Big Jamie was head over heels
There was a scene near the end of the cup final.
The ball was lumped forward on numerous occasions back-to-back. Perhaps four or five times.
On every occasion Jamie McCart summoned the energy to rise highest and clear any impending danger.
One imagines he would’ve been willing and capable of nodding away hundreds of late Livingston advances if required.
This is a player who often goes about his business quietly but has become a key cog in the Perth wheel.
For many of the St Johnstone squad, Sunday represented a first- ever national honour. It meant so much.
“I think I dropped to my knees,” McCart remembers of the final whistle.“It was such a relief. Sheer ecstasy.
“You can’t believe that outside of the Old Firm you are going to win a cup. It’s tough.
“But we’ve shown this full competition that we’re deserved winners. To do it on this stage is incredible.
“I can’t put it into words. It’s incredible. The gaffer didn’t even say anything after it. We just started jumping around.
“It’s incredible for the club, fans, everyone involved.”
McCart was quick to admit that the game itself was far from a classic. But nobody was really caring about that.
He said:“You would have seen on the TV that it was a scrappy game. We always knew it was going to be a tough game.
“We dealt with it brilliantly. It was a brilliant header from big Rooney again. We know set-pieces are a strength.
“Even second half I think we were comfortable. I don’t think they had any chances and we had a couple. In the end, we deserved it.
“At the start of the season we might have been a wee bit sceptical because we’d lost a few goals late on.
“But since the turn of the year we’ve been excellent at that. We’ve ground games out and dug deep when we’ve had to.
“A lot of credit goes to the gaffer, Steven MacLean and Alex Cleland because they set us up and organise us.
“The gaffer has been brilliant since he’s come in. The best thing I can say is that he was composed on the day.
“He knew the emotion of it, the magnitude of it. But he managed to stay composed and it filtered down to everyone.”
While McCart and defensive pals Liam Gordon and Jason Kerr battled admirably, there was a realisation that this is a team game.
He explained:“It comes from the full team. The boys up top and in midfield worked so hard.
“We knew we would have to do that against Livingston. Honestly, I can just say that I’m so proud of everyone. We’re knackered.
“We enjoyed it but we’ve got to switch back on. When you win something, it’s the next game.
“We’ll focus on the league and then, come the end of the season, hopefully we can celebrate it again.
“Although the fans can’t be there, what a celebration they could have in the house.”
Rounding off his thoughts on the cup win, McCart smiled:“I think it’s just brilliant.”