If Hearts decide to run through a penalty drill before Saturday’s Hampden date with Hibs then don’t be surprised if Ellis Simms is nowhere to be seen.
The Jambos striker doesn’t have any worries about being put on the spot - he just knows from painful recent experience that practice doesn’t always pay off ahead of a national stadium outing.
Hearts may need little more motivation to keep their Scottish Cup dream alive than the chance to leave their arch rivals broken in the semi-final.
But for Simms there’s a personal anguish fuelling his desire for glory.
Last May the Everton loanee suffered the ultimate bittersweet moment as he helped fire Blackpool to the League 1 play-off final with two goals against Oxford - then had to watch from the sidelines at Wembley after picking up an injury in training a day before the final.
The fact it was while practising penalties with his team mates at the end of the final session before heading to London made it all the more cruel.
It’s a frustration that still eats away at Simms.
But 11 months on he is fully aware he has a chance to erase his Wembley woe with a little magic in Mount Florida with the Jambos.
The 21-year-old striker recalled: “That was massively frustrating. The day before the final I picked up an injury, right at the end of the final session before we went to Wembley.
“We were practising penalties. I took one and felt a pain in my groin.
“It was just a proper innocuous thing and I tried everything but it was too painful. It was a massive opportunity to play in a final at Wembley and, obviously, I was completely gutted.
“It was frustrating as hell to be honest.
“We won the game, which was great. It had been a great run we had. So when the frustration died down I was delighted for the lads that we won promotion. I still felt a massive part of it and I’d scored twice in the semi final.
“But I was gutted to miss out at Wembley. The timing was rotten.
“In football there’s ups and downs and you have to stay resilient. There’s usually another opportunity not too far away.
“If we carry on the run we are on right now then I’m confident we will get ourselves into the final and then who knows?”
The Goodison hitman made his Premier League debut in a 1-1 draw at Chelsea in December.
But a month later he was tempted to Tynecastle on loan by Robbie Neilson and with third spot sewn up and attention turning to the Scottish Cup, he is in now doubts he made the right choice.
He’s experienced the Edinburgh derby atmosphere now in Leith and Gorgie, with Saturday’s 3-1 victory setting Hearts up perfectly for a repeat at Hampden.
And Simms said: “The semi will be special. I’ve had a taste of the Edinburgh derby now. The atmosphere is quite intense. But I know this will be 10 times bigger.
“It’s a semi final at Hampden Park. I know what it means to both sets of fans. It’s huge and both sides will be right up for it.
“From being a kid you always want to play in these games with stadiums bouncing and the intensity high.
“I can’t wait for it to be honest.
“I’d never seen an Edinburgh derby before I’d come up .. the intensity of the first one at their place not long after I arrived took me by surprise. It just means so much to the fans. But derbies are always like that. It was unbelievable.”
Simms has struck up a blossoming partnership with Liam Boyce in the Hearts’ frontline where his powerful displays and endless workrate is a fine foil for the Northern Irishman.
He said: “I’ve loved every minute of it. Coming on loan is about playing and that’s what I’ve managed.
“The manager has been massive. He gave me the belief that I will have a role to play. He has put trust in me on match day and has been helping me loads on the training ground. I’m learning from him all the time tactically as well as my game.
“The defensive side of the game especially. He gives me the freedom in attack but he’s been on to me on the defensive side of things, that helps the team massively.
“The fans have been great. We are working so hard to do them proud. The support is immense and we want to do it all for them.
“And there’s no better time to do it than in a derby.
“The Merseyside and Edinburgh derbies are quite similar in some ways. I haven’t played in a Merseyside one but I’ve sat through many of them. Coming here with the fans in the stadium and the atmosphere .. you can tell it’s as passionate as any derby.
“They are both intense games and all about the bragging rights.
“Fingers crossed it’s the Hearts fans who own them at Hampden.”
