After impressing off the bench against Celtic, Everton loanee, Ellis Simms was handed a first Hearts start on Saturday against Motherwell.
The 21-year-old marked the occasion with a goal in the 2-0 victory and although the finish was a simple one, his off the ball movement made it all possible.
With Cameron Devlin carrying the ball forward, Simms made a back post run, taking a defender with him. This created the space for his strike partner Liam Boyce, who squared the ball for Simms to tap home.
It was a lovely goal, which shouldn’t go underappreciated. Simms expressed his delight afterwards at notching his first Hearts goal and admitted there’s more to come as the understanding with his teammates develops.
“It was unbelievable to score my first goal for the club,” Simms said.
“The fans were brilliant yet again. We got the win which was important and hopefully that will give us a boost going into the next game.
“The Scottish league is quite physical, so I knew coming here I would need to hold my own, but I thought in that aspect I did quite well today.
“Because of my build, people might think I’m a target man, but I like to do the other side of the game, running in behind and running the channels, so I’m sure they’ll get to know my game in the next few weeks.
“I love playing games,” he added. “The main reason for this loan was to get as many games as I can and try help the team. So, I’m looking forward to the games ahead.”
The next game Simms and his peers have to look forward to is the Edinburgh Derby on Tuesday, at Easter Road. Despite his young age, the striker believes he has gained some good experience in derby matches, both at Everton and Blackpool, so insists he won’t be fazed by the occasion.
“I’ve played in a few at under 23 level,” he explained.
“I played against Fleetwood for Blackpool too, so I’ve had a little taste of the derby matches. It was a little feisty, but it was during Covid times, so there were no fans there, if they were there I’m sure it would’ve been much more competitive, but it was still a physical game and a good experience. I know it means a lot to get the wins, so hopefully we can do that again.”
When asked if his teammates have told him what to expect in the derby he said: “Not yet, we’ve just been taking it one game at a time, but I’m sure the next couple of days we’ll be hyping ourselves up to make sure we get the three points.
“Scoring today has given me a bit of confidence, so I’m going into the next game thinking we need to win, and if I can score and help the team to do that then that would be great.
Hearts fans have got Beni Baningime to thank for giving Simms the confidence he needed to take the plunge into Scottish football, and after speaking with his old Everton friend, he knew Hearts was the place was for him.
“When I was speaking to Beni he only had positive things to say about the club. I spoke to him on the phone, and he told me coming here would be a great platform for me to come and develop my game and try and kick on in my career.
“There were a few loan opportunities for me, but when I heard about this one it enticed me to come in. I knew it was a competitive league and I knew this was the place to be to improve my game.”
