AT LONG LAST, IT'S HEARTS!; NOW WE CAN FORGET 1956!

HEARTS rolled back the years - all 42 of them - as they conquered favourites Rangers with as controlled a display of football as they've shown all season.

A controversial penalty awarded within 30 seconds of the kick-off, which Colin Cameron converted, then a second from Stephane Adam in 52 minutes was enough to take the trophy back to Edinburgh, despite a late strike from Ally McCoist.

As the jubilant players paraded the Tennents Scottish Cup in front of their 22,000 ecstatic fans, they left the Ibrox squad without any of the three major trophys for the first time since 1986.

A triumphant Hearts boss Jim Jefferies, joked later "Don't ask me what happened out there.

I've no **** idea.

I can tell you after they scored it was the longest 10 minutes of my life.

"It's the happiest day of my life.

We've now replaced those old TV reports from the 1956 Cup win.

Maybe now people will start talking about Flogel and McCann in future."

Commenting on the progress made in the last three years Jefferies said: "This is now a platform for even more success.

And as for Paul Ritchie re-signing this week that was the best move he ever made.

He was outstanding out there - the best he's played for weeks.

Losing boss Walter Smith, ringing down the curtain on his managerial career at Ibrox, was still his usual defiant self.

"The bad news for Scottish football", he promised, "is that this is as bad as it gets.

Rangers will be back next season bigger than ever."

Added Smith: "We've had a decent run over the last few years, and the problems Hearts set us today were familiar ones."

And as for the disputed penalty just 30 seconds into the

game? "We've heard a lot recently about referees being biassed towards us.

You saw for yourself today that they are definitely not biassed in our favour."

Hearts will parade the trophy this afternoon along Princes

Street, and will then in front of a packed Tynecastle at 2.45pm.