Aussie youngster Ryan McGowan earned his first-team debut for Hearts, but it wasn't the desired result as the Edinburgh club went down to lowly Gretna in the final minute.

McGowan came on in the 73rd minute for the injured Marius Zaliukas and made an immediate impact with a blistering run that almost set up the game's first goal, and was described on scotsman.com website as ‘Hearts' best forward foray of the evening'.

Speaking on the club's official website, McGowan said, "It was good to come on and make my debut but it wasn't such a great result". "It's definitely a case of mixed feelings.

"I enjoyed it despite the circumstances but it would have been so much better had we won the match."

Support from home for the 18-year old was in full force, "My mum and dad were listening to the game on Hearts.TV and I had about five missed calls on my phone after the match. It was the middle of the night for them but they weren't going to miss it."

The match had somewhat of an ‘Aussie feel' as one of McGowan's opponents was young West Australian midfielder Rostyn Griffiths.

Understandably, McGowan was nervous early in the piece but a few touches settled his nerves, and in stoppage time, a long ball from the debutant almost resulted in a goal for Hearts.

A trip back to Adelaide in coming days will see Ryan return home for the first time in just under a year, but he will be back in the thick of Scottish football again soon and plans to experience more first team football are definitely on his agenda.

"I enjoyed my debut and want to play in the first team much more next season. It could be a big season for me."