When Joe Hart stepped up to take a penalty in Saturday’s Scottish Cup shootout, there was an overwhelming sense of shock among the Celtic supporters at Hampden.
Such surprise immediately turned to despair when the Englishman rattled the post but a few minutes later, he atoned for his error with a crucial save to send his team into the final.
It was in the plan for Hart to hit a spot-kick, and Liam Scales admitted after the game that the veteran had been putting them away easily in training in the lead-up to the semi-final.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t replicate such antics in-game but when asked if he would want the chance to take a penalty again, he said: [RecordSport] “100 per cent. I’ll always put myself forward.
“I think for moments like that you need people with clarity of mind and are confident in what they’re doing, that’s me.
“It sums me up as a player, I’ll always put myself on the line. I fully back myself, the manager backs me, the team backs me. I went through my process and just pulled it too much. Fortunately I’m a goalkeeper and I was able to reprieve myself.
“I’ve taken one in a 21s tournament. I’ve not taken one in a professional game before. I’m gutted I didn’t score today but we got the win. I didn’t say sorry for missing one to the boys. They believe in me. To have the courage and the confidence to take the penalty in that moment will always be me.”
The sole chance the 37-year-old may have to take a penalty for Celtic again is in the Scottish Cup final next month.
It will be the final game of his career and Hart will want to bow out in style.
