HEARTS PLAY TRUMP CARD; Jefferies' men deny Walter his final triumph; Hearts 2 Rangers 1

THERE was to be no last hurrah for Rangers boss Walter Smith. Hearts took full advantage of Ibrox frailties, to take the Scottish Cup for the first time in 42 years.

It was never going to shape up like a classic, but the all-round team spirit and work-rate of Heart of Midlothian proved the winning ingredients.

And Rangers, despite incredible pressure in the closing minutes, found they just weren't good enough on the day.

Hearts certainly had a dream start - winning a penalty kick in the opening seconds.

Down went the peroxide-headed skipper Fulton at the edge of the box from a Ferguson tackle. And referee Willy Young, some 10 yards away, had no doubt.

But was the tackle inside the box? No matter the debate, Cameron spotted the ball and drove it waist high past Goram, with his right foot.

With the game starting early it would appear that we had a Cup final goal before the official 3pm start.

Quite remarkably this was the only shot Hearts produced throughout the entire first half, with Goram a virtual spectator.

Rangers, as expected, stormed back into the game seeking the early equaliser. And they forced a series of solid saves from Hearts French keeper, Rousset.

But the early season fluency just wasn't there. The Hearts defenders, with Ritchie and Weir quite outstanding, were on song.

And you could sense a feeling of frustration steadily eating into the Rangers players.

Mind you, a blistering shot from Amoruso from fully 35 yards late in the half, which Rousset did well to push round his post, warned Hearts that they just couldn't afford to live off their early strike.

To a mighty roar from the Rangers fans among the 48,946 crowd, McCoist trotted on to the field to replace the inept full-back, Stensaas, at the start of the second half.

And almost immediately Hearts found themselves in full retreat.

But it was the sheer presence of the Ibrox legend, rather than his early touches which inspired the resurgence of Rangers - now enjoying their best spell.

Twice McCoist had chances, first from Gattuso and then the skilful Laudrup, but both times he failed to hit the target.

With the hour approaching, Hearts hit their second goal when there seemed absolutely no danger to Rangers.

A long free kick taken by Rousset looked to be covered by Amoruso inside his own area.

But the Italian defender slipped, and Adam pounced on the ball, cleverly side-stepped the defender and slammed it low past Goram, from a tight angle.

Done and dusted? Not quite. A superb through ball from Gattuso minutes from time and we glimpsed vintage McCoist.

The veteran striker took the ball on the run and smashed it with his right foot past the helpless Rousset. Minutes later, down went McCoist in the penalty area. But was the tackle on the Rangers man made in the box?

Again the referee did not hesitate. He pointed to a spot outside the box much to the anger of Rangers' men.

The kick, taken by Laudrup, was deflected for a corner and thereafter Hearts came under siege as Rangers really piled on the pressure.

But somehow they survived to win the Cup for the first time since 1956 and leave Rangers without a trophy for the first time in 12 years.

One must wonder why Rangers hadn't shown the same urgency and fire throughout the game as they did in the closing minutes.

Hearts manager Jim Jefferies, named Scotland's manager of the year earlier in the week, had convinced his players they could win this cup if they stayed focused and unmoved by the reputation of Rangers.

He was right. Defenders Wear, Ritchie and Naysmith bonded with the vast experience of McPherson, who won a medal with Rangers five years ago.

Along with skipper Fulton, and Adam who held the ball so well up front, they were the key players of this glorious, long-awaited Hearts success.

Rangers, offering little in attack in the first half particularly, with only Laudrup causing any grief to the Hearts defenders were a team which had run out of steam.

It was a sad farewell for skipper Gough who now leaves for America, Laudrup who moves on to Chelsea and of course manager Walter Smith, in his last game in charge.

But Hearts did what they had to do and the Cup is at Tynecastle after all those years.

There were bookings for McCann of Hearts and Amoruso and Durrant of Rangers.

HOW THEY

RATED: HEARTS

Giles ROUSSET

Confident, calm and handled everything with assurance making good saves at vital times.

8

David McPHERSON

Provided steadiness and real defensive know-how. Won everything in the air and was resolute on the deck.

7

Gary NAYSMITH

Youngster who grabbed the limelight both in defence and super surges forward down the left.

8

David WEIR

Won every crucial tackle he made and his only fault was in poor passing especially in the first half.

7

Stefano SALVATORI

Playing an astute holding role, he always used the ball cleverly and was prepared to be an unsung hero.

8

Paul RITCHIE

Scotland's young Player of the Year was outstanding, especially when Rangers threatened after half time.

8

Neil McCANN

Hearts dangerman who had one of his quieter afternoons and never really showed his wing trickery.

6

Stevie FULTON

The star of the game showed wonderful passing and vision. Controlled the play with precise distribution.

9

Stephane ADAM

Scored when Hearts were under the cosh and worked heroically alone up front to keep the Rangers from relaxing.

8

Colin CAMERON

Made a great job of the early penalty before he had time to settle into the game - and that proved vital.

8

Thomas FLOGEL

Stayed wide and worked tirelessly tracking back to help defenders and moving forward as a support act.

8

Substitutes

Hamilton 2. Replaced Adam 12 minutes from time and was promptly booked after a flare-up with Amoruso before he had a kick. Subs not used: Murray, Robertson.

HOW THEY

RATED: RANGERS

Andy GORAM

Had no chance as Hearts went two up but made some other good saves in his farewell appearance.

7

Sergio PORRINI

Did his job steadily and with no fuss but was never able to add the extra bit that Rangers needed.

6

Stalle STENSAAS

The worst player on the field was withdrawn at half time after a truly horrendous 45 minutes of poor play.

4

Richard GOUGH

It was another sad farewell as the skipper failed to find anything to inspire his slumping teammates.

5

Lorenzo AMORUSO

Slipped at the second goal but was one of Rangers' best players. Went close with a long-range effort.

7

Jocky BJORKLUND

Looked like a fish out of water on the right of defence and never provided options when his team went forward.

5

Rino GATTUSO

A grafter but also yet another midfield man with no constructive imagination to create openings.

5

Ian FERGUSON

Worked hard and ran himself to a standstill but failed to provide the spark to light up Rangers' attacks.

5

Gordon DURIE

Ran well with the ball but often found himself too deep to make an impact and was restricted to long-range shots

7

Stuart McCALL

Played with typical enthusiasm and tried to lift the pace but he finally ran out of steam in the second half.

7

Brian LAUDRUP

Hit the post on the half-time whistle but in the end the Dane's box of tricks lacked its usual sparkle.

6

Substitutes

McCoist 7. Scored the goal in typical style to set the scene for a nerve- ingling finale. Durrant 6. Gave Rangers more class and energy. Sub not used: Moore.