A deal to keep on-loan striker Edgaras Jankauskas at Tynecastle is nearing completion, but it will still only be a long-term loan arrangement (Sunday Mirror). FC Kaunas will keep hold of the ex-Porto man, but will allow him to stay on Gorgie Road where he's formed a successful partnership with Roman Bednar.

Looks like Hearts won’t be signing Cameroon striker Albert Meyong after being scared off by his £1.7 million price tag (Daily Record). The player’s agent now reckons Auxerre will snap his man up.

Meanwhile, Ahn Jung-Hwan is the latest frontman to catch Vladmir Romanov’s gimlet eye (Daily Record). The £700,000-rated South Korean can also play in midfield and is currently plying his trade in Germany with Duisburg.

And even more bizarrely, the Jambos are supposedly in for Javier Portillo, who frankly, is far too good for them (Daily Record). The Real Madrid youngster has been banging the goals in for fun in the Spanish side’s reserve team and has been linked with all and sundry over the last couple of years. So it looks like one to file under: “never going to happen”.

Goalie Rais M’Bolhi has walked out on the Jambos after they apparently tried to send him on loan to Kaunas (Daily Star). The French under-20 keeper had arrived on a six-month deal with a four year option to extend it, but quit the club when it was suggested he join the Lithuanian side.

Kenny Dalglish has urged Celtic to hold on to Stilian Petrov despite his desire to quit the club.

The 26-year-old Bulgaria international submitted a transfer request towards the end of last season, which was rejected by Parkhead bosses.

But his future has come under the spotlight again after reports today suggested Newcastle are the latest club to express an interest in the highly-rated midfielder.

He has already been linked with Fulham, Blackburn and Newcastle..

However, Dalglish believes Petrov - who signed a new three-year deal in January - has not allowed his demands to leave Celtic to affect his performances on the park.

And the Hoops legend insists that is a good enough reason for Celtic to retain his services.

"I don't think the fact he wants to move affects his performances so, if it doesn't affect his performances, it doesn't matter whether he wants to leave," he said.

"Everyone has a price on their head and whether they ask for a transfer or want to go is irrelevant.

"He will stay at Celtic Park until they get the money they think he is worth and, if they don't get the money they think he is worth, he won't be moving anywhere.

"I don't see it happening just now."

Whether Petrov remains at Celtic next season or not, Dalglish expects manager Gordon Strachan to further strengthen his squad over the summer.

He has already recruited Kenny Miller, Gary Caldwell and Derek Riordan.

But, with a guaranteed place in the Champions League to look forward to, Dalglish believes the fans will demand even more new faces.

He added: "Every club, irrespective of what the season before has held for them, will buy players.

"The supporters expect it, don't they? They will want to see a new face and I'm sure Gordon will be no different."

Celtic won the Bank of Scotland Premier League championship by 17 points last season and Dalglish - despite being a former player and director of football at the club - believes Scottish football would benefit from a closer title race this time around.

He expects the arrival of Paul Le Guen at Rangers to add spice to the competition and has not ruled out the possibility of SPL runners-up Hearts enjoying another strong season.

Dalglish said: "(Rangers chairman) David Murray has waved his magic wand and got Paul Le Guen some money to buy players so it will be interesting to see what players he signs.

"He has come in nice and quietly and said he needs people around him who know the Scottish scene and that's encouraging.

"I think that's a better way to go about it than come in with a sledgehammer.

"The revolution at Hearts has also been interesting and they look like a good strong team.

"The two of them have got to get closer to Celtic than they did last year.

"It would be good if it was closer than it was last year. Maybe not for Celtic, but it will be better for Scottish football."

Dalglish - who is McDonalds head of Scottish football - was speaking at the McDonalds National Festival at Hampden Park.

Scottish Premier League soccer club Hearts ended third division Gretna's fairytale run in the Scottish Cup with a 4-2 penalty shootout win to lift the trophy yesterday.

The match ended 1-1 after extra time, but Hearts, who had Paul Hartley sent off in the final minute of the extra period, won when Gretna's Derek Townsley and Gavin Skelton missed their penalties.

