I came to Jambos for a big play day.. I’ve certainly got one at Hampden!
Simms dreaming of final win and for Toffees to survive
ELLIS SIMMS swapped Everton for Hearts in January hoping to get more games under his belt.
Little did he expect to be facing the biggest one of his life four months later.
Simms struck a sensational opener in the 2-1 semi-final victory over Hibs to get a taste of the Hampden roar.
But he knows it will be nothing compared to what could lie in store when the Jambos run out against Europa League finalists Rangers in front of a sell-out National Stadium on Saturday.
It’s the stuff of dreams for the 21-year-old who has only one top team appearance under his belt for his parent club, albeit a Premier League clash against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The big striker could even have double reason to celebrate this week if he can get his hands on a first ever winners’ medal – and the Toffees can save their Premier League skins.
One win from their last two games against Crystal Palace on Thursday and Arsenal on Sunday would be enough.
And Simms said: “Winning the Cup and seeing Everton stay up would be brilliant. The boys are working hard down there to make the fans happy and stay up but for me the focus is all on playing in this final.
“It’s massive, we need to remain focused, train well and give ourselves the best chance.
“Coming here was mainly to play as many games as possible.
“But this has been a great run. Getting to the final has been a bonus and the aspirations are to go all the way now.
“The semi-final goal was special. It was a great experience. The fans were great, the atmosphere was something else. It was a great occasion.
“It’s gone now though, we want to win the final and not just be part of it. We have worked hard to get to where we are and we are really looking forward to the occasion.”
Simms suffered Wembley agony with Blackpool just a year ago when he helped the Seasiders clinch a place in the play-off final – only to miss the big day after suffering a training ground injury the day before.
The fact he scored a semifinal double against Oxford only heightened the sense of frustration. Neil Critchley’s side went on to beat Lincoln 2-1 in the final and Simms ensured he was part of the celebrations.
But that’s the closest he’s come to a winners’ medal – something he’s determined to put right on Saturday. He said: “This will be a big game for me – the biggest game of my career so far.
“The closest I’ve been to this was the play-off final with Blackpool. I missed out through injury but I was watching. It was a great day to clinch promotion.
“I missed Wembley because I got injured the day before the match which was frustrating.
“So this weekend is huge. I want to win, everyone here wants to win. We are hungry.”
Silverware would put the seal on a stunning season for Robbie Neilson’s side who had third spot wrapped up before the split and ended up 13 points clear of fourth-placed Dundee United.
Despite that, and unlike in the semi against Hibs, they are huge underdogs with the bookies – even though Rangers face a physically draining Europa League Final only three days beforehand.
Simms will tune in to Gers’ biggest game in 14 years. But he doesn’t care if they win or lose.
He said: “We are just focused on ourselves. We are aware they have the Europa League Final but we don’t want to look too much into that because they will want to win both games.
It’s huge. Everyone wants to win.. we are hungry ELLIS SIMMS IS ALL SET FOR SATURDAY’S SHOWPIECE
“We just need to focus on what we do best to give us the best chance.
“We are underdogs this time which makes it a bit different. We will just do everything we possibly can to win.”