TONY HIBBERT missed out the last time Everton went to Wembley. Now the right-back is determined to help ensure a return for the Goodison outfit side come May.

Hibbert will take his place in defence when David Moyes’s side again make the short trip across Stanley Park to face rivals Liverpool in tomorrow’s FA Cup fourth round clash.

Everton go into the tie buoyed by the late equaliser from Tim Cahill that earned a 1-1 draw at Anfield in the Premier League meeting between the sides on Monday night.

Born into a family mixed with fans from both sides of the divide, Huyton-raised Hibbert has witnessed first hand how the derby can affect supporters in Merseyside.

Indeed, the 27-year-old could often be spotted on the Kop with his dad and the father of Steven Gerrard, another budding Huyton youngster to make the grade.

That changed when Hibbert was taken on by Everton, and he was at the club when they last won a trophy by claiming the FA Cup in 1995.

However, events transpired so that the defender wasn’t even in the same country when he should have been looking on as Dave Watson lifted the trophy after Manchester United were beaten 1-0.

“We’d just been over in Ireland for the Milk Cup youth tournament under Joe Royle and had won that,” says Hibbert. “I was there with Ossie and Franny Jeffers. When we came back they laid on a coach for my age group to go down to Wembley, but I was on a family holiday and missed it, even though I was asked.

“It was unbelievable when I found out. I was gutted. My dad was a Liverpool fan at the time, even though he’s not now, but would watch any football so I watched it with him in Spain.

“My dad’s Everton now, and his mates take the mickey out of him for that, but he gives as good as he gets. These days he even calls Everton ‘us,’ so he’s definitely changed!

“He was big mates with Stevie’s dad and used to go to all the Liverpool games. In fact I went with him on The Kop as a kid. It wasn’t drummed into me, because my family was mixed anyway, we’d go to both teams. But when you play for the club that’s it, it’s all Everton then.

“I still see Stevie’s dad sometimes when I am in Huyton.”

Hibbert’s mobile phone has barely stopped ringing with people requesting tickets, after the draw for the fourth round pitched the two Merseyside rivals together in the FA Cup for the first time since their memorable encounter in 1991.

“It’s always last minute,” admits the defender. “It’s madness but that’s part of it. For the first one we got five to buy and two comps. My dad told me to sort mine out, and he’d take what was left. I did that and he told me he’d promised more people a couple.

“I had to get into the lads to try and get more, but managed to sort it in the end. I suppose it’s a problem you want all the way through, but that doesn’t make it any easier.”

Monday’s draw means Everton have now lost only five times in their last 15 visits to Anfield.

But despite the dramatic ending to the game, Hibbert admits having no real urge to review the 90 minutes before going into battle again tomorrow.