," said Pressley. "I felt we looked a tired and jaded team. It wasn't a typical Hearts performance, where we play with a lot of momentum. We looked disjointed and allowed Gretna to pass the ball around too easily.

"We are just delighted to win because, make no mistake, when the penalties came along there was an upset on the cards. We really had to show our mettle and thankfully we did. We have to give Gretna huge credit, but when we look back in the history books they will read 'Heart of Midlothian, Scottish Cup winners 2006' and that was the main objective. We have achieved that."

Craig Gordon, another bulwark of Hearts' success, overcame a jittery start to the final to make a trophy-winning contribution with his save from Townsley in the shoot-out. The fiercely ambitious goalkeeper believes Hearts must now ensure they build on this triumph.

"Our aim next season has to be to make the group stage of the Champions League," said Gordon. "It's going to be very difficult when you look at some of the teams we could face in the qualifiers, but if we bring more players in during the summer, then we will have a chance. Let's try and take it to the next level now and do something in the Champions League.

"Today just showed the potential of the club. If we can develop Tynecastle into a 35,000-capacity stadium, and we are near the top of the league all the time, then I'm sure we could fill it every week. It's been high time someone came along and challenged the Old Firm's dominance. Now the challenge for us is to keep doing that."

Taken from the Scotsman