Sean Simpson: Cupar Hearts boss makes cup admission as he pays tribute to club stalwarts in wake of historic triumph

The Fife-based team defeated Allandale outfit Steins Thistle 2-1 at the National Stadium on Wednesday night, with first-half goals from Richie Lawson and Liam Craig ensuring they lifted the coveted trophy in front of a large travelling support. A David Grant spot kick brought Steins back into the match, but Hearts held out to seal the cup after losing out on the last three occasions (in 1950, 1957 and 2007).

"We were good in the first half and got our two goals but the second half didn’t go how we wanted,” Simpson said. “We looked nervy at the end and I would have liked us to have controlled the game better. I reckon we’ll play way better than that in other games and not win.

“Ultimately we got the cup over the line and the result was the most important. If someone told me beforehand would you take a 2-1 win having not played well, I would have bitten their hand off for it. We stumbled over the finish line but got there.

“I know the folk at Steins Thistle well and I have a good connection with them through their coaching team, it was nice to have that connection and I was delighted to see them get to the final. It helped too that I had an idea about how they would set-up and it was certainly a tough tie. We gave them the respect they deserved.”

The boss added: “It is difficult to put into words just what this means to us. It has been an emotional season for us. We lost our physio Jim Smith in November just before the St Pats game in the cup.

"Jim was involved in the club on and off for over 30 years. He was previously chairman and was on the committee too amongst many other roles – it hit us so hard.

“Then our current chairman Harry Petrie had to go into open heart surgery on the day of our semi-final tie against East Kilbride. He couldn’t be here tonight and it made this match a really tough one mentally for us all.

“I put a fair bit of pressure on myself to win the cup for both of them, and for guys like them. The people who make our club what it is.”

Hearts brought a massive support to Glasgow's southside, with a fair chunk of the town making the journey south to cheer on the team, and Simpson was left in disbelief at just how many fans turned up on the night.

“It was even a surprise to me,” he said. “I knew we had eight buses coming but it was crazy. You put figures in your head and you think ‘no chance that many will actually come’ but they did.

“There were so many fans in tears at full time and you saw the people who have been coming to Cupar Hearts matches for decades.

"To see the emotion from them and the committee members, the folk that really matter at this club, it was something I will never forget.

"The right things went for us at the right time and we got those breaks, it just felt like our name was on the cup.

"To be the first Fife time in over 30 years to win it too is a massive achievement. We wanted to make history and we did it.”

Hearts have also earned a spot in the Scottish Cup proper next season as a result of their trophy triumph, and the boss admits he didn’t even know about it until weeks before the match.

Simpson explained: “It is something that escaped everyone. I didn’t even know about the Scottish Cup place until a few weeks.

“To be the first club from Fife to represent the amateurs in the proper big Scottish Cup is another bit of history for us.

“For myself and the management team to lead the team in the Scottish Cup will be amazing.”