Gretna thank Jambos for big hearts

GRETNA CHAIRMAN Brooks Mileson today vowed he would be a Jambo for life as a result of the "overwhelming" ovation his side received after their Scottish Cup final defeat.

And he has been so impressed by the sporting attitude of the Hearts supporters that he has even placed an advert in today's Evening News to thank them for their show of respect for what the Second Division champions have achieved this season.

The Raydale minnows were given a rousing reception by the Hearts support when they went on a lap of honour at Hampden last weekend after playing their part in a gruelling 120 minutes and a thrilling penalty shoot-out.

They may have lost the match, but Mileson admits his side felt like winners as Tynecastle fans threw scarves and flags at the players as they made their way round the pitch at the end of the game. The respect shown by the 35,000 Hearts fans at the national stadium reduced Mileson to tears and it is an experience he will never forget. He said: "I would like to think that Gretna will play in more finals in the future but I doubt if any of them will match up to that. It was about time two clubs showed exactly how a cup final should be played.

"The Hearts fans were absolutely fantastic, the way they applauded us all the way around the pitch at the end. The respect they showed us was just unbelievable and it really turned into a fantastic family final.

"They were all throwing shirts, scarves and banners at us and I've kept every single one that I picked up - I'm even wearing a Hearts badge just now."

The Raydale chief was stunned on Monday morning to find hundreds of e-mails and cards of congratulations - the majority from Hearts fans - waiting for him. It took him and his staff almost seven hours to sift through them.

He added: "We had always intended on going to the Hearts supporters at the end of the game because I wanted to thank them for the backing we received before and after the game. I spoke to quite a few when we went round the pitch at the end but obviously I couldn't speak to everyone personally. I thought that taking out an advert was the best way of doing that."