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Black relishes boyhood dream

Image: Ian Black: Delighted to win Scottish Cup in his final game for Hearts on Saturday

Former Hearts ball boy Ian Black said it was a dream come true to help the club to their Scottish Cup success.

Midfielder delighted to win silverware in last game for Hearts

Former Hearts ball boy Ian Black said it was a dream come true to win the Scottish Cup in his last game for the club. Black controlled the game in central midfield to help the team he has supported all his life crush Edinburgh rivals Hibernian 5-1 in the final at Hampden. Out-of-contract Black, who is leaving Hearts as the club look to cut their wage bill, was delighted to lift the silverware. He said: "You dream of that as a kid, being a Hearts fan myself, and I couldn't have asked for any more. "We deserved every bit of it. We worked hard and went about our business in the right way. "It's an emotional time, obviously I'm parting with the club but it's a great way to go out." Black closed the curtain on his Tynecastle career when he was taken off in the closing stages with more than 20,000 Hearts fans chanting his name. "That was something special, you can't take that away from anybody," he said. "I thank every one of them. I have enjoyed every minute here and we did that for them as well."

Positive

Hearts winger Andrew Driver admitted he had pre-match nightmares of a green and white open-top bus driving through the streets of Edinburgh but Black cast aside all fear of losing the cup final to their city rivals. "You've got to go into the game positive," the former Inverness player said. "We never ever thought we were going to get beat. If you do that you give yourself a hard start. We were always confident. "We knew if we went about it the right way as a team, we could win. "I got a wee bit of a dead leg so I thought I would just sit in there and let Darren Barr run about and I would just try and control it. It was great." Black praised manager Paulo Sergio and spared a thought for team-mate Jamie Hamill, who is recovering from cruciate ligament surgery. "The gaffer has been outstanding, he has kept us cool and in the right frame of mind," Black said. "We did it for him and I'd like to say Jamie Hamill as well. I'm gutted for the wee man but he has played a big part in it and I just wish he was playing." Black now awaits an offer from another club with a move to England his target. "Fingers crossed my phone starts ringing in the next couple of days and I look forward to the next challenge," the 27-year-old said

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