Czech striker Rudi Skacel scored for Hearts seven minutes before the break but Gretna equalised when Ryan McGuffie followed up to score after his penalty had been parried by Craig Gordon in the 74th minute.

It was the first time in eight years Hearts had won the cup and crowned a turbulent 12 months for the Scottish Premier League side, who earned a place in the Champions League for the first time but also got through four coaches.

Hearts caretaker manager Valdas Ivanauskas said he still had no idea if he would be in charge next season.

"I don't know my situation," he said. "We can discuss it with [owner Vladimir] Romanov. We need discussions about games, about the future. I know which day we start pre-season ... but I don't know who is manager.

"Maybe we will know next week ... but I am going on holiday on Monday so I don't know."

Ivanauskas added that securing the Champions League slot from finishing second behind Celtic gave him more satisfaction than the cup final win.

"This cup win is for the supporters ... they wanted the cup, but for me it was the Champions League.

"The Champions League is another level so we although we have a quality squad we need two or three more faces," he said.

Gretna were appearing in their first final just four years after entering senior football and had already booked a place in the Uefa Cup courtesy of Hearts qualifying for the Champions League.

"Regardless of the day, regardless of the result, we knew coming here today was going to be a no-lose situation and that's the way it has worked out," Gretna manager Rowan Alexander said.

Hearts appeared nervous in the first period but still created the better chances with Lithuanian Deividas Cesnauskis slamming a 20-metre shot against the left post after seven minutes.

Four minutes later, Hartley released Edgaras Jankauskas on the left of the box with a neat reverse pass only for the Lithuanian's fierce angled shot to be beaten away by Gretna keeper Alan Main.

The third division champions hit back with Gavin Skelton crashing a 25-metre free kick which forced Hearts goalkeeper Craig Gordon to tip the ball over the bar.

But Hearts snatched the lead when Robbie Neilson's long throw-in skidded off Gretna skipper Chris Innes' head and landed at the back of the box for Skacel, who blasted a low, angled shot through the legs of the keeper.

Gretna came close to levelling early in the second half when Stevie Tosh cracked a ferocious low effort from the edge of the penalty area just beyond the left post.

Substitute David Graham waltzed through the Hearts defence and found himself with only Gordon to beat in the 66th minute.

He dragged the ball around the sprawling keeper, only for defender Neilson to charge back and slide in to block a certain goal.

McGuffie's equaliser came after Lithuanian Cesnauskis brought down Gretna's John O'Neil.

Gretna have already made history by reaching the Scottish Cup final on Saturday night -- but their owner believes they can go further and cause one of the biggest shocks in soccer by beating Hearts at Hampden.

The second division champions from the tiny Borders town of Gretna -- which has a population of around 3500 -- are the first team from Scottish soccer's third tier to reach the final.

They've had a meteoric rise since entering the league four years ago -- winning two successive titles and qualifying for next season's UEFA Cup - - thanks to Hearts qualifying for the Champions League.

Hearts are the overwhelming favourites to win the Cup -- but the Edinburgh club has held the trophy only twice in 46 years -- the last time in 1998 when they defeated Rangers.

Hearts will be in the Champions League qualifiers next season for the first time after a tension-filled 1-0 win over Aberdeen in the Bank of Scotland Premier League at Tynecastle.

The Jambos secured second place in the SPL table courtesy of a

Paul Hartley penalty in the 54th minute after Dons defender Alexander Diamond had stopped a certain goal with his hand.

It was a deserved win for the Edinburgh side who have never been out of the top two places all season and it was captured on a dramatic night in Gorgie.

Aberdeen started confidently enough but their challenge fizzled out and, with 11 minutes left, midfielder Scott Severin was sent off for a overly-robust challenge on Bruno Aguiar.

Hearts midfielder Deividas Cesnauskis went close after a minute when he quickly turned a Roman Bednar cut-back past Dons' keeper Jamie Langfield's left-hand post from 16 yards out.

