St Mirren cult hero Esmaël Goncalves says lifting the League Cup a decade ago was so special it felt like winning the biggest prize in football.
And exactly ten years on since the Buddies historic 3-2 final victory against Hearts, the goalscorer still can’t quite remember where his tie and jacket went that night in Paisley as the club’s sensational cup success sparked a week-long celebration.
The pacey forward arrived at Saints on a loan deal in January 2013 as a bit of an unknown quantity, having featured sporadically for Portuguese top flight club Rio Ave in the first half of that season.
No Buddie could have predicted the impact the then 21-year-old would make for his new club in the three months that followed.
After just one training session with his new teammates, the rapid striker scored his first goal on his debut against Celtic in a famous 3-2 League Cup semi-final win. That was certainly not the worst way to endear himself to his new supporters.
And there was even better to come for the striker in the final yet. With St Mirren one goal down to Hearts after a sluggish start, Goncalves popped up with a crucial equaliser that helped set the Saints on the path to glory.
Goncalves vividly remembers the wild celebrations on the Hampden turf and in the stands after winning the trophy for the first time in the Paisley club’s history, likening the feeling to winning the World Cup.
But the lengthy celebrations that followed are a little bit hazier in his memory, although still just as cherished by the now 31-year-old.
Speaking exclusively to the Paisley Daily Express about the historic anniversary, Goncalves explained: “I’d never really heard of St Mirren before I moved, but I saw an opportunity to play my football and show what I could do so I jumped at the chance.
“It was a dream start against Celtic. I’d only arrived two days before that game and had one training session.
“We had a great team though and everyone was very nice and welcomed me in straight away. That meant a lot as I was still very young.
“I thought it would be more difficult to adapt, but I just started taking risks straight away and they paid off.
“I only realised how important it was to the club to beat Celtic in the days afterwards. The media was crazy and so were the fans.
“To then go on and win the final was incredible. We started slow but we dug so deep to turn it around.
“We celebrated like crazy at full-time. It felt like winning the World Cup!
“You could see how much it meant to the fans. The celebrations in the stands were incredible. You could see the joy on their faces and it was special to know we had done that for them. It was my first ever trophy as well which made it extra special.
“I think we celebrated for a full week afterwards. The first night we were back in Paisley and it was amazing to be surrounded by St Mirren fans.
“I lost my tie, my jacket. I either lost them or gave them away, I don’t quite remember!
“Everyone was trying to speak to me and to hug me. It was just a lot of love that night.”
Goncalves was delighted for his fellow goalscorer Stephen Thompson, who like him netted in both the semi-final and final on the way to League Cup glory.
Despite only just arriving in Paisley, the striker could see how much it meant to the lifelong Buddie to spark such celebrations in the Hampden stands and lift the trophy alongside him.
Goncalves, now plyng his trade at Raith Rovers, also paid tribute to manager Danny Lennon, who built a solid structure at the back which allowed him to thrive in the final third.
He said: “I absolutely loved Thommo. He gave me a hard time on the training ground leading up to the final, but that was normal.
“He knew what it meant to the fans and he wanted to make sure I knew what we were playing for. It was a place in St Mirren history that he and we all wanted.
“I love Danny as well. He’s such a funny guy. always making a joke and supporting me as much as he could. If I made a mistake, he’d pick me up after is and Thommo was the same, always trying to build you up.
“Danny understood me very well, very quickly. He knew I hadn’t been playing a lot and I honestly wasn’t that fit at that time.
“He told me to focus on attacking and that he’d make the team look after the defensive side of things.
“That made me feel super comfortable to go forward, take risks and hurt the other teams.”
Looking back on the class of 2013, it’s clear the Buddies had a special team of talents that went on to achieve immortality at the club.
John McGinn, Kenny McLean and Paul Dummett have all went on to shine in the English Premier League, while he himself has gone on to play around the world enjoying spells in Japan, India and Cyprus among others.
Goncalves admits he would have loved to have spent more time with the Saints, especially given the response he received from the supporters after his League Cup heroics.
He added: “We had a great team and it’s great to see how many of those players have gone on to have such good careers. McGinn and McLean in particular are still incredible players.
“In Scotland we should have done a bit better in the league. That’s one of my only regrets, we probably should have done better there.
“It was hard after winning a cup though. That was always going to be the highlight of the season. We made history.
“I did want to stay at St Mirren. I felt comfortable there, especially with the fans which makes a big difference.
“I would have liked to stay there for at least another year, but I think there was money problems that ended up meaning I had to move on.
“But seriously I loved the fans. I miss them a lot and I wish I could have stayed there longer. But we will always have that cup win together.”
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