Stephen Simmons Post Falkirk

No more 'smoking' for Simmy who's in no doubt the Pars can win the Cup.

Stephen Simmons was clutching his Man of the Match award when he talked to the media after the Falkirk match:-

"We're disappointed today but a lot of changes were made because a few of the boys needed a game before next Saturday. I don't know if we've done ourselves any good playing like that but it gets the rustiness out and hopefully we'll be sharper for next week.

"I've been out for a while and Darren Young's been out for a while, Mark Burchill, big Hammy, Crawford, there's a right few of us so hopefully that'll blow the cobwebs off us."

The Falkirk match was Simmy's first match since the 0-0 draw with St Mirren back in March. He explained his 10 week absence:-

"I got the injury some time ago and it was just trying to get a diagnosis of what it was, it was touch and go because I was in so much pain in my foot when I was running.

"I have an insole in my shoe which is helping a bit but I've just got to get through itand see if I can get anything done in the summer. I had my foot measured up and fitted with an insole that gave me a higher instep.

"It's taken a bit of pressure off but it's still not 100%. I don't have much choice, I just have to get on with it and hope to be involved next Saturday."

Suspension kept Stephen out of the Cup Semi Final against Hibs but injury would have excluded him anyway after his infamous "smoking" booking in the Partick Thistle match.

"There was a bit of disappointment at the time but the boys were magnificent over the two games and deserved to go through.

"I don't think I'll be smoking any cigars at Hampden on Saturday, more likely there'll be smoke coming out of my ears if I run about like that, if I'm playing, that is. Hopefully we can go there and give a good account of ourselves and cause Celtic some problems."

Certainly every Pars fan that was at East End Park for the closing game of the SPL season wants to see a better show from their team next Saturday but was it a hangover from Inverness?

"It was a poor performance, that and what happened last week, with the disappointment, albeit that we should have raised our game for the derby, but I think a few people were maybe watching themselves for next Saturday. The disappointment of last week doesn't make for a very good game.

"We're missing a few boys but there's no point in going there and just turning up for a good day out we've got to go there and hopefully cause an upset.

"Nobody expected us to beat the clubs we've played so far, Hearts and Rangers, but we have and I don't see why we can't go there and do the job."

The mood in the camp has been sombre since the defeat at Inverness and there is no doubt that this is testing Stephen Kenny's powers as well. Stephen admitted that the reality of First Division football arriving in August did not help the performance on Saturday.

"The gaffer was trying to keep us upbeat, it was always going to be hard, it was always going to be at the back of people's minds but I think we'll be in good spirits for a great day out."

The Falkirk supporters revelled in the three goals that their side knocked past Dunfermline and the Fifers departure from the SPL:-

"We don't need the Falkirk fans to tell us what's happening next season, we know that ourselves but they played well today. Yogi's got them passing the ball for fun, they'll always try to remind us of what is happening because of the derby but hopefully we can win the cup and put it to the back of our minds."