It doesn't get any better than this

...hang on, Watkins has got some space here...lots of defenders back though...only Vincent trying to get up to support him...hold it up, Marley...no, don't shoot!...ach, not enough power on that...oh, the keeper's made a hash of it...hang on, that's Vincent coming in!...he's going to get there first!...HE'S GOT AN OPEN GOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLLL

I'd love to say that the above series of thoughts all happened in slow motion, because it would fit the narrative better, but it definitely all happened in real time.  Two days later, I can still remember those few seconds with crystal-clear clarity.  And thinking about them continues to give me a shiver down my spine, goosebumps on my skin, an irresistable urge to grin inanely.

The moments that followed are an absolute blur, however.  I wasn't even watching the players celebrate; I was too busy jumping around like I'd been electrocuted with an endorphin-laden cattle prod.  My good mate Allan Thomson, veteran of many a trip to Englandshire to watch Premier League football with me, may regret asking for a ticket for the game - it may be a while before he recovers from the physical and psychological trauma caused by me jumping on him (that said, the post-match hug from blog collaborator Iain Meredith has left my left shoulder practically useless!).

Every football fan has moments of pure euphoria like this, just not very often; as a Caley Thistle supporter, mine have tended to come in circumstances others might see as mundane.  Listening to the radio as a 16 year old as we 'went ballistic'; a stunning cup win at Tynecastle in 2002 sealed by a glorious David Bagan solo goal; beating Celtic again in 2003; the Paul Ritchie header that finished off St. Johnstone and sealed the 2004 First Division title.  Top of the pile, possibly, would be the 30 yard screamer in injury time from John Rankin that beat Rangers just after Christmas in 2006.

Until now.  Move over, John.  We have a new winner, and he's called James Vincent - who takes his place in history as the man who scored the winning goal in a cup final for us.  And I think its fair to say that, if I watch football for another 50 or so years, no single moment will top that one, just as no single day as a football fan is likely to top the 30th of May 2015.

Scottish Cup winners Inverness Caledonian Thistle.  Has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?


Lawrie Spence (LS) has ranted and spouted his ill-informed opinions on Narey's Toepoker since September 2007.  He has a life outside this blog.  Honestly