[attach id=242266 size="medium"]St Mirren players lift the League Cup at Hampden Park.[/attach]
St Mirren captured the Scottish League Cup for the first time in their history after coming from behind to beat Hearts 3-2 in one of the most dramatic finals witnessed at Hampden for many a year.
Ryan Stevenson opened the scoring for the Jambos in the 10th minute but in the 37th minute, against the run of play, Esmael Goncalves levelled.
A minute into the second half veteran striker Steven Thompson converted a Paul Dummett cross before Conor Newton made it 3-1
Although Stevenson reduced the gap with six minutes remaining to ensure a nervy ending, Danny Lennon’s side held out.
St Mirren appeared to have survived some early pressure but Hearts struck after 10 minutes.
Skipper Jim Goodwin’s crunching tackle on Jambos striker Michael Ngoo saw the ball fall to Stevenson who faced up to Dummett outside the Buddies’ box. When he eventually pulled the trigger the ball nicked off Dummett before beating the flailing Samson.
After that early breakthrough Hearts seemed in control but against the run of play the Saints drew level
Wilson sent Gary Teale racing down the right-wing and when the former Derby winger cut the ball across goal Goncalves stroked it into the empty net to change totally the complexion of the game.
The second half was barely a minute old when Thompson fired St Mirren ahead.
Midfielder John McGinn fed Dummett on the left and when his cross came into the box the former Dundee United and Rangers striker beat Wilson to the ball before knocking it first-time past MacDonald.
In the 66th minute Saints put one hand on the trophy when Newton played a one-two with Goncalves before powering his shot past MacDonald.
Time was running out for Hearts but Samson made a good save from McHattie’s drive with defender Marc McAusland making a great block to deny Ngoo from the rebound.
However, it was the former Ayr United player Stevenson who gave the Edinburgh side a lifeline in the 84th minute when he took a Ngoo pass and screwed the ball past Samson and into the far corner.
As Hearts pushed for extra time in the three minutes added, the St Mirren fans urged the final whistle to arrive and when it did, the roar reached all the way to Paisley.