Andy Driver admits he partied so hard in 2006 he missed Hearts open-top bus

Apr 13 2012 by Scott McDermott

ANDY DRIVER wasn't even playing for Hearts when they won the Scottish Cup in 2006.

But the bleary-eyed YTS kid celebrated their victory over Gretna so much he missed the entire open-top bus parade around Gorgie.

Driver was 18 at the time and trying to force his way into Valdas Ivanauskas' team. After failing to make the squad for the Hampden showpiece, he went as a fan in the Jambos end.

By the time he'd surfaced the following day, the party was over but it's fair to say Driver won't make the same mistake this time if he can play his part in helping Paulo Sergio's men lift the trophy.

The winger is desperate to play a pivotal role in Sunday's semi-final clash with Celtic, which would give them the chance to recreate the jubilant scenes of six years ago.

Driver said: "I was on the ground staff in 2006 and in and around the team. All I remember about the Sunday is recovering. I didn't know how crazy the celebrations were going to be.

"I was staying in Balerno at the time and I regretted not going into town the day after the final. I only found about the open-top bus tour later on.

"Even though I wasn't really a first-team player at the time, I was gutted to be so close to it all but not really part of it."

Hearts' season so far will be remembered for events off the pitch rather than performances on it after the players went months without their wages.

At one point, the English-born star even handed in a transfer request before changing his mind.

But Driver insists all of that will be forgotten with a victory over Celtic.

He said: "Given everything that has gone on here it would be a massive achievement to reach the final.

"It shows our character that we're even in this situation. The cup run hasn't been easy, we've already been in two replays to reach the semi-final.

"We had to show real character to get through them so we are going into this game with nothing to lose. We will have to make sure we use everything that has happened this year, like the wages thing, to our advantage.

"Hopefully we can end the season on a positive note. It will give the players memories to cherish for the rest of our lives."

A few years ago, Driver was arguably the hottest property in Scottish football and was linked with a move to Premiership big guns like Chelsea.

After appearing at the Euros for England's Under-21 side, he was then chased by Craig Levein and the wide man is now eligible to play for Scotland.

But injuries have so far hampered his career and he knows that performing well in front of 50,000 at Hampden against Celtic would show he's close to being back to his best.

He said: "I didn't really buy into the hype, I tried to concentrate on myself and my form.

"I'm getting better with every 90 minutes and I basically need to start again and redevelop myself as a player. My career aims have never changed, I still want to play at the highest level."

Taken from the Daily Record