Hearts midfielder Andy Halliday has revealed he has received a painkilling injection in a bid to be fit for the Scottish Cup final.
The 30-year-old has been trying to manage a troublesome Achilles issue that flared up again in the semi-final triumph over rivals Hibernian last month.
He returned to action a fortnight later, playing the final 20 minutes as a substitute against Ross County, but subsequently opted for a jag to help ensure he was available to face old club Rangers on May 21.
After being left out of Saturday’s 4-1 defeat to Celtic, Halliday is expected to play against Motherwell this evening and is confident of proving his readiness for the eagerly-anticipated Hampden showcase in 10 days’ time.
“It’s been a frustrating period for myself,” he said. “One of the things I’m always proud of is my availability; I’ve not had many injuries since I was a younger player.
“Thankfully it’s eight days since the injection now. I’m feeling pain free, so it’s just about getting back out there.
“It was about letting nature take its course and hopefully the injury would recover by itself. But there was still a little bit of pain there so I had to get the injection. Thankfully, I’m now fit and ready to go.
“If it wasn’t for the final I’m sure the discussion would have been had with the medical staff and the manager about whether to get the injection.
“There was no chance I was going to miss out on a cup final though.”
Hearts will not be short of motivation in their quest for silverware in the final, but Halliday has revealed he has been inspired by seeing the club’s successful 2012 squad inducted into the hall of fame at the weekend.
The team that hammered Hibs 5-1 to lift the trophy a decade ago was afforded the accolade en masse at the Jambos’ payer of the year ceremony on Sunday and Halliday is determined to help end the supporters’ wait for new heroes.
“You can see how highly regarded they [the 2012 players] are by the club and the fans,” said Halliday, who was a beaten finalist with Rangers in 2016 and with Hearts in 2020. “That has to inspire.”
“The club has won the Scottish Cup twice in 16 years. Obviously that’s good but it’s not where we believe we should be as a football club.
“We lost it on penalties against Celtic and, as a squad, we know how much that hurt, and we’ve got ourselves in a position to try and go there and do it again.
“Seeing what happened to the 2012 squad the other night, we know how much it will mean to the fans and the football club.
“It’s a cup I’ve been dying to win and not managed to do it yet. A cup winner’s medal is something that has eluded me so far in my career and I’ll be delighted if I can win it here.”