However, Richard Foster's impressive run and cross from the left, which was gathered by Hearts keeper Craig Gordon, suggested the tenacious Pittodrie side would carry enough threat to scupper the home side's quest for second place.

Hearts were having the better of the play in a scrappy match but, with no opener on the horizon, the home supporters were showing early signs of agitation.

The frustration of the home fans increased as the first half wore on with interim head coach Valdas Ivanauskas, serving the first of a two-game ban sitting in the director's box, seemingly unable to rally his troops.

The UEFA Cup is handed over to the Dutch city of Eindhoven, and in preparation for hosting this season's final, golden memories of 1978 will come flooding back.

It was on 9 May 1978 that local side PSV Eindhoven established themselves as a major force in European football as they beat SC Bastia 3-0 at the Philips stadium - the venue for this season's final - to win the UEFA Cup, following a goalless draw in the first leg in Corsica two weeks earlier.

 By that time, PSV had already broken the cast-iron grip that the big clubs from the west of the Netherlands - Feyenoord  and AFC Ajax - held on the Dutch title by winning the Eredivisie in 1974/75 and 1975/76, but in taking the UEFA Cup, they announced their presence to the whole continent.

With the final being contested over two legs in those days, PSV had not enjoyed an easy time in the opening fixture against Bastia. Heavy rainfall turned the first leg into a boring show. But the second leg, however, was much more one-sided, and with the elements no longer blocking their route to goal, PSV shone with Willy van de Kerkhof, Gerrie Deijkers and Willy van der Kuylen finding the target as they secured a famous victory in front of 27,000 fans.

With Feyenoord  and  Ajax  both having won major European competitions in the early 1970s, PSV were the third Dutch club to triumph in UEFA competition, and added to their trophy cabinet by winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1987/88 before reaching the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in 2004/05.

The memories of that first success back in 1978 will be celebrated as 2004/05 UEFA Cup, against all the Sportsbooks odds. Winners of last year’s cup PFC CSKA Moskva hand the trophy to Eindhoven, with goal scorers Van de Kerkhof and Van der Kuylen in attendance. Sadly Deijkers died of heart failure at the age of 56 back in October 2003.

Deijkers' story was an odd one. He had played as a defender in previous seasons but coach Kees Rijvers - who will also be at the handover - decided to hand him a chance to become a striker as PSV were having attacking problems in 1977/78. He went on to score 18 league goals and six in the UEFA Cup that season.

While Deijkers will be missed at the ceremony at the Evoluon building in Eindhoven, plenty of other PSV stars of 1978 will be there to make up the numbers. Among them will be Willy's twin brother René van de Kerkhof, Jan Poortvliet, Adri van Kraay and Kees Krijgh all eager to get their hands on the trophy again.

IF an unstinting self-belief, combined with dogged determination, are the deciding factors in who will claim the right to a place in the Champions League qualifiers, then Hearts can be all but certain of joining the elite next season.

The Tynecastle side pummelled a resolute Kilmarnock defence for much of a frustrating first-half without reward for their efforts and, under any circumstances or within a team with even a hint of fragility about them, the heads could have gone down.

However, under Valdas Ivanauskas this Hearts team seem to grow in confidence with every passing week and they simply continued in the same vein, probing and pushing forward certain in the knowledge that the breakthrough would eventually materialise.

That it did, in the shape of another breathtaking Paul Hartley free-kick followed by a late header from Christophe Berra - his first goal for the senior squad - and Hearts now find themselves in a commanding position with just four matches remaining. This result also ensured that Hearts will at least be playing UEFA Cup football next term, but that has always been merely a secondary aim for the Tynecastle side, and the fact that his players did not give up was the source of the most pleasure for the first-team coach.

"I was happy with the players' performances," said Ivanauskas. "We had many chances in the first half but we didn't manage to score with any of them.

"When you lose shots like that you just have to wait for the next chance to come and we scored two good quality goals in the second half. Roman Bednar had a few chances and did not score, but it is good that he is in the right place and we have other players who can also score goals for this team."