Brora Rangers midfielder Martin Maclean feels the Cattachs knocked out a Premiership team in all but name in Tuesday’s memorable Scottish Cup triumph over Hearts.
Maclean’s winning goal secured one of the greatest upsets in the competition’s history, as Brora defeated the Jambos in their first competitive game since they beat Camelon in the previous round on January 11.
Although Hearts are in the Championship, they have a 16-point lead at the top of the table and have been losing Scottish Cup finalists in each of the last two seasons.
Maclean takes huge pride from the stunning victory and says the magnitude of Brora’s achievement is still sinking in.
The 29-year-old said: “To be honest, I don’t really know how we did it.
“I think everyone is in a wee bit of shock.
“We’ve had five training sessions, that’s it, and we played a bounce game on Saturday where, if we’re honest, our tempo was poor.
“Both teams looked like they hadn’t played in three months.
“Then we were coming into a game tonight against Hearts who, for me, are a Scottish Premiership team, there was a wee bit of fear.
“But, at the same time, there was nothing to lose, so we just went out and gave it our all.
“It could have been our last game of the season and our last game for four months, so we just gave it everything we had.
“If we had been playing our normal season and were fully fit, we’d have had to defend for most of the game.
“To do it with no games and very little training sums it up.
“They are a Premiership team, really. Liam Boyce is an international striker, who was playing against us rather than playing with Northern Ireland over in Italy.
“That tells its own story.”
Maclean, who is from Lewis, has become a pivotal part of Brora’s midfield since joining in 2012 from hometown club Back, who play in the Lewis and Harris league.
Maclean takes pride in the Sutherland club’s rise since then, with the Highland League champions eager to make the step up to the SPFL having been denied a shot at the pyramid play-offs last season.
Maclean added: “I think this is my ninth season.
“It has been a pretty good nine years to be honest – we’ve been successful through most of them.
“It has been a journey. The season before I signed, Brora were third bottom of the Highland League.
“To now be sitting here having just knocked Hearts out of the Scottish Cup is absolutely crazy.
“People would have had a bit of hope and people would have dreamt of it, but I don’t think anyone would have expected it.”
Maclean remained based in Lewis for 18 months after joining Brora, flying to the mainland in order to play in matches.
Having now relocated to Inverness, Maclean was thrilled to do numerous family members proud by netting the decisive goal against the Edinburgh outfit.
Maclean added: “I got a few texts before the game saying aunties, uncles and my parents were all watching the game on the live stream.
“It was good to get a goal for them – hopefully worth the fee.
“It was almost as if, when they scored, we thought we’d rather win it than go to extra-time.
“I don’t think we had extra-time in us, to be honest.
“For the goal itself, I was leaning back a wee bit and, to be honest, it only just snuck under the bar which was lucky – a half-volley. I can’t remember much about it.”