How much more must Hibs endure?

Had Farid El Alagui not gambled as a good striker should, diving behind David McCracken as the defender lunged desperately to get studs to Dylan McGeouch's cross, the Moroccan international would have had a tap-in but, grounded by the time the ball finally reached his head after rebounding off Jamie MacDonald he could only steer it back to Falkirk's prostrate 'keeper.

Likewise Jason Cummings, had the ball which MacDonald had taken his turn to reach at full stretch and deflect onto the post following Fraser Fyvie's well struck shot, taken any other angle off the upright than directly back into the arms of a man now set to earn a place in history by representing a third different club in a Scottish Cup final, none of them the Old Firm.

A shot from Scott Allan, as so often the best player afield in a match involving Hibs, also hit the bar and they generated umpteen other opportunities and half-chances, whereas just once did their opponents cause their largely impressive defensive unit a significant problem and, to maximise the pain, no way should a player of Craig Sibbald's stature have been beating much bigger opponents in the air when reaching Blair Alston's cross to score the decisive goal.

Such had been Hibs' assault on the Falkirk goalmouth in the previous 10 minutes it almost re-defined the expression 'against the run of play.'

If that all felt rather unfair so, too, did the dressing down issued to Alan Stubbs, their manager, by his more experienced opposite number for suggesting only one team deserved to reach the final.

Peter Houston was on the offensive much more quickly than his players had been for much of the preceding two hours in pointing out how his team, that has beaten Hibs thrice and not lost to them in four meetings this season, had scored all six goals in those encounters from crosses and that Stubbs might be better served addressing that.

Even when it was subsequently pointed out to Falkirk's manager that his counterpart's full quote was "Only one team deserved to be in the final today, unfortunately it's not us," the senior man was unrepentant, claiming Stubbs had form.

"I thought he was being smart because in the last couple of games we played them he's never, ever given Falkirk any credit," Houston observed.

Not that this was a time to focus upon recriminations because giving this particular club such a marvellous day out was something Houston has longed to do, but had feared the chance might have passed him by.

Few other jobs offers, if any, would have tempted him away from the European jaunts associated with scouting for Celtic, but Falkirk's directors knew what they were doing last summer.

"I said it was a club I'd always want to come back and manage one day, but I needed to go away and learn," he said of the lag between his departure as a player and last year's return.

"I didn't think it would be 18 years.

"Football's starting to become a younger coach's game. You see all the young guys coming through, getting promoted and doing well... I'm 57 this year.

"Falkirk asked me if I'd be interested, though. The board's done brilliantly in the last few years to get it in a solid structure. We've got money in the bank and being the type of people they are I think they always will. They won't take the club down the road of paying too much per week as they did when they were in the SPL. It's a great club and a good set of supporters."

As one of the younger managers to whom Houston was referring 43-year-old Stubbs seemed energised rather than deflated by Saturday's events, aware that for all the disappointment of failing to end Hibs' cup curse this season's bigger prize of promotion remains available.

"I've got a really talented group of players, so when you've got that and you've seen the way they've played today then I'm as disappointed as them, but when you look at the big picture I'm excited as well," he said.

"Listen, there would have been nothing better for me than to lead a team out in a final, but now it's gone I'm afraid. There's no point worrying about it now, or letting it dwell and you have that hangover effect. The best way to respond to it is by going out on Wednesday and getting the result we want."

There was little consolation in sorting out the potential fixture chaos his team might have had to endure had they been mixing a cup final with end of season play-offs either and few who are aware of the SPFL's recent bungled handling of fixture scheduling would have doubts about who he was referring to when saying: "I think it helps certain individuals."

Almost as if anticipating Houston's advice to focus on his own problems, however, he left the matter there.

"We're just happy to be involved," he said.

"We obviously would have liked a congested fixture list but that's gone now. We were prepared for it, so I would have liked for that all to have come to fruition, but one's gone and we've got one remaining."

As he said so on another agonising day for them, only the coldest hearted could fail to feel that The Proclaimers' favourite club must be due to turn its misery to happiness some time soon.