Michael Smith doesn’t know if he’s got a long-term future at Hearts. But, if this is to be his last season at Tynecastle, the Northern Irish defender is driven to leave with a Scottish Cup medal around his neck after triple heartbreak in the past.
Smith is out of contract in the summer and the 34-year-old isn’t sure what lies in store. But he’s certain of one thing – he’d love a glory day at Hampden at last. The capital club has been to three of the last four finals and lost the lot. Smith has been through all of the agonies after six years at the club.
The full-back doesn’t know if that will be extended to seven as he said: “I haven’t spoken about it, no. If the gaffer fancies me here for another year, then so be it. Everyone knows I love it here and I would love to stay. If it’s not to be then it’s not to be. I will still give my all for the shirt. At my age and with a family, it would be nice to sort my future out sooner rather than later. At the end of the day, it isn’t my decision.
“If they want me here, that’s brilliant and I’d be really happy. But if they think it’s time for me to move on, I’ll be disappointed, but take it on the chin.”
Winning the Scottish Cup would, however, provide a sensational send-off. Smith and his team lost two finals to Celtic before Rangers beat them last May.
Smith said: “Most of the lads have been to a final now. I’ve lost three, so I’ve got a burning desire to win a trophy here and try and win that Scottish Cup. We know we can do it, we just need to be a little bit better on the actual day. We had a good season last season finishing third but just couldn’t cap it off with the cup.
“We had Europe this year and it was a tough start with a lot of games, but we’re picking up momentum and churning out the wins. Let’s see where it takes us.”
Smith believes Hearts have the players to go all the way this time. He added: “The squad is phenomenal and we even added to it in January, which made it even better. Really good players are missing out on starting places. You need to play well to keep your place. We have got real options now. It’s a good headache for the gaffer to have. Picking his team and trying to keep everyone happy, it’s quite hard to do that because everyone in this squad wants to play and play well.”
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