Stephen Hendrie admits scoring is so rare for him that he didn’t know how to celebrate after firing Accies on their way to a cup win over Musselburgh.
The defender bagged just the fourth goal of his career in 326 appearances and his maiden Accies strike was one to remember as he rifled home an unstoppable opener after 24 minutes, before Sean McGinty and Oli Shaw’s late strikes overcame Jamie Todd’s equaliser for plucky Burgh early in the second half.
Hendrie – who has also netted for Southend, Morecambe and Queen of the South – said: “I just saw a bit of space, kept my head down and struck it. After I hit it and it went through the gap, I just knew it was going in.
“I was buzzing but I didn’t know how to celebrate because that’s my first goal in God knows how long.
“I’ve been here for a good couple of years now and I’ve been waiting for it, so I’m just delighted to get it.
“It was a hard game. I thought Musselburgh were decent. They came and played their game, but the important thing is we are through to the next round, that’s all that matters.
“Once they scored, we just had to regroup and keep believing in what we were doing. We just kept moving the ball from side to side, hoping our chance would come, and luckily it did, then Oli got the third one.
“We’ve scored a few late goals this season. I knew if we kept going, they would tire and switch off.”
Musselburgh made it difficult for the Championship side and did the East of Scotland Premier Division proud with their showing.
Hendrie added: “We knew it was going to be tough and they would bring a decent backing. They were loud, to be fair, and they were really pumped up after they got their goal.
“But we just stayed calm and kept believing in ourselves.”
Accies fans now eagerly await tonight’s fifth round draw, which will be made following the conclusion of the Dundee derby.
Hendrie said: “Any game we get is going to be tough so I’m not too bothered about who we get. If we get a big team, we would be underdogs this time. We’ll see what happens.”