Cobwebs are off - now Simmons hopes to weave magic again

PAUL KIDDIE

ABSENCE has made the heart grow fonder for Stephen Simmons.

The Gorgie midfielder hadn’t featured in a first-team game for nine months until his brief appearance as a substitute against Partick Thistle in last weekend’s Tennent’s Scottish Cup third-round tie.

The 22-year-old came off the bench for the last seven minutes of the dismal 0-0 draw against the Jags to taste his first serious action for the Jambos since replacing Neil MacFarlane in the shock 1-0 defeat from Thistle at Firhill in the SPL in April last year.

Simmons is now hoping his short but sweet role on Saturday is the start of better things to come in 2005 after the injury nightmare which wrecked his start to the season.

He had been pushing for a place in the first-team squad under former boss Craig Levein after taking part in the Jambos’ pre-season tour to Vancouver in July.

However, his progress came shuddering to a halt after breaking his ankle following a rash tackle by Jay Shields in the East of Scotland Shield Final at Tynecastle just days before the start of the new SPL season in August.

As a consequence, Simmons spent the second half of last year battling his way back to fitness and now the forgotten man of Tynecastle is hoping to stir a few memories in the months ahead as he targets a new contract with the club.

The midfielder, whose aggression in the middle of the park could prove to be a real asset for John Robertson, is coming towards the end of a four-year deal.

"It was great to go straight back into the mixer and that’s the cobwebs off the boots now.

"Hopefully I can get a regular place on the bench now and take things from there.

"I suffered the injury in the week running up to the start of the season so it couldn’t have come at a worse time for me.

"The gaffer told me not to rush things and ensure the ankle was 100 per cent right which I have done and it was just great to be back involved at Firhill and playing for the first team again.

"I had been in the squads for the Celtic game on Boxing Day and also the derby at Easter Road but ended up watching both matches from the stand.

"I was just excited to be back involved against Celtic and it was even better to be on the bench against Thistle. I was dying to get on and while it was only for the last five minutes or so, I was delighted to get my chance."

Simmons joined Hearts as a 16-year-old the year his current boss Robertson left the club after the Scottish Cup win in 1998 and he’s looking forward to working with him now as a manager.

"The boss has told me to take my time and make sure everything is right," he said.

"The main aim is to initially stay involved regularly with the reserves and then get more first-team games."

Simmons, who is set to keep his place in the squad for the clash against Dundee United at Tynecastle tomorrow, smiles at the irony of his contract coming to an end just as another new manager settles into the Gorgie hot seat.

The former Scotland Under-21 internationalist was handed his current deal by Levein, although the new Leicester City boss later questioned the wisdom of such a long-term contract.

"I am out of contract in the summer and it’s funny but the same thing happened the last time we got a new manager," Simmons said.

"When Jim Jefferies left and Craig Levein came in I was in the last year of my deal. Now it has happened again and all I can do is hope to do enough in the next few months to get a new deal.

"The old gaffer said I had gone into the comfort zone but I’m not sure about that. The period he was talking about when I couldn’t get into the team was when the guys were doing really well and qualified for Europe two years in a row by finishing third in the SPL.

"I had a couple of injuries and was in and out of the side and in any case the midfield was doing so well I just couldn’t force my way back in.

"The time has dragged on a bit but I have got my chance again, which is good. We had a tough cup-tie against Partick and we’re happy to have them back at Tynecastle for the replay. But it’s now back to the league tomorrow and it is important we pick up the three points."

The visit of Ian McCall’s side will see home skipper Steven Pressley lock horns with Scotland team-mate Stevie Crawford. The striker is poised to make his debut for the Tangerines at Tynecastle after snubbing the Jambos’ offer to bring him to the Capital from Plymouth. He was due to make his bow against Gretna in the third round of the Tennent’s Scottish Cup but with the tie having been postponed twice, fate will now see him gunning for the club which tried so desperately to sign him.

"Not having had to play their Scottish Cup tie means United will certainly be fresh for tomorrow," said Pressley. "They’ll have a new face in their squad in the shape of Stevie Crawford and that will no doubt have given them a lift.

"Looking at the squad they have assembled at Tannadice it has to be one of the strongest in the SPL and as far as I am concerned their league position doesn’t reflect the quality they possess and tomorrow is going to be a very difficult match.

"I have come up against Stevie on a number of occasions and he is a proven striker of some quality. He’ll be desperate to get his Dundee United career off to a good start but the main thing for us is winning and if that means me taking care of Stevie, then so be it."

Taken from the Scotsman