Prudent Rangers conserve energy and then hit Hearts with power surge - but Aaron Ramsey's trophy fears unfounded

The floodlights were blazing at kick-off as Rangers went on to demonstrate they had energy left to burn with a deserved win over Hearts in the 137th Scottish Cup final.

Energy conservation might not feature among the SFA’s priorities, but it was a chief concern for the Ibrox side. They were supposed to be dead on their feet. However, Giovanni van Bronckhorst managed the game and his players prudently, even when extra-time presented another challenge, to prevail 2-0.

A sudden power surge in the first period of extra-time saw substitutes Ryan Jack and Scott Wright score twice within four minutes. The prospect of penalties clearly didn’t appeal.

Rangers fans might have been denied water in the stands on a sweltering night in Seville in midweek, but they quenched their thirst here as they stayed behind to pay tribute to their weary heroes.

This was the Ibrox club’s first Scottish Cup success since a victory over Falkirk in 2009 – the longest gap since the hoodoo years between 1903 and 1928. Indeed, if you don’t include the Petrofac Cup win in 2016, it was their first domestic cup success of any sort since a League Cup victory against Celtic in 2011.

What the club has gone through since then is well documented. Even the last seven days have proved arduous enough. One of the most gruelling weeks in Rangers’ history finally came to an end just before 5.30pm at Hampden Park.

It started with a two-goal victory over Hearts and ended with a two-goal victory over Hearts. In between times was a heart-breaking as well as strength-sapping defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final in southern Spain.

Somehow the players still had the energy to follow skipper James Tavernier up the Hampden steps after another dose of