JOE NEWELL confessed that he dived for a penalty kick when the last Edinburgh Derby was played at Hampden.

And Hibs ace thought: up When Kevin Nisbet missed a spot kick against rival Hearts.

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The midfielder slipped after the two Edinburgh clubs paired up once again in the Scottish Cup semi-finals.

And his remarks will upset Jambos, who struggled in the October 2020 clash.

Newell admits that Mihail Pospecu fell into the box during the challenge but has not been contacted now.

But Nisbet’s efforts deflected the crossbar and bounced back safely.

And after a while the maroon men got their own spot kick converted by Liam Boyce.

A 2-1 loss to Newell and his teammates at the empty National Stadium was unbearable.

So the chance to get a full reward next month is something he’s already enjoying.

He said: “Do we owe one Hearts? Maybe. But to be honest, I remember diving for that penalty.

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“So when we missed it, I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s probably some karma!’

“It was a good cup tie. Most of the games I’ve played against the Hearts since I’ve been here have been very tight and erratic.

“With a sold-out crowd, we hope the mood will improve and our will go well.

“The place will shake. That heart game now feels a little while ago. That way, it was a shame.”

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Newell has reached five semifinals since joining Hibs in 2019, two of them winning over Dundee United and Rangers.

And he can’t wait to beat the Hearts in the league and win the Cup in space on the 7th of April.

“I’ve been lucky since I came here,” he said. I went to Hampden for every cup competition.

“With the fans, it should feel a little more special.

“When the draw came I knew we were going to get hearts.

“And obviously playing Tynecastle next week is going to be a really good week.”

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