St Johnstone secure historic double with narrow Scottish Cup final win
St Johnstone 1-0 Hibernian: Callum Davidson’s side secure historic double and Europa League qualifying slot with narrow Scottish Cup final win
- Saints’ Shaun Rooney scored the only goal of the first half with a strong header
- Hibs’ Matt Macey saved Glenn Middleton’s penalty and Chris Kane’s follow-up
- Perth outfit held on to grab the trophy after February’s Scottish League Cup win
Shaun Rooney proved the hero again as St Johnstone brought down the curtain on an incredible campaign by completing an unlikely cup double at Hampden Park.
Rooney scored the winning goal with a header in the 32nd minute of the League Cup final against Livingston at Hampden Park in February. And when Saturday’s Scottish Cup climax against Hibernian at the national stadium crept into the 32nd minute, the 24-year-old wing-back popped up again to make the difference.
Saints could even afford to miss a 73rd-minute penalty — Matt Macey saving from Glenn Middleton before blocking Chris Kane’s follow-up — as they coasted to victory against a Hibs side that never came close to hitting top gear.
St Johnstone have won the Scottish Cup final after beating Hibernian 1-0 at Hampden Park
St Johnstone defender Shaun Rooney (right) scored the only goal with a fine first-half header
Rooney also got the only goal in the Saints’ Scottish League Cup win vs Livingston in February
St Johnstone (3-4-2-1): Clark; Kerr, Gordon, McCart; Rooney (Brown 79), McCann, Bryson (Davidson 64), Booth; Middleton (O’Halloran 82), Wotherspoon; Kane.
Substitutes not used: Parish (GK); Tanser, Conway, Craig, May, Melamed.
Goals: Rooney 32.
Manager: Callum Davidson.
Hibernian (4-4-2): Macey; McGinn, Hanlon, Porteous, Doig (Stevenson 76); Boyle, Gogic (Murphy 56), Newell (Hallberg 72), Irvine; Doidge, Nisbet.
Substitutes not used: Marciano (GK); Gray, McGregor, Wright, Magennis.
Yellow cards: Irvine 44, McGinn 74, Porteous 87, Boyle 88.
Manager: Jack Ross.
Referee: Nick Walsh.
Rooney’s story is one of overcoming early adversity to prosper at McDiarmid Park. He arrived last summer from Inverness and had to stay on the sidelines as understudy to on-loan Millwall ace Danny McNamara in the early part of the campaign.
Being subbed after gifting a goal at Kilmarnock was a particularly tough blow to take, but Rooney has gone on to become a key figure with his threat at set-pieces helping transform the team.
This victory, in front of a deserted stadium due to Covid-19 regulations, is testament to the minor miracle boss Callum Davidson, in his first year in management, has performed in turning this provincial club into a power to be reckoned with.
He lost seven of his first 10 league games as boss at the start of this season, but stuck with his philosophy, refused to panic. What he has since achieved is unprecedented.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard won the Manager of the Year awards — thanks, in no small part, to the voting deadlines — but winning two trophies in the same season as well as finishing fifth in the table with St Johnstone surely gives Davidson every reason to claim he is the major success story of the season.
To think, he was seen as filling a giant’s shoes when replacing Tommy Wright, the man who broke the club’s trophy jinx by winning the Scottish Cup in 2014. He has already blown the Northern Irishman’s achievements out of the water.
Davidson’s side is built on resilience, discipline and organisation. It is epitomised in the back three of Jason Kerr, Jamie McCart and Liam Gordon. All good players in their own right, they undoubtedly become more than the sum of their parts as a unit.
They defend, first and foremost. They offer a strong base to build from. For all the praise Hibs have received for their talents in the attacking section of the field, they never really got a look-in.
Saints outworked, outplayed, outfought and out-thought them. For second-half substitute Murray Davidson, ruled out of that 2014 triumph and this term’s League Cup win through injury, it was a deserved moment of pure emotion in a genuine afternoon in which legendary status for him and others was secured.
Irrepressible Saints striker Chris Kane (left) won a penalty after a foul by Paul McGinn (right)
Rangers loanee Glenn Middleton (pictured) stepped up to take the spot-kick in the 74th minute
St Johnstone opened very much on the front foot with Kane blazing an early effort over the crossbar from inside the box after a touch on from Craig Bryson. Middleton, having won his way into the starting line-up, then caused consternation in the Hibs defence just after the quarter-hour.
Middleton picked up the ball just inside the opposition half and embarked upon a great run that took him past Paul Hanlon inside the area. Alex Gogic, however, had shown real determination in tracking back and put in a crucial saving tackle that allowed goalkeeper Macey to gather the ball.
Hibs found it difficult to create opportunities against a Saints side renowned for its organisation and resilience, but Jackson Irvine did get a glimpse of the whites of Saints goalkeeper Zander Clark’s eyes on 27 minutes.
Joe Newell managed to poke the ball through to the Australian on the left of the area in a rare area of space left by St Johnstone’s well-marshalled rearguard. In truth, he did everything right. He shot across Clark. Made decent contact. Unfortunately for Irvine, Clark — a colossus in this competition — managed to save with his left leg.
Goalkeeper Matt Macey saved Middleton’s low effort, and also parried Kane’s poked rebound
Five minutes later, Davidson’s side had taken the lead. Callum Booth, a product of the youth set-up at Hibs, showed terrific determination to win two tackles on the left touchline and earn possession for David Wotherspoon, another former Easter Road player.
Wotherspoon checked back to weigh up his options, with Gogic selling himself by jumping to clear an anticipated cross and ruling himself out of the game. When the ball across did come, it was a beauty.
He picked out Rooney at the back post and he climbed above a ponderous Josh Doig to send a crisp header back across Macey and into the net.
Newell did put a shot over the bar for Hibs before the break and saw his side create another opportunity a couple of minutes after the restart.
Hibs never really got out of first gear and only had two shots on target across the whole match
Irvine picked out Gogic in front of goal, but his header was blocked by McCart. Claims for a penalty kick after McCart’s intervention, seemingly with his right knee, were quite bemusing — and perhaps resulted in Jack Ross’ side switching off and being caught on the break.
Middleton surged upfield and made his way into the area, only being denied by an excellent late tackle from Newell. However, the ball broke to Rooney and he tried to shape it into the far corner — only to see his delicate effort hit Newell and spin wide.
The on-loan Rangers winger’s raw pace proved a real weapon for the Perth side and he forced a decent stop from Macey with a stinging drive on 70 minutes after breaking clear again. Wotherspoon had a pop at goal moments later, forcing the keeper into action again.
Three minutes later, Saints were awarded a spot-kick. An attempted pass by Davidson bounced into Kane’s path off Ryan Porteous. As he pulled the trigger inside the area, Paul McGinn barged in and brought him crashing to the floor.
Callum Davidson secured a historic double, after winning the Scottish League Cup in February
Middleton, however, saw his spot-kick well saved low to his left by Macey. And although Kane was quick to get to the rebound, Macey saved again with his leg.
The adrenaline rush of being given a lifeline did not manifest itself in any sustained improvement in Hibs’ general play, though. They had gone into a slump long before then and just couldn’t get out of it.
A miserable afternoon ended for them with Martin Boyle, one of many players who failed to show their true ability, being booked late on for diving under pressure from Wotherspoon and Booth in the area.
For Saints and Davidson, the party was just about to begin.
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