HEARTS

Craig Gordon: Unlucky to see Ryan McGuffie score the rebound after saving his regulation-time penalty, but saved crucially from Derek Townsley in the shoot-out.

Robbie Neilson: Got forward to good effect at times and coolly converted his penalty.

Steven Pressley: Never given peace by the Gretna frontline but coped pretty well and also dispatched his penalty with aplomb.

Ibrahim Tall: At times his composure becomes complacency and was fortunate on a couple of occasions his sloppiness wasn't punished.

Takis Fyssas: A quiet, efficient game at the back from the Greek. Rarely seen as an attacking threat.

Deividas Cesnauskis: Played well in the first half and was unlucky to see an early effort come off the post, but faded in the second and was eventually replaced.

Bruno Aguiar: Unspectacular but steady performance in the sitting role in the Hearts midfield. Started much of Hearts' best play in the first half.

Paul Hartley: Not as influential as he often is, but still got up and down the park to cause problems. Spoiled things by getting sent off for a petulant kick at Derek Townsley in the closing seconds.

Rudi Skacel: Not a vintage display by the Czech but he got the all-important first goal with a superb finish and should have had a late penalty.

Roman Bednar: Pretty ineffectual up front as Gretna's back three coped well with his physical presence. Replaced by Michal Pospisal after sending a good chance over the bar.

Edgaras Jankauskas: Caused more problems for the Gretna defence than his counterpart, testing Alan Main in the first half and creating a good chance for Rudi Skacel.

Substitutes

Michal Pospisal (on for Bednar after 70 mins): Busier than Bednar, but failed to really trouble Alan Main.

Julien Brellier (on for Aguiar after 72 mins): Put himself about in the closing stages with some crunching challenges as Hearts sought to dampen Gretna's spirit.

Saul Mikoliunas (on for Cesnauskis after 86 mins): His pace caused some problems as Gretna legs tired, but he was unable to create a crucial second goal.

GRETNA

Alan Main: Dominated his area superbly to fill his defenders with confidence, though he was fortunate to get away with a trip on Skacel as the Hearts man rounded him. No chance with the penalties

Mark Birch: Defended well against the runs of Skacel and, like most of his team-mates, never looked out of his depth in more illustrious company.

Derek Townsley: A solid performance at the back by the former Hibs player. Unfortunately for him, his poor penalty was saved by Gordon.

Chris Innes: Showed he can still play at the top level in Scotland with an accomplished display.

Davie Nicholls: Battled hard in the midfield as Hearts dominated the first half. Sacrificed as Gretna went with three up front in search of an equaliser.

Ryan McGuffie: Foraged well on the right side of midfield, picking some good passes. Kept his composure well to score the rebound after Gordon had saved his second-half penalty.

Steve Tosh: Another who showed he was still capable of living with the SPL standard as he and his fellow midfielders matched their Hearts counterparts all the way.

John O'Neil: Fantastic performance by the veteran playmaker in the centre of the Gretna midfield. His composure and ability meant he rarely looked like breaking sweat as play raged on.

Gavin Skelton: O'Neil was named the sponsor's man of the match, but Skelton was every bit as good, causing havoc on the left when Gretna went forward and tracking back to good effect. Sadly missed in the penalty shoot-out to seal Hearts' win.

James Grady: As usual, a thorn in the side of his markers. Always on the move, but unfortunately for him he was denied any clear sights of goal.

Kenny Deuchar: The prolific striker was not at his best at Hampden in terms of finishing, but worked hard to create for his team-mates.

Substitutes

David Graham (on for Nicholls after 55 minutes): Gretna gambled by throwing on a third forward for a midfielder and it paid off. Graham looked dangerous and, but for a fantastic tackle by Neilson, would have scored before Gretna eventually equalised.

Jamie McQuilken (on for Deuchar after 103 minutes): Full of running for the time he was on the field. Stayed calm to head coolly back to Main under pressure in the closing minutes.