Hibernian striker Jason Cummings scored the spot kick that put his side in the Scottish Cup final, then admitted he made a mistake that could have cost them the game.

Cummings netted the final penalty in a shootout that decided the tie against Dundee United after 120 goalless minutes but before that golden moment he had been a key figure for the wrong reason.

When Hibernian were awarded a first half penalty Cumming took responsibility but was horrified to see his dinked sport kick rise over the bar.

He admitted that he was trying to follow in the footsteps of some of the greats but regretted showboating with so much at stake.

"I just thought I would try something different, give the fans some value for their money," he said. "That's the type of player I am, I try things on the pitch.

"If it's good enough for the likes of Pirlo and Zidane then I'll try it. But obviously I am not in that calibre.

"I have practised them a few times, I have tried them on a few keepers at the training centre.

"But those balls are a bit light, I don't know what happened. It just took

off."

The 20-year-old said he had questioned his decision immediately afterwards.

"Obviously because I missed it, it was [the wrong decision], but if it went in I would have been a genius down Leith," he said.

"After I missed it, I was saying to myself, 'Why did I not just put my foot through it or put it in a corner?'

"But if it was meant to be, it was meant to be. Maybe if I had scored they would have come back and beat us 2-1. Maybe it was an omen for us.

"The boys were quite good with me, they said to forget about it and go again. The gaffer said as well, it was gone, that I had time to redeem myself. It took until the very last kick of the ball, but it happened."

When the final whistle went and players were called upon to step up for penalties, Cummings said he saw his chance to make the headlines for the right reasons and specifically asked for a later penalty.

"The gaffer asked who was wanting to take a penalty and I wasn't going to shy away," Cummings said.

"That's the type of boy I am, I am confident. I was wanting to take the third, fourth of fifth.

"I basically wanted to take the winning penalty so I could get a bit of redemption. It worked out well for me and I'm buzzing.

"It was a wee bit of pressure because I was already in the bad books down Leith. I was thinking, 'I need to score this', and I'm just grateful it went in."