John Baird made himself a Raith Rovers hero as his late goal secured a shock 1-0 extra-time win over Rangers in the Ramsdens Cup final.
The Ibrox men had enough opportunities to win the cup in normal time but saw defenders Bilel Mohsni and Lee Wallace waste clear-cut chances to score.
Rovers goalkeeper Lee Robinson was the hero for his former club Queen of the South in last year’s final and came up with another brilliant display, making a string of important saves.
Nicky Law hit a post for the cup favourites in the first half of the additional 30 minutes, but Baird ended Rangers hopes of a trophy treble when he bundled home the winner in the 118th minute after a defensive mistake by Mohsni.
With tears of pride running down his cheeks, the matchwinner – who secured the club’s second ever trophy following their famous League Cup win of 1994 – said : “That was a big day in Rangers history today – and we were the ones to stop them.Click here for a full photo gallery“I don’t think there are words to describe scoring a winner against one of the Old Firm in a cup final with a minute to go. It’s just a dream.
“If someone had told me a week before the transfer window closed I’d be playing in a cup final against Rangers and scoring a winner I wouldn’t have believed them.
“I was at a low because I wasn’t playing football. So this is just unbelievable.”
Having now failed to win any of the eight cup competitions they have entered during his reign, Rangers manager Ally McCoist is certain to come under fresh flak from fans.
However, the former Light Blues striker said: “I don’t fear for my future at all.I know the fans won’t be happy but no one will have to tell me anything, that’s for sure.”For in-depth coverage of Rovers’ Easter Road glory, see Monday’s CourierMcCoist – whose side face and even tougher test next Saturday when they take on Dundee United in the William Hill Scottish Cup semi-final – added: “I’ve had some big disappointments.
“That’s up there with all the major disappointments that I’ve had, but it’s not just about me – it’s about the team and the club and the players, all of us together.
“So it’s a big disappointment and we need to take it on the chin.We don’t have time to feel sorry for ourselves. That’s the one thing we can’t do. We’ve got a big game to look forward to on Saturday.”
McCoist added: “I’ve been here long enough to know that there will be a lot of unhappy people after this result. But none more so than the players and myself.
“But as low as we are, we can’t stay down because we have a massive game coming up next week.We will need to play better than that because United are one of the form teams in the country.”