Seconds after thumping the decisive penalty of the match, Adam Rooney was submerged. Buried in a sea of bodies hellbent on crushing down years of abject misery.

Nineteen years Aberdeen had waited for this. Nineteen years they had writhed, wrestled and worried over a cupboard full of smashed cups and shattered dreams.

Semi-finals bottled. Cup finals choked. The relief and the outpouring of emotion which followed a penalty shoot-out triumph over Inverness said much for the depth of their endurance.

‘We saw this as the chance to banish all those headlines that hang about the club,’ said manager Derek McInnes, elation lacing his voice. ‘We accept the cups in recent seasons have been huge anti-climaxes.

‘There are a couple of generations who haven’t seen Aberdeen win a trophy. Here today there were 40-odd thousand seeing Aberdeen winning a cup and that can only be good going forward.

‘Even before today’s game, the opposition were asking whether we’d crumble under the pressure, whether we’d do this or that when things weren’t going well.

It was a lot to deal with but not at any juncture did I think any of our players would be affected by that. I know we weren’t at our best but not one of them hid. Not one shirked responsibility.’

It was easy to be wise after the event. But when a scoreless game went to penalties, you feared Aberdeen had done it again. That they had blown another one.

They entered the match as favourites and for 120 minutes they pushed, probed and poked at their unfancied opponents. At times it was pretty wretched fare. Painful on the eyes.

Look up ‘dogged’ in a dictionary and chances are you’ll find John Hughes and his team grinning back. They do what they do well, but there were times here when you felt they might get football stopped.

In the semi-final against Hearts, Caley Thistle defied two red cards to hang in there and win the sudden death shoot-out.

This time their luck was out. Jamie Langfield saved Billy McKay’s opening effort and Greg Tansey thrashed a poor effort over the bar.

In contrast, Aberdeen’s penalties were impeccable. Barry Robson didn’t have his best match, but kept his cool to score. Young Nicky Low and Scott Vernon followed suit.

Nick Ross and Aaron Doran summoned up one last slither of resistence by pulling the score back to 3-2.

But from the second Rooney stepped forward, we all knew what came next. With a lash of the right boot, an old, familiar name was back on an old trophy. It took long enough.

What Aberdeen wanted was an early goal as an anaesthetic for the nerve ends frayed by years of cup let downs and persistent failure. When they didn’t get it, you feared for them.

Especially when what they actually got was an early injury and a pretty critical one at that. Already weakened by the failure of speedy midfielder Peter Pawlett to overcome a pre-match injury, the game was a mere 15 seconds old when they lost winger Jonny Hayes.

The Northern Irishman, a bona fide matchwinner, fell heavily under a robust Josh Meekings challenge with just 15 seconds played. He hadn’t even touched the ball and was taken off with a shoulder injury.

‘Jonny’s had problems with his other shoulder,’ revealed McInnes afterwards. ‘He’s been wearing a harness. His performances have been great since he started wearing it, even though he’s in a lot of pain when he falls.

It was the other one today. He was struggling to breathe and it was a real blow to us after losing Pawlett before the game.’

Replaced by young Cammy Smith after five minutes, there was an irresistible feeling that Aberdeen’s sky high hopes had just suffered a significant, mildly freakish blow.

Yet still they had the better of the first half.

Russell Anderson had a shot cleared on the goal-line by Richie Foran after a swinging right foot shot from 12 yards in a crowded area struck the inside of the post.

Within minutes, Rooney poked a decent half chance over the bar after Anderson knocked down a corner kick in the area.

But Aberdeen – and Rooney – felt their best opportunity of all should have come from the award of a penalty kick in 34 minutes. They had a point.

Nicking a low cross from Shaleum Logan past Josh Meekings, the Irish striker tumbled to the deck, apparently caught by the outstretched foot of the defender.

Afterwards Inverness boss Hughes described it as a ‘dive.’ Beyond referee Steven McLean, he may have been the only one who thought so.

McLean evened things up by turning down an a penalty claim for Caley Thistle skipper Richie Foran three minutes from the end of normal time.

It was another big call. The Irishman predicted a phone call of apology afterwards. His manager was equally irate.

Yet the truth is this. There was no great injustice. The team who won the cup were the team who tried to win it.

Foran was in the wars from the start, escaping a yellow card when he deserved one. And earning one when he didn’t. The ref might conclude he has had better days.

The same can be said of Inverness as a team. Even without suspended centre back Gary Warren, they were organised, stubborn and resilient. But their attacking threat was largely non-existent.

The regret for Hughes was that they failed to capitalise on Aberdeen’ s nervy end to the game.

Long before Langfield emerged as a spot kick hero, he almost dropped a cross at the feet of Foran after an hour. They don’t call him Clangers for nothing. Inverness couldn’t capitalise.

Within moments, the Dons keeper was called into action again, dealing with Tansey’s thumping, 25 yard free-kick.

Caley then had the Foran penalty claim as well, Considine wrestling the Irishman at a corner as he headed over the bar.

But Aberdeen’s Niall McGinn had the best chance to win it with three minutes remaining.

Latching on to a free ball, the Northern Irishman kept his composure to cut inside and seemed certain to slot the ball into the net with his right foot until Meekings brilliantly got enough on the ball to force a superb chance high and wide.

You fancied Inverness to sneak it in the shoot-out. No one knew Aberdeen had done their homework.

‘I said to them at the penalty kicks it wasn’t a lottery,’ revealed McInnes. ‘I don’ t believe that. We’ve practiced them all week and I reminded them of that.

‘I just told them to go and be confident, pick their spot and get the job done and bring that cup back with us.’

Above the din of a 40,000-strong army, they heard him.

—Daily Mail