I'VE SCORED IN EVERY ROUND OF CUP SO FAR AND I DON'T PLAN ON STOPPING NOW

BY rights Ivan Sproule shouldn't even be able to move at Hampden on Sunday given the weight of expectation that will come crushing down on his slender frame.

The Northern Irishman reckons Hibs' season will be in tatters if they fail to beat Hearts in the Scottish Cup semi-final.

But the Easter Road club's chances of avoiding that doomsday scenario have hardly been helped by the fact they are without their two top scorers.

With Garry O'Connor now at Lokomotiv Moscow and Derek Riordan suspended, Hibs fans will look to Sproule for the goals they hope will shoot down their capital rivals.

Sproule, however, doesn't mind that burden one bit.

In fact, he was positively revelling in it as he risked tempting fate by revealing he has scored in every round so far.

And it's a habit the attacker insists he doesn't plan on losing.

Sproule said: "I've got a personal goal to score in the game against Hearts and go on to help Hibs win the Cup Final.

"Everyone's got to be prepared to go that extra step for the team.

"Important goalscorers are missing from our team but I don't mind pressure being lumped on my shoulders to get the winner and set up a place in the Final.

"Everybody has to be prepared to give 100 per cent of themselves for the good of the club and with no thought of personal considerations.

"I promise not to let the pressure get to me and it doesn't affect me as a rule.

"I'm not an out-and-out striker but I've played all over for the club and my first objective is to score and put Hibs in the Final.

"There can be no bigger stage to play on than the National Stadium and a tie against your oldest rivals.

"I was brought up as a Rangers supporter in Northern Ireland but I was taken aback by the special atmosphere at the Edinburgh derby. This is the one match you really want to be part of.

"There can't be a family in the city who hasn't sat round the dinner table this week and discussed this match."

But it's not just Sproule's personal target of scoring that has cranked up the pressure on the little wide man. This weekend represents a chance to exorcise the ghost of his last Scottish Cup appearance at the National Stadium.

He came off the bench against Dundee United in the semi-final but couldn't do enough to prevent himself from experiencing the gut-wrenching disappointment of falling at the penultimate hurdle.

Now Sproule expects the rest of the Hibs dressing room to match his determination to come back off the floor after Saturday's defeat to Inverness.

He said: "I'd been used to playing in front of crowds that varied between 1000-2000 people when I played for Omagh Town.

"It was a case of too much, too soon for me when I came on at Hampden in front of a full house 12 months ago.

"The atmosphere overwhelmed me and I don't think any of us want to repeat the experience of that coach journey back to Edinburgh as part of a losing side." Sproule knows the temperature is at boiling point, even if Hibs froze last weekend.

He said: "The stakes have risen since we played Falkirk in the last round of the competition and our form has dropped since then.

"On Saturday night, after the defeat to Inverness, every player had to ask himself what he had done to help the team. I know I certainly did.

"When we came into the ground on Monday morning, there was the opportunity to go to the jacuzzi and relax, but most of the lads wanted to get out on to the training field and that told me the hunger was there to atone for our mistakes.

"We've played a lot of good football this season and we've received our fair share of praise for that.

"But if you get slated after a bad home defeat then you have to be prepared to take that in your stride as well. All of our good work will be totally forgotten unless we get silverware this season."

You don't need to be a long-suffering Hibs fan eager to bring an end to a separation from the Scottish Cup that's lasted 104 years to think the Hearts clash could be the final before the Final.

And that's another factor Sproule refuses to dodge by using his electrifying pace.

He said: "Celtic have been the best side in the country this season but I know what happened to them when they went out of the Cup to Clyde.

"But you've got to be realistic and admit that the winner of the semi-final on Sunday will be the overwhelming favourite to beat the winner of the game between Gretna and Dundee.

"So far as Saturday's confrontation is concerned, there are 11 Hearts players standing in our way. My guess is only one go al could separate us in the end.

"Our first obligation is not to get caught cold because as I now know from experience there's no time to think once you're out on the park. This will be the biggest atmosphere of the season and the time when the prize winners are separated from the also-rans.

"I give Hearts full credit for they way they've risen above the turmoil off the park. Now it's time for everybody in green to be a man and stand up to be counted.

Taken from the Daily Record