It may be 30 years since Andy Holden last pulled on a Chester City shirt but the Hibernian assistant coach was quick to praise the Blues after he helped make history on Saturday at Hampden Park.

Number two to former Everton favourite Alan Stubbs at the Scottish Championship side, 53-year-old Holden has played a key role in transforming the Easter Road outfit from nearly men into Scottish Cup champions.

David Gray's late header at the weekend ended Hibs' 114-year wait to lift Scotland's premier domestic cup competition as they beat Rangers 3-2 and etched their names into club history and ensure European football next season.

It's a moment that Holden still can't quite believe and one that he ranks as his finest in a professional football career that began at Sealand Road back in 1983.

"It was just unbelievable, one of the best moments of my life," said Holden, who still lives in his hometown of Flint.

"The way we won it as well. The fans had been waiting for 114 years for that and it was a moment like nothing I had ever seen before. It was indescribable.

The Hibernian FC team celebrate winning the Scottish Cup as they parade the Scottish Cup to their fans on an open top bus along Leith Walk
The Hibernian FC team celebrate winning the Scottish Cup as they parade the Scottish Cup to their fans on an open top bus along Leith Walk

READ: Ray Crofts on his time as Chester City chairman

"To see the faces on the fans, especially the older generation who were thinking that they might never get to see such a day, was amazing. We had over 150,000 turn out for the bus parade and the atmosphere was something that is near impossible to top.

"I still live in Flint but also share a house with John Doolan (Hibs coach) in Portobello. It would have been a long old drive back if we would have lost the final but I had a smile on my face for the whole four hours home."

It's quite the journey for Holden, whose bold decision to leave his job at the paper mill in Flint as a 19-year-old to sign as a professional with Cliff Sear's Chester, having impressed during his brief time in Welsh football with Rhyl, has paid dividends.

"No disrespect to the paper mill or anything as they were good to me, but when I left I said to myself I would work my hardest to make it in the game and vowed I would never go back," said Holden, who spent close on 20 years as part of Everton's backroom staff having been brought to the club by Joe Royle in 1994, finally departing in 2013.

"Cliff Sear was the manager that signed me and I loved every single minute of my time at the club. I loved pulling on that shirt and the club and the fans were always wonderful to me.

Andy Holden in his Chester City days
Andy Holden in his Chester City days

IN PICTURES: Memories of Sealand Road

"The likes of the chairman, Ray Crofts, they were the lifeblood of that football club that kept it going and the passion that the fans had was superb. When that Sealand Road stadium was rocking there were few places like it.

"Even now, to this day, the first thing I do on a Saturday afternoon is check Everton and Chester's results. I care deeply for the club and I just want to see them back where they belong, and that is in the Football League."

Holden made 100 league appearances for Chester and forged a reputation as a fearless competitor in defence, something which endeared himself to the Blues faithful.

Capped once by Wales, Holden left for Wigan in 1986 before finishing his career at Oldham Athletic in the mid 1990s.

His all-action displays had caught the eye of a legend of the English game during his time with Chester - at the time strapped for cash - with former Leeds United manager Billy Bremner, the manager at Doncaster Rovers, keen to lure Holden to Belle Vue.

"The manager at the time, big John McGrath, said that Doncaster were interested but I had no intention of going to them," recalled Holden.

"But he urged me to go and have a chat with them as Billy Bremner was a hero of mine and it was a chance for me to a least meet him.

Former Chester City chairman Ray Crofts was praised by Holden
Former Chester City chairman Ray Crofts was praised by Holden

"I went down with Ray Crofts as the club were struggling for money at the time but Billy Bremner knew that I didn't want to sign for them as I told him I loved being at Chester.

"He'd seen me play in midfield a few weeks before and said that he had never seen a midfielder tackle like me, so to hear that from someone like him was a pretty big compliment.

"When I was there he walked me into another room and there was Don Revie, a legend of the game, and I was able to have a chat with him which was a really memorable moment for me."

After hanging up his boots in 1994, Holden went on to become a trusted member of the backroom staff at Everton, holding a key position on the coaching staff under managers including Royle, the late Howard Kendall, Walter Smith and David Moyes.

He took a year away from the game before joining Hibs but, like with Chester, his time at Everton is something that he will be forever grateful for.

"I'm an Evertonian so to have the honour of working for the club I support for so long was a dream come true," said Holden.

"I honestly think it's the greatest club in the world to work for, and it's only when you experience it that you truly understand it.

"But I'm loving it at Hibernian and with Alan (Stubbs), he has transformed this club. But my path here wouldn't have happened if Chester hadn't taken a chance on me all those years ago. I'm so grateful for that."

Andy Holden and David Moyes at Everton
Andy Holden and David Moyes at Everton