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Scottish Cup Final 2015:
Inverness 2-1 Falkirk

Party mood: Caley Thistle players are presented with the Scottish Cup on the Hampden Park surface (Picture from Sky Sports)


JAMES Vincent's late winner clinched 10-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle their first major silverware in their first Scottish Cup Final at the expense of a spirited Falkirk.
 

The substitute slotted home four minutes from time after a tame Marley Watkins shot was parried by Bairns goalkeeper Jamie MacDonald.
 

The Scottish Premiership side opened the scoring seven minutes before half-time when Watkins, on what could be his final game for the club, rounded MacDonald after an intelligent through-ball from Aaron Doran.
 

But Falkirk levelled through a bullet header by Peter Grant minutes after Caley Thistle’s Carl Tremarco saw red for bringing down Blair Alston as the last man.

Guilty: Tremarco upended Alston after miscontrolling the ball under no apparent pressure (Picture from BBC Scotland)

 

 

Disconsolate: Tremarco was in tears when he was sent off and apologised to his team-mates afterwards (Picture from Sky Sports)

The Championship outfit were in the ascendancy thereafter and dominated the second half although it was the Highlanders who snatched glory to celebrate the maiden trophy of their brief 21-year history.
 

Victory in the Hampden showpiece crowns a magnificent season for Caley Thistle in which they have secured European football for the first time, their highest league finish of third place and John Hughes was named manager of the year.

 

 

Family occasion: Inverness boss John Hughes celebrates with the trophy and his twin daughters Jessica and Victoria (Picture from Sky Sports)

It also made up for last season’s Scottish League Cup Final defeat to Aberdeen on penalties and ensures they will enter the Europa League at the second qualifying round stage with St Johnstone now taking the remaining spot via the league.
 

But the top-flight club were ran close by two-time winners Falkirk, who were under the stewardship of Hughes in their previous Scottish Cup Final in 2009 but have not won the competition since 1957.

 

The Bairns, who finished fifth in the second tier, were playing for the first time in a month as boss Peter Houston sought to become only the third manager to win the Scottish Cup with two different clubs having triumphed in 2010 with Dundee United.

 

 

Second time around: Houston guided the Tangerines to a 3-0 win over Ross County in the 2010 Scottish Cup Final at Hampden Park (Picture from Sky Sports)

The former Scotland assistant threw top scorer Rory Loy into the side for his final appearance before joining Dundee after two months out injured in the only change from their semi-final win over Hibernian.
 

Inverness were dealt a blow when David Raven, who scored the extra-time winner in their epic triumph over Celtic in the semis, pulled out with a hamstring strain.
 

With Gary Warren also suspended, Carl Tremarco and Danny Devine came into defence as captain Graeme Shinnie switched to right-back in his final outing for the club before moving to Aberdeen.

 

 

Devastated: The right-back missed out on the cup final after being troubled with injury throughout the week (Picture from Sky Sports)

Caley Thistle edged a cagey and largely dull first period in the Glasgow sunshine but Falkirk came close to scoring through two long-range efforts by Will Vaulks which had Ryan Esson scrambling across his goalline.
 

It was the Highlanders, though, who made the breakthrough on 38 minutes in a stylish manner as Doran, preferred to Danny Williams in midfield, threaded a reverse pass for Watkins to latch onto and finish for his ninth goal of the campaign.

 

 

Composed: Watkins remained calm to score his second goal in the Scottish Cup this term to open the scoring in the final (Picture from Sky Sports)

The 15,000 Caley Thistle supporters found their voices and might have been celebrating another goal soon after had Grant not made a timely sliding challenge to thwart Doran’s progress.
 

But the tide turned after the break in the 130th Scottish Cup Final as the Bairns found their feet to finally put pressure on the makeshift Inverness backline.

 

 

Dangerman: The 21-year-old was surprisingly the main threat for Falkirk but could not add to his two goals for the club (Picture from Sky Sports)

During the impressive spell, defender-turned-midfielder Vaulks sent another effort fizzing wide of the target before clipping a delicate shot onto the roof of the net.
 

