It was the stuff of legends.
And five years on from our incredible cup double success, the memories are still sweeter than ever for midfielder Ali McCann.
The year was 2021 when the Saints went up to lift not one major piece of silverware, but two. The League Cup and Scottish Cup secured in a remarkable moment of history.
A 1-0 Scottish Cup win against Hibs on May 22 had followed on from a triumph of the same scoreline against Livingston in February. Shaun Rooney the goal hero on both occasions.
Ali, now of Preston North End, will forever cherish the achievement.
He said: “It was unreal. I love when the photos pop up. They are just great memories.
“You maybe didn’t appreciate it all as much at the time. But, as you get older, you look back and realise how impressive it was.
“I think the achievement is actually underappreciated. Against the big-hitters, winning both cups in one season was wild. I really cherish the memories.”
He added: “It’s funny because we didn’t start that season very well. We were playing okay but weren’t getting results.
“As it went on, everything picked up and, before we knew it, we were deep in both competitions. You start to think about the possibility of winning one. But winning both in one season? The thought of that was not real.
“We were comfortable playing at Hampden by the Scottish Cup final. Hibs were probably still favourites, but we had beaten them in the semi-final of the League Cup. So we fancied ourselves.
“To be honest, we didn’t really have anything to lose. We’d had a good season already – this was just going to be the icing on the cake.
“Big Rooney came good towards the end, didn’t he? He popped up with the huge goals and will go down in history for that. The whole team just worked. It was a joy to be a part of.”
Ali still chats about the cup double success with his former team-mates – and remembers all the special messages from supporters.
He said: “It was weird not having our fans there. I had so many messages and calls after the game. It was a different experience, but obviously still unbelievable.
“I still keep in touch with a lot of the lads. We have great memories. I remember lads like Craig Conway and Craig Bryson saying: ‘It’s not always like this, make the most of it’.
“Winning the cup double with St Johnstone is always something I will look back fondly on. It should always be talked about.”
As he talked through his memories of becoming a double champion, Ali made sure to send his congratulations to the club on promotion back to the Scottish Premiership.
He said: “I always keep an eye on Saints’ results. It was nice to see them get back up to the Scottish Premiership. It is a club that did so much for me.
“The atmosphere around the club looks really good at the minute and everything seems to be going in the right direction.”
