Liam Boyce was gutted his Hampden knee slide was wasted on an empty national stadium after his winner as Hearts dumped Hibs in the 2020 Scottish Cup semi final.
But as the Edinburgh rivals gear up for a rematch two seasons later the hitman is desperate to ensure Hibs hit the skids again.
And this time he wants to feel the full adrenaline rush of over 20,000 Jambos surging round the ground celebrating sliding into the showpiece final.
Boyce’s 111th minute spot kick was the difference as the Gorgie side beat their arch rivals on a sodden evening in October 2020 to set up a final meeting, which they lost on spot kicks, with Celtic.
Back then the covid crisis padlocks remained on turnstyles around the country meaning a hollow Hampden dampened the celebrations among Robbie Neilson ’s side.
But with the old lady of Mount Florida set to be packed to the rafters for Saturday’s clash Boyce is hellbent on leaving Hibs on their knees .. and the Jambos looking forward to a knees-up.
Recalling the last encounter at Hampden the Northern Irishman said: “I remember I missed a big chance .. but then we got the penalty and I scored. I’d take the same again.
“It was weird at the time.
“You got used to the lack of fans in league games but Hampden is massive and when I scored the penalty I ran to the stands and did a knee slide.. then remembered there was nobody there!
“You are celebrating in front of nobody. But hopefully I get one on Saturday and I can celebrate with everybody.
“When I was younger I used to practice celebrations and try and be funny.
“Now it’s pure emotion, it’s what football is all about. Whatever happens, happens…as long as you don’t get a yellow card!
“You always have to believe as a striker you are going to score and that feeling when you do is what motivates you.
“You don’t get it anywhere else in life, really, the adrenaline of seeing thousands of people going nuts, that’s what you want.
“Once you do it a couple of times you want to keep doing it, it motivates you to get in the right positions and take chances.
“Saturday was probably the best atmosphere I have played in at Tynecastle. It’s what you want - when they went 1-0 up their fans were brilliant and then it was back and forth. When big tackles go in you hear the cheer that changes the momentum of the game.
“As a footballer that’s the ones you want to be involved in.”
Saturday’s victory was the first time the two sides could be separated in three attempts this season.
But a gargantuan 19 points separate them in the league and victory at Hampden would cement a remarkable turnaround in fortunes on the Edinburgh footballing landscape.
Just a year ago it was Hibs finishing third and reaching the Scottish Cup Final.
And Boyce, a League Cup winner with Ross County in 2016, said it was important to send out a reminder of who rules the roost in the capital ahead of the semi-final.
He said: “It was big. The two games before we had drawn 0-0 so it was good to get that win.
“It was the same against Aberdeen, we had drawn against them twice and you try and use that, it’s not like you owe them one, but you want to beat every team you play.
“You use that as motivation and thankfully we did win but semi-finals are completely different.
“Form goes out of the window, anyone can win.
“It would be nice to add the Scottish Cup medal (to the League Cup one). Especially after we lost on penalties two years ago against Celtic.
“I was actually horrendous the day we won it with Ross County.
“We played Hibs in the final and scored in the last minute and it’s an unbelievable achievement when you win a trophy and you are so close to people through the season.
“I’ve done alright at Hampden since, I have scored a few goals against Hibs the last time and Celtic in the final.
“As a striker you just forget it and move on to the next game, it’s all about winning, that’s the way I have always been.
“We have already guaranteed third so if we win on Saturday we are in the Europa League play-off and if we lose we are in the Conference group stages.
“We have a final up for grabs so we know all the positives that come with winning.”
Boyce insists he will have no worries stepping up to take a penalty again this weekend - despite missing his last one against Celtic back in January.
He said: “When I’m taking penalties I always have an idea of what I’m going to do before. It’s just about executing it. I missed the one against Celtic despite sending the keeper the wrong way. It hit the post and I have no idea how it never went in.
“Everyone has been hitting penalties the last few days.
“We practice against Craig Gordon - and if you score against him you’re doing well.
“It’s good to practice against someone like him, he can lie down and cover the whole net!”
