DESPERATION TO PLAY IN SEMI HAS A PAIN-KILLEN EFFECT ON CHRIS

CHRIS KILLEN was afraid to put his foot on the floor last Sunday for fear of the agony it would cause.

This weekend the Hibs striker hopes to be walking on air after going through hell to be at Hampden.

And the New Zealander doesn't care if he has to survive on a diet of painkillers in order to feast on the delights of a Scottish Cup win over Hearts.

Killen said: "Last weekend it wasn't looking good for me after I got injured against Inverness Caley Thistle.

"I was struggling to walk around my flat and knew I had to be a major doubt for the semi-final.

"But my ankle's been iced up 24/7 and the swelling isn't too bad any more. I'm looking good for Hampden.

"This is a game I don't want to miss because I know the rivalry between the clubs is massive." The only comparison Killen can draw with anything he's experienced before on a football pitch is an international match between his country and historic rivals Australia.

He said: "I've played against the Aussies in World Cup qualifiers and Confederation Cup matches and I think intense rivalry like that gets you up for games.

"You know what it means to lose and you'll do anything you can to avoid that feeling."

Killen's first experience of the Edinburgh derby will have made a lasting impression on his mind where that sense of hurt was concerned.

He said: "We were already 4-1 down when I came on as a substitute at Tynecastle. We just weren't the team on form that afternoon but maybe a neutral venue could help us this weekend. I wasn't all that bothered about the row over whether Murrayfield should be the setting for the semi-final because I wasn't even aware Hearts had played European matches there.

"And I've never even seen Hampden, far less played there.

"But if our manager feels the National Stadium's the best place for the final then I'm happy to accept his call on the matter."

Killen doesn't get worked up about anything, whether it's being labelled Garry O'Connor's successor or being one of the players entrusted with the challenge of trying to end 104 years of Scottish Cup misery for Hibs.

He said: "I wasn't used to so much good football when I played in the lower leagues down south with clubs like Oldham.

"And I certainly wasn't caught up in this much hype. But I like to think of myself as a cool kind of customer unaffected by nerves in the build-up to a big match. I hope it's the guys at Hearts who are feeling the pressure after all that's gone on at their club.

"If the unrest behind the scenes is preying on their minds and that helps Hibs, bring it on.

"I was once in a position where I had three managers in three years at Oldham so I know it doesn't help."

Three managers in three years at Tynecastle would be stability.

Taken from the Daily Record