STEVEN PRESSLEY became the first player to lift the Scottish Cup with three different clubs on Saturday, but admitted that winning with Celtic was a completely new experience.
The defender had already won the trophy with Rangers and Hearts, and he has now earned himself a place in the history books after Celtic dumped Dunfermline in the dying minutes at Hampden.
Pressley was Hearts' skipper when he held the cup aloft l
ast season. There was no hiding the emotion or pride that he felt on that occasion, and he revealed he had received a number of good luck calls and text messages in the build-up to the game from former Hearts team-mates.
Having waited over eight years to lift a piece of silverware with the Tynecastle club, he conceded that the feeling he had last May will be difficult to replicate.
He said: "I had several messages from a few of the boys that I played with at Hearts. Last year was a very memorable one, winning the Scottish Cup with Hearts, but this was a different type of experience.
"I was with Hearts for eight-and-a-half years and I waited a long time to win it with that club, it was a very emotional experience winning the cup with them."
He added: "When you win the cup with a provincial club it is very special because the expectation levels are different, but to come back here a year later and win it is an achievement that I am very proud of."
The former Tynecastle defender said of his record-breaking achievement: "I am delighted. Stats like that are what you look back on when your career finishes and it is the sort of thing that you tell your children and your grandchildren about.
"I am very proud, but more importantly I am delighted for the team as well. It was an important victory for everyone involved with the club."
As has been the case in recent weeks, it was far from a classic performance from Celtic, but Pressley insisted they deserved their victory as under Gordon Strachan, pictured below, the Parkhead side can never be written off.
A late goal from Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe was just enough to clinch the trophy for Gordon Strachan's side just when it looked like the tie was heading for extra-time.
But if there's one quality Pressley has long recognised about the Hoops, it's that they will always fight until the final whistle.
He said: "From my own experience of cup finals they are never pretty affairs, but Saturday was a bit of a struggle.
"When you play for Celtic you have to deal with the pressure of expectation and the expectation on us was to win the cup and we proved that we could do that.
"Fair play to Dunfermline, they came and played with a certain degree of freedom.
"It wasn't a first-class performance from us, but the most important thing from our point of view was winning the trophy and we did that.
"This Celtic team has done it time and time again, scoring late goals and we showed that again in the final.
"It was not a classic, but there is always a belief in our team that we can score at any given time.
"We're just delighted to end the season with a trophy and no-one can grudge the team its success this year."
Incredibly, the winner - which came just six minutes from time - was Doumbe's first ever senior goal. But Pressley is hoping that it won't be his last for Celtic.
The player's loan deal from Rennes is now up but the defender feels he could make a real contribution to the Celtic squad next season.
"I was chatting to Doumbe the other day and he was telling me that he won the cup at Rennes the other day but I don't suppose he could ever have envisaged coming to Celtic and scoring the winner in the Scottish Cup final!
"It is great for him, he is a smashing lad. I certainly hope that he stays. Over the last month, since he has had the opportunity to come into the side, he has acquitted himself extremely well. Hopefully, for himself, he will get an opportunity to extend his stay at the club."
And the Frenchman is equally hoping that he will be given the opportunity of a longer stay. He said: "My loan from Rennes is now at an end but I hope to stay on with Celtic.
"We will have talks next week and my wish is that they will bring about a longer contract. It was a fantastic day, not only for me but for all my family and friends in Cameroon and France.
"It is incredible for me to have scored the goal that won the cup. I never believed this could happen - I've never scored a goal in senior football."
Saturday was Celtic captain Neil Lennon's last match in a Celtic jersey and Pressley was delighted to give the Irishman - who went on a lap of honour at the end of the game with a flag which had the words 'Thank You' emblazoned on it - the perfect send-off.
He added: "Since Neil has been at the club, Celtic have enjoyed a very successful period and I think that lifting the trophy was a fitting end to what has been a wonderful career for him at Parkhead."
With the domestic campaign now at an end, the Celtic centre-half is hoping to be involved in this week's Scotland matches against Austria and the Faroe Islands, but first he has to shake off the back injury which has flared up: "I am struggling slightly with a back problem, so I will just have to keep my fingers crossed and see how I go over the next couple of days, but hopefully I will be okay.
"Stephen McManus came in for me in the last Scotland match but that is football. I played regularly for Scotland for a long period of time and then because of suspension it gave Stephen his opportunity and he came in and did very well.
"The manager has a decision to make, but there's nothing I can do about that. I have to continue to try to do my best with Celtic and hopefully my chance will come. I have had a very enjoyable international career and I believe that I have still got many good years in front of me. I may have to bide my time to get back in, but there's no problem with that."
