A SCOT will be a key figure in Chelsea's challenge for the Champions League Final in Munich a week on Saturday.

But despite Ron Gourlay's very important role within the Stamford Bridge club, you would be hard pushed to pick him out.

He is the Dundee-born chief executive of the club which has just collected the FA Cup and has now set its sights on lifting European football's biggest prize for the first time.

Fledgling boss Roberto Di Matteo is wooing the world of football with his laid-back approach to turning this giant club around after the disastrous spell under Andre Villas-Boas, getting the best out of allegedly-spent forces like Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard and John Terry, all of whom played major parts in defeating Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to lift the cup for the fourth time in six seasons.

Owner Roman Abramovich calls the shots even more than 34-year-old Drogba – who set a record with his winning goal as it was the fourth time he has found the net in the FA Cup final – and must now decide if he gives the job to Di Mattteo on a permanent basis or elects to parachute in another hand-picked, high-profile boss.

But keeping the wheels turning on this juggernaut of a club on a daily basis is Gourlay, who replaced Peter Kenyon in 2009. The canny Scot, with a profile almost subterranean, is now gearing everything up towards giving Abramovich the trophy he has always coveted – the Champions League.

The 49-year-old started as a biscuit salesman before his move into football with Umbro then Manchester United and finally Chelsea, where he was Chief Operations Officer before landing the big job.

Ironically, in a season which looked like it would be wafer-thin in terms of happy memories, Gourlay has helped oversee a sea-change in fortune which will culminate in the Allianz Arena on May 19.

After the Champions League Final, he is expected to deliver Abramovich's decision on who will lead Chelsea next season.

However, for all his sway, Gourlay joins everyone else – Di Matteo included – in waiting to see which way the Russian billionaire's whim leads him this time.

Of the current incumbent, Gourlay said: "He's done very well since we brought him in as the interim manager. And the players have responded particularly well as well, so there's been a good team effort. I'm not going to change my mind on what I've said all season.

"We've just got to take this one game at a time. We've got three games left and we'll see how we finish. Hopefully, we can take this moment to Munich and make us all proud and then take things from there."

Gourlay did not, however, attempt to down play the impact Di Matteo has made.

He said: "We've had a lot of games, but have come through them. Now we have three left, and we have to go up to Liverpool tomorrow and win again and see where that takes us.

"When you look back and where we've got to, I think we've come a long way and everyone is delighted."

The biggest smile of all belongs to Drogba after scoring his eighth Wembley goal in eight appearances and collecting his fourth winner's medal.

Gourlay is working on trying to ensure he is here to have a go at making it a fifth, but the Ivorian striker is immersed in serious negotiations which centre around the club's preference for a one-year deal while Drogba – who is not short of offers from elsewhere, including China – would prefer more security.

The chief executive explained he is working hard behind the scenes between big games and said: "We are always talking to Didier. He loves Chelsea and we love Didier, and we'll continue to have the conversations and see where that goes."

Drogba did himself no harm with a stunning goal which turned out to be the cup winner.

But Gourlay admitted he did get worried when Andy Carroll came off the Liverpool bench to make it 2-1, then almost equalised, only to see his headed effort deemed not to have crossed the line before Petr Cech saved.

"I try to put a brave face on, but I am always nervous," admitted Gourlay as he recalled the frantic end to a final which Chelsea appeared to be coasting for the first hour. He said: "The spirit these guys have is incredible. There were some great performances in the second half."