Football: Money said his side's victory was down to the lucky socks Clyde loaned them because theirs clashed with St Johnstone's

As cups go, the Scottish League Challenge Cup is hardly the most glamorous. But it is better than nothing, which was the contents of Stranraer's non-existent trophy room before last Sunday, when they beat St Johnstone to win the first cup in their 126-year history.

And if someone, somewhere, used that most enduring of football cliches and predicted that "they'd be dancing in the street of Stranraer"... well, they were right. The players celebrated with a huge ceilidh which will probably never be bettered in the tiny seaside town. Their manager, Campbell Money, tongue firmly in cheek, admitted: "Aye, there was a highland party. I was in the town, it was quite an experience" - which was quite an understatement.

The club chairman, Graham Rodgers, was another who had had his tongue firmly in his cheek when he had promised before the final that he would have a trophy room built at Stair Park if Stranraer won the Cup. "Now he'll have that to pay for, as well as the win bonuses," said the captain, Tony Gallagher. "He'll be sick."

But not as sick as Danny Griffin, a promising Northern Ireland international. Griffin must have been as unwell as the proverbial parrot - and probably wished he had not turned down Derby's pounds 1m offer during the summer (his girlfriend apparently didn't fancy going south) - because it was his own goal that won the cup for part-timers Stranraer in the 26th minute.

One of the most unique aspects of sport is its ability to bring as much delight - or despair - to a crowd regardless of its size. So the fans who did their best to fill Clyde's new 8,700 all-seated Broadwood Stadium will certainly remember the day just as clearly as the Foster's Melbourne Cup will linger in the memories of the 90,149 who turned out two days later for one of the biggest days in the racing calendar.

Coincidentally, the race was won by the Australian-trained horse, Saintly, who wiped the grass with the 4-1 favourite Oscar Schindler and the rest of the European challengers; while at Broadwood the Saints, in the shape of the First Division favourites St Johnstone, lost by a nose (or an outstretched leg).

As far as Stranraer were concerned, though, the size of the crowd was the only disappointing aspect of the day. A meagre crowd of 5,522 hardly merited the platform of Hampden Park.

A former St Mirren goalkeeper, Money (which is something Stranraer don't have a lot of: the most the club has ever received for a player was pounds 30,000, the most they have ever shelled out just half that figure) joked after the game that his side's victory was down to the lucky socks Clyde loaned them because their own blue ones clashed with St Johnstone's kit.

"They did us a good turn," Money said, "and we'll be keeping the socks." But it is not the first time Lady Luck has played a key role in the Challenge Cup final, nor is it the first time an underdog has won the day.

Last season Stenhousemuir (past masters at upsetting Cup applecarts - they had previously dumped Aberdeen out of the Scottish Cup) beat Dundee United 5-4 on penalties to win a trophy for the first time in their 111- year history. They put the victory down to their keeper's vision, or lack of it. Roddy McKenzie dived to his left and saved Craig Brewster's crucial penalty - because he thought it was Owen Coyle taking the kick, and he had been told to dive left if Coyle took one.

Money is hoping the victory will put a club which is "miles from anywhere" on the map. Stranraer's main claim to fame is as the gateway to Northern Ireland: on any match day you're likely to find the town seething with Celtic and Rangers fans, bleary-eyed from a trip over on the ferry from supporters' clubs in Ulster. Stranraer fans are harder to come by. Last season's average home crowd was just 624, well down on the average of 1,541 in 1994-95 - just over five per cent of the town's population.

The club's nickname is hardly original (the Blues) but it does reflect the maritime connection, as does the current sponsor, Stena Line. Stranraer are actually the third oldest club in Scotland, but were not admitted to the Scottish League until 1955, since when the supporters have had precious little to cheer about. Alex McAnespie led them to the Second Division title in 1993-94, a glorious season commemorated in a labour of love by Charles Rigg: a book called "124 Years On". However, McAnespie's departure was anything but glorious: he was given his marching orders in the car park of Forthbank stadium after a defeat by Stirling Albion last March. Well, football does have a way of surprising you when - and where - you least expect it.