Riding high: fans celebrate to Hearts' content

* Half of Edinburgh goes mad as Hearts parade the Cup
* Civic reception starts off day of celebration
* "Carnival spirit" noted by police and no arrests reported

Key quote "I have been at the club eight years and this is my first opportunity to lift silverware. I am extremely proud and delighted for the players, the fans, the staff and everyone involved in the football club." - Steven Pressley

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CHAMPAGNE corks popped and confetti showered the streets of Edinburgh yesterday as more than 80,000 Hearts fans gathered in the city to cheer their Scottish Cup heroes.

Celebrating a hard-fought final in which Hearts triumphed over Gretna at Hampden Park, winning 4-2 in a penalty shoot-out, supporters rallied in the capital to acclaim the team and their new trophy - the Tennent's Scottish Cup.

A sea of maroon flags, hats and T-shirts poured along Princes Street and through Haymarket, Gorgie and Dalry, all the way to Tynecastle Stadium, as traffic came to a standstill throughout the morning.

The day kicked off with a civic reception hosted by the Lord Provost, Lesley Hinds, at the City Chambers.

"The city is tremendously proud of this success and I thank all members of the club for their hard work and dedication in achieving this victory," she said.

An ecstatic Hearts owner, Vladimir Romanov, prompted cheers from fans when he jumped on to a model cow, installed outside the City Chambers for an arts festival starting tomorrow, and held the trophy aloft.

Shortly after the reception, the team boarded an open-topped bus from which they displayed the trophy before it set off down The Mound towards Princes Street.

"I've paid more than £1,000 to fly from South Africa to Edinburgh especially for the game," said Ian Symon, from Johannesburg, who joined the revellers on the Royal Mile. "It's great to be here. I've always loved football and I'm a big Hearts fan. Everybody is in a carnival spirit today."

Gordon Turnbull, 22, from Edinburgh, celebrated the victory with three friends. "I remember the cup final in 1998," he said. "I was 14 then and I thought it was the best game I had ever seen. But this one was superb as well. Football is getting a lot better, and I think Mr Romanov did a lot of good for the team."

The procession travelled from the City Chambers down The Mound, along Princes Street to Haymarket and then along Dalry Road to Tynecastle, where a ticket-only event was held for supporters. Scores of people were waving flags and hats from the balconies and windows of flats along the route as the bus slowly approached the ground.

"I've been a Hearts fan all my life," Peter Williamson, 82, said. "I'm proud to be here today and to see a cup final being won by Hearts for the third time in my life. The game was absolutely superb. There was no animosity, just a friendly atmosphere."

Jimmy Robb, a 67-year-old from Edinburgh, was so impressed with his team's performance that he donned the kilt and set up a mobile disco in a wheelbarrow that he pushed all the way from Princes Street to Tynecastle.

Wayne Foster, from Edinburgh, was there with his family and dog, Kelvin, to celebrate the victory.

"The team has risen from its own ashes and we're looking forward to great times ahead," he said. "We're going to win the European Champions League next year. I have no doubts about it."

Alessia Vissone and Anna Chiara were on a short visit from Naples to Edinburgh. "In Italy, we adore football, but we don't have such lively street parties there. This is great: children, dogs, young and old - everybody's in a party mood here," they agreed.

Mike Partington, from South Queensferry, was celebrating with his family and friends. "There are about 20 of us in the streets today," said the 46-year-old, who had his entire left arm covered in Hearts tattoos.

"This means everything to me, I couldn't be happier. We're definitely going to celebrate in a pub after the street party is finished," he added.

Singing along with the supporters, William Young, 82, recalled the day that he was invited to play the accordion on an open-topped bus with the cup-winning Hearts team in 1956. "It's great to be at Tynecastle today. I'm very proud to be a Hearts supporter," he said.

Another Hearts fan, Angie Milton, from Glenrothes, said: "It was pretty tense during the actual game, but today everybody's been in such a good mood. It's an immense joy.

"We've all come here to the stadium with a smile on our faces - and the smiles are still there."

Nine-year-old Rhys Craigie attended the celebrations together with his brother Scott, 12, and father Stewart 45. "It's great to be here at Tynecastle today," he said.

Later, inside Tynecastle, those fans who had packed into the ground cheered as the captain, Steven Pressley, led the squad and backroom staff on a lap of honour.

Pressley predicted the club could make a "serious challenge" to the Old Firm's dominance of Scottish football.

He said: "I have been at the club eight years and this is my first opportunity to lift silverware.

"I am extremely proud and delighted for the players, the fans, the staff and everyone involved in the football club.

"The fans were quite remarkable from the moment we left the City Chambers, and travelled along the route to Tynecastle. The streets were full of supporters."

From the directors' box, Mr Romanov also took the acclaim of the fans.

Last night, Inspector Brian Stuart, of Lothian and Borders Police, said about 80,000 supporters "in carnival spirit" had lined the route. He said the event had passed off peacefully and there had been no arrests.

Taken from the Scotsman