Hearts boss Paulo Sergio hails Hampden heroes then admits he's still unsure over future

May 20 2012 By Gordon Waddell

PAULO SERGIO last night hailed Hearts’ Scottish Cup triumph as his crowning glory – but admitted it could still be his parting shot.

The Portuguese boss masterminded a glory day for the Jambos over their bitter city rivals to cap his first season at Tynecastle.

But with his contract expiring at full-time yesterday, his future is shrouded in mystery. He said: “It was a great result, a great match for us and I’m very proud. It’s amazing to see the joy of our supporters. To win the trophy with my family in the stand is a great moment.

“But it’s not the time to speak about my future. I don’t know if it’s the last game or not. We will see.

“I’ve said the outcome of the final would not be the decider if I am to stay or not. It’s a lot of things.”

Sergio will have talks with owner Vladimir Romanov, who attended Hampden wearing a Hearts kilt.

He said: “I never spoke to Romanov after the whistle. I’m afraid to go in the dressing-room – it’s crazy in there.”

And he added: “It’s probably my biggest achievement as manager.

“I had good days with clubs in Portugal but this is different because I’m working outside of
my country.

“That can make things harder, even the language because I can’t express myself the same way as I could in Portuguese. It’s a different flavour, a fantastic flavour.”

It never looked like being the
bitter taste of defeat for Sergio as two goals in four minutes after the break sealed it for Hearts.

However, he admitted: “I said at half time we had to go back out there like it was 0-0.

“If we gave Hibs a chance to get to 2-2 they would be motivated. We had to score to be safe.”

Sergio also offered words of comfort for those he left out of the 16. He said: “I felt bad for them.

“It’s hard this rule, you come to a final and have to lose two places off the bench. I understand the
players’ disappointment.

“Young guys like Adrian Mrowiec and David Templeton have time on their side. They were important for us this season and I hope they get to a cup final in future.”

Taken from the Daily Record