And their chances improved when Caley Thistle’s Tremarco was sent packing by referee Willie Collum on 74 minutes for bringing down Alston, who stole the ball after the defender’s poor control.

 

 

Seeing red: Tremarco became only the sixth player to be sent off in a Scottish Cup Final as Willie Collum shows the red card (Picture from BBC Scotland)

The atmosphere suddenly increased and Falkirk were rewarded with a deserved equaliser five minutes later when centre-back Grant, son of former Celtic midfielder Peter, powered home a towering header at the back post from Alston’s free-kick.   
 

The pendulum appeared to have swung firmly in favour of the Bairns as Caley Thistle were penned back in their own half.
 

But just when it seemed that Falkirk may have gone on to steal their thunder and extra-time was looming, Inverness regained the lead dramatically in the closing stages.

 

 

Match winner: The 25-year-old, who replaced Ryan Christie in the second half, scored the most important goal of his career so far (Picture from BBC Scotland)

MacDonald – a Scottish Cup runner-up with Queen of the South in 2006 and winner with Hearts in 2012 – could only push a weak effort from Watkins back into the danger area and midfielder Vincent was on hand to finish off the loose ball.

 

 

Mistake: MacDonald, who admitted afterwards he could have played his final game for Falkirk, watches on after conceding for the second time (Picture from Sky Sports)

Falkirk piled forward in search of another equaliser with five minutes added on, however, as left-back Luke Leahy fired their most presentable opening over the crossbar, Vincent’s goal proved decisive and Inverness held on to kick-start their celebrations.
 

It is unfamiliar territory for Caley Thistle, who have only been in the Premiership for six seasons, and a moment to savour at the end of an unprecedented year of success as Shinnie’s last actions in an Inverness shirt were to raise the trophy aloft.

 

 

Final hurrah: Shinnie - who has captained the side in the absence of the injured Richie Foran - ended his seven-year stay at Inverness by lifting the Scottish Cup (Picture from Sky Sports)

For Falkirk and Houston, it was a natural disappointment but the Bairns can count themselves unfortunate after rallying in the second period and will hope the pain of defeat can spur them on to secure promotion to the Premiership next term.

 

 

Commisserations: Falkirk's forlorn players went up the Hampden steps to collect their runners-up medals (Picture from Sky Sports)

TEAMS:

 


Substitutes:  Vincent (on for Christie 72'), Williams (on for Doran 78') and Ross (on for Watkins 90+3')

 

Booked:  N/A

 

Sent-off:  Tremarco (74')

 

Goals:  Watkins (38'), Vincent (86')

 

 

 

Substitutes:  Bia Bi (on for D Smith 63') and Morgan (on for Loy 90+5')

 

Booked:  Taiwo (77')

 

Goals:  Grant (79')

 

 

Referee:  Willie Collum (Scotland) - 8/10
Attendance:  37,149

MANAGER REACTION:

"I said to the players: milk it and get every photograph and take every single minute in. Because you're soon back to pre-season. I'm absolutely elated, but we didn't half make it hard for ourselves.

 

"I don't want to sound like Sir Alex Ferguson back in his Aberdeen days but the second half just wasn't acceptable. We brought it on top of ourselves and got a man sent off.

 

"But once again, the spirit in the team with 10 men, they dig it out. And to do it in a Scottish Cup final is remarkable. I'm absolutely delighted we won the game and Tremarco's blushes are spared."

"We were magnificent today and that's the standard. We want to play the Invernesses every week so we learn from it and try and get up.

 

"First half, we showed them too much respect, they dictated probably the majority of the first half. But we changed it a wee bit at half-time and we became the dominant side. We were the team who looked likely to get the win.

 

"I think on our second half performance we deserved more. We're disappointed with the second goal and a few players are in tears in there because of it."

 

 

 

By Adam Higgins
@Higgins_Adam95

 

 

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