Goal-den moment for Robbie

JUST LOOK AT HIS FACE . . . Robbie Simpson, with Zander Diamond in hot pursuit, can’t hide his joy after putting Athletic in front in last year’s FA Cup-tie against Liverpool.

“I COULDN’T help myself — seconds before kick-off I was singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ in my head and it was the best moment of my career.”

That’s Robbie Simpson’s abiding memory of last year’s FA Cup third-round trip to Liverpool.

Scenes he had watched a thousand times as a child were being played out in front of him at Anfield: famous anthem, world-class players and the rest.

Of course it would get better after the first whistle. Simpson scored an iconic goal in Athletic’s history, sending 6,000 travelling fans into dreamland as the visitors led 1-0 before eventually losing 5-1.

His pitch-length celebration will live long in the memory, though he has a chance to carve himself further into the club’s psyche in Sunday’s clash with Liverpool in round four at Boundary Park.

A second meeting with the five-time European champions in the space of 12 months has brought back memories.

“I have been thinking about the game at Anfield a lot since the fourth-round draw,” he said.

“Several things stick in my mind. I will never forget how eerie and virtually silent the lads were on the coach on the way to Merseyside. We loosened up a bit with a walk around the pitch and some of them took photographs.

“Then back in the dressing room I remember feeling ridiculously confident about the match itself — I was stood there feeling about 10 feet tall!

“We made our way out through the tunnel and naturally, touched the ‘This is Anfield sign’, and then walked out on to the pitch next to all these amazing footballers, not least Steven Gerrard, who has been unbelievable.

“The goosebumps took hold when You’ll Never Walk Alone piped up. I caught myself singing along in my head and I realised it was the best moment of my career. That and the goal of course!

“It sounds bizarre to say, but we dominated for about half-an-hour. We should have scored earlier and I was furious at Shefki Kuqi. He opted to shoot, whereas if he had squared the ball I would have netted.

“All the annoyance melted away a few minutes later when I broke the deadlock.

“It was an unbelievable feeling, which explains why I completely lost my head and ran all the way over to our fans.

“It was fitting because one of my former youth coaches, Jez George, is a huge Liverpool fan and he was at the match and when we met up before kick-off he said I would score!”

Simpson added: “The fans were with us right until the end. Looking back, it wasn’t about the result. It was about coming up against a full-strength, world-class Liverpool side at one of the most celebrated grounds in football, and doing ourselves justice.

“In the year that has passed I have received a lot of nice messages about my goal and the celebration, and it is so humbling to be part of the Oldham Athletic experience and the club’s history.”