Sammon won’t be a fish out of water after ‘goal’
Conor Sammon believes his first Hearts finish in Malta last week can trigger a goal rush – even if the history books fail to recognise it.
The 29- year- old, who arrived at Tynecastle last month, looked to have opened his account with a third-minute strike against Birkirkara in the first leg of Hearts’ Europa League second qualifying round tie.
But his effort was harshly ruled out for offside as the Jambos fai led to f ind a crucial away goal.
Sammon has watched the footage back and reckons he deserved to come away from his European debut with a goal to show for it.
Even so, the former Kilmarnock frontman says the strike counts when it comes to getting him in shape for the new season.
He said: “I’ve looked at the video and it’s quite difficult to tell from the footage we have. But it looks really tight – I still think I’m onside. It’s just one of those things that sometimes goes against you.
“We kept going but we couldn’t break the deadlock. It would have been nice to get that away goal but we have lots of positives to take from the game.
“It was frustrating not getting my first Hearts goal. You come in wanting to hit the ground running and you want to score as soon as you can. Whether it was or wasn’t onside, it doesn’t really matter.
“It’s nice that I did put it away, even though it was given offside. It gets me into that habit of taking chances.
“I ’ m excited for the upcoming games and hopefully I’ll get my first goal. It’s a massive bonus when you come to a new team and the manager puts that faith in you. I’m looking to repay him and help the team in any way I can.”
Only Aberdeen hold a first-leg lead but Sammon says Hearts can fly the flag for Scotland in Europe.
He said: “We want to be one of those teams that goes all the way and we’re working really hard towards that.
“Roll on Thursday night and hopefully we will do the business and progress to the next round.
“This is my first experience of a European campaign, which is fantastic. It is something you want to experience in your career.
“You look at some of these teams on paper and people might say, ‘ You’re playing a team from Estonia or Malta’ and look down on them.
“But we have been really respectful and we know how good these teams can be. We want to keep going.”