HEARTS manager Jim Jefferies savoured every moment of his historic Scottish Cup triumph and then declared that they were the happiest 90 minutes of his soccer life. The former mechanic and insurance agent has supported the club since boyhood, making Saturday's triumph all the sweeter. He fulfilled one ambition when he joined the Tynecastle playing staff as an amateur back in the Sixties, another when he became club captain and the third - and biggest - came when he replaced Tommy McLean as manager in July 1995. Hearts have made tremendous progress since, closing the gap on Scotland's Old Firm thanks to Jefferies' man-management skills, tactical knowledge and eye for a transfer bargain. All that was missing was a major trophy, but their 36-season drought ended with their 2-1 win over Rangers, earned by a Colin Cameron penalty in the second minute and a second-half strike from Frenchman Stephane Adam. Ally McCoist pulled a goal back for Rangers with ten minutes to go but it was too little too late. Jefferies celebrated by dancing a jig of delight on the touchline, just 24 hours after he had been named Bell's Manager of the Year ahead of Celtic's Wim Jansen: ''This has to be the greatest day of our lives, but don't ask me about the second half. I haven't a clue what went on. Those ten minutes after McCoist scored were the longest ten minutes of my life. "Our tactics were spot-on. We had to change the way we played against Rangers after conceding 13 goals to them this season. We decided to let them have the ball and try and break us down. That gave them a problem and the plan worked. ''My only worry after the opening goal was that we sat back a little and didn't push forward enough, added Jefferies, who will now lead his team of local heroes and shrewd foreign signings into next season's Cup-Winners' Cup. But we got the victory we wanted and I am delighted for our supporters - everyone knows I am a Hearts fan as well. The ovation they gave us when we went out for our warm-ups was incredible.'' It is the end of an era for Rangers manager Walter Smith, whose final season as Ibrox manager saw the club fail to win a trophy for the first time in 12 years: ''Of course, I am disappointed it should have ended this way, not just for myself but for everyone here. The players deserve a lot of credit and the bad news for Scottish football is that this is as bad as it gets for Rangers. They will come back stronger than ever in the next few seasons, I can promise you that.'' Even though he couldn't turn the game around, McCoist revealed that his own performance has persuaded him to shelve thoughts of retirement. He has no place in Rangers' plans under new boss Dick Advocaat but will now begin the search for a new club. ''Losing the Cup final hurt like hell, but at least I proved to myself I can still perform at the highest level, he said. I have given myself a lift by scoring and I hope that shows there is plenty of life left in Ally McCoist yet. ''Missing out on the World Cup was a big enough blow, but my world really fell apart when the whistle blew on my Ibrox career after 15 glorious years. I am now an ex-Rangers player and that will take some getting used to, but I know I would be crazy to hang up my boots.''

SCOTTISH CUP: THE RATINGS   HEARTS Gilles Rousset Put the disappointment of conceding five goals against Rangers in the 1996 Cup Final behind him with a superb display which included a point-blank stop from Ally McCoist. 8/10 Dave McPherson Former Rangers defender wore the maroon with pride, bringing composure to a relatively inexperienced back line. Impressed with his distribution. 7 Gary Naysmith Former Under-21 international defied his veteran status with another cultured display, suggesting that there are many more showpiece occasions in him. 8 David Weir Barely put a foot wrong in defence and looked confident when he moved out of the back four, justifying Craig Brown's decision to include him in the World Cup squad. 8 Stefano Salvatori Hard-running performance from the Italian despite sometimes tropical heat. Provided good service from the right and scrapped bravely in the middle. 7 Paul Ritchie Signed a new contract on Saturday and made several telling interventions to keep Rangers out. 8 Neil McCann Well shackled in the opening half, but found more space after the interval, using his pace to catch Rangers on the break. 7 Steve Fulton Shone as brightly as his blonde highlights in midfield with an excellent passing display. It was his driving run which earned the early penalty. 8 Stephane Adam Sealed a stylish performance with the match-winning goal. The Frenchman's movement off the ball unsettled the Rangers back line. 8 Colin Cameron Made a dream start by converting a second-minute penalty and, although not fully fit, contributed throughout with darting runs from midfield. 7 Thomas Flogel The Austrian was a surprise selection and initially struggled to make an impact, but became more involved as the match wore on, looking settled in an unusually deep role. 7 TOTAL 83 RANGERS Andy Goram Passed a late fitness test to make the game and did little wrong, but might be disappointed to have only got a hand to Adam's goal. 7/10 Sergio Porrini The Italian did his job defensively and did his best to help out in attack, almost equalising in the final minute. 6 Stale Stensaas Taken off at the interval after a stinker on the left. 5 (Ally McCoist Stensaas' replacement scored Rangers' goal to prove to Craig Brown that his goalscoring instincts are still sharp. 8) Lorenzo Amoruso Disappointing afternoon for the Italian, whose free kicks tended to be wayward and whose marking of Adam was non-existent. 6 Richard Gough Captain in his last game for Rangers, he will be more disappointed than anyone by the outcome. But his commitment, as ever, was total. 6 Joachim Bjorklund His pace was as impressive as always, but he struggled to come to grips with Adam and rarely made the kind of challenges which might have stemmed the Hearts' flow. 6 Reno Gattuso Worked hard to little effect on the right flank, couldn't provide the kind of service his forwards desperately needed. 6 Ian Ferguson Another who could be making his final Rangers appearance. Filled in competently for the injured Jonas Thern but lacked the Swede's creative touch. 6 Gordon Durie Ran well in possession but was often playing too deep to make a real impact and was restricted to long-range pot shots. 7 Stuart McCall Gave everything as usual but looked a step off the pace several times. 6 Brian Laudrup Couldn't produce a goodbye goal but, as ever, was Rangers' most cultured player. 7 TOTAL 68 before McCoist's arrival

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