AFP/Glasgow


Super sub James Vincent fired home a late winner for ten-man Inverness Caledonian Thistle to claim the Scottish Cup for the first time with a 2-1 win over Falkirk yesterday at Hampden.
Marley Watkins had fired Inverness into a 38th minute lead as the Premiership side had the better of the first half of an entertaining final.
Inverness manager John Hughes said the result would take a couple of days to sink in.
“I felt we started a little bit nervous but then got going and got a good goal,” Hughes said.
“In the second half we never turned up but the spirit to turn it round and win it was exceptional.”
However, the pendulum appeared to swing in Championship side Falkirk’s favour in the second half following Carl Tremarco’s ordering off and Peter Grant’s deserved headed equaliser in the 80th minute.
With extra time looming it was the ten men of Inverness who found a winner through substitute Vincent in the 86th minute to land the Highlanders their first major piece of silverware in Scottish football since their formation in 1994.
At Hampden, Inverness were first to threaten when Graeme Shinnie, captaining the side on his last appearance before his move to Aberdeen, sent in a dangerous ball into the box that narrowly evaded Watkins when any touch would have diverted it into the net.
Falkirk took time to settle but had the first shot on target in the 20th minute when Will Vaulks fired in a low drive from 25 yards but his effort was easily held by Ryan Esson.
Vaulks came close eight minutes later when his fierce long distance strike whistled narrowly wide of Esson’s goal with the ‘keeper stranded.
At the other end, Watkins sent an angled shot narrowly over the bar after collecting an Aaron Doran pass in the box.
However, Watkins wasn’t to be denied in the 38th minute when he fired Inverness into the lead. Doran fed the striker with a lovely through ball and he raced into the box before rounding ‘keeper Jamie MacDonald and slotting the ball into the empty net.
Falkirk started the second half on the front foot and it was Vaulks who sent a low shot inches wide of Esson’s post from 20 yards.
Vaulks was once again the dangerman for Falkirk and after and twisting and turning inside the Inverness box he lofted a shot on to the roof of the net from a tight angle.
Falkirk’s hopes of an equaliser were given a boost in the 75th minute when Inverness were reduced to ten men. A lapse of concentration saw the ball roll past Tremarco and the Inverness defender was shown a straight red for hauling down Blair Alston after the Falkirk midfielder had beaten him to the loose ball and was clear through on goal. Two minutes later the Falkirk players were screaming for a penalty when Ross Draper appeared to use his hand to flick the ball away in the box but referee Willie Collum ignored their pleas. Falkirk grabbed a deserved equaliser in the 80th minute through Grant.
Alston swung in a free-kick from the left wing and Grant rose above the Inverness defence to bullet a header past Esson. Falkirk were on level terms for barely six minutes before Inverness regained their lead. Watkins won the ball in his own half and, with the Falkirk defence retreating, let fly with a fierce strike that MacDonald could only parry into Vincent’s path and the sub had the simple task of rolling the ball into the empty net.


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