Hibernian picked up their first major trophy in 16 years in fine style with a 5-1 thrashing of Kilmarnock in the CIS Insurance Cup final at Hampden Park.
At a shivering Hampden, which endured a first-half sleet storm, a header from skipper Rob Jones in 27 minutes gave the Leith side an interval lead.
The Easter Road men ran riot after the break to secure their first piece of silverware since a 2-0 final win over Dunfermline in 1991 in the same competition. Goals by strikers Abdessalam Benjelloun and Steven Fletcher after the break gave the Easter Road side an unassailable advantage.
Killie defender Gordon Greer pulled a goal back with a header in the 76th minute but Benjelloun's second with six minutes to go put paid to any thoughts of a comeback.
And, when Fletcher capitalised on a mistake by Killie keeper Alan Combe to slot in number five two minutes later, it simply compounded the Easter Road side's superiority.
Almost 30,000 jubilant Hibs fans greeted the final whistle with a thunderous roar and after post-match celebrations, they headed back to a long-awaited party in Leith.
Killie will be frustrated they failed to produce their best performance but perhaps the scoreline was a little unkind on Jim Jefferies' side who never really got going.
Most of the pre-match build-up to the final had highlighted that there appeared to be little between the two sides and both teams did look evenly matched in the opening few moments.
Hibs keeper Andy McNeil clawed a Steven Naismith header away from his goal after just four minutes while Lewis Stevenson's left-footed drive from 12 yards was brilliantly parried by Rugby Park keeper Alan Combe.
The game remained finely balanced until the Leith side grabbed the opener. Jones' 27th-minute goal came after Killie defender Simon Ford was forced to concede a corner as Easter Road left-back David Murphy tried to slide a cross into the Rugby Park six-yard box.
Murphy floated his corner to the back post and Jones' massive frame towered above Colin Nish as the big Englishman powered his header in from around six yards out.
The Ayrshire side wobbled and as the sleet took a welcome break, Combe dived sharply to his left to prevent Fletcher's header from an Ivan Sproule cross skidding in at the post.
Kilmarnock steadied themselves and went in search of the equaliser but the Hibs defence coped with a degree of comfort.
It was the Leith side who were back on top as the whistle sounded to end the first half and after the break Hibs again went on the attack, only some desperate defending by the Ayrshire side's defence keeping them in the game.
Kilmarnock had clearly to reach top gear and in the 56th minute Peter Leven was replaced by the more mobile Gary Wales.
However, it was Hibs who had the chance to double their lead soon after when Fletcher found himself with space at the edge of the Killie penalty area only to curl his effort wide of Combe's right hand post.
But less than 60 seconds later, Benjelloun showed his team-mate how to finish with a wonderful second goal.
The Moroccan took Fletcher's pass in the 59th minute, turned Killie defender Greer one way then the other before dispatching a left-footed shot from 20 yards past Combe before racing to take the acclaim of the jubilant Hibs fans.
There seemed no way back for Kilmarnock and that would most certainly have been the case if Hibs midfielder Scott Brown had not stabbed a Murphy cross over the bar from close range.
But that miss only served to delay the Rugby Park side's demise.
Hibs' third goal in the 65th minute was a work of art started and finished by Fletcher.
The Hibs striker knocked the ball to Benjelloun then made for goal. When Scott Brown took a pass from the Moroccan and quickly played Fletcher through, he drilled his shot from 16 yards past the helpless Combe.
The destination of the trophy seemed assured but when Greer latched on to a Frazer Wright header to knock home a goal in 76 minutes a possibility of a comeback emerged.
However, Benjelloun's second in the 84th minute ended that notion, the Moroccan taking a Fletcher pass before slotting past Combe.
The Killie keeper had his own personal nightmare two minutes later when his mis-kick from Hay allowed Fletcher to stroke in the fifth and his second.
Benjelloun had time to see a header come back off the post but by that time the green and white ribbons were tied to the trophy.
