Hearts ace gives Rangers and Celtic a wide berth as vows to use 'special' season to fuel summer goal

The Australian gave head coach Derek McInnes a huge lift when he returned to action in the 1-0 win over Dundee at the weekend following a two-month injury lay-off. Struck down by a hamstring injury in January, the tough-tackling midfielder completed 76 minutes of action as Hearts maintained their lead at the top of the table at Tynecastle.

Just three points separate them and Rangers in second, while defending champions Celtic trail McInnes’ side by five points in third. After missing the last nine games, Devlin would have been forgiven for taking in all the action from the sidelines as the pulsating Scottish Premiership title race unfolds, but he admits has been giving his rivals’ games a wide berth during his injury recovery.

"I'm no good at watching games,” laughed Devlin. “It's the same when it's your team; you've got no control over what happens in the game. When you're on the sideline or watching on the telly, you've got no control. It's something new for a lot of us; it's something exciting. You've just got to relish it, because it is so special for everyone at Hearts. For us players, you have to thrive under pressure. Take care of our results, then hopefully other results go our way. But if we do what we've done all season - take care of our results, and bounce back from setbacks. Control what we can, and if results go our way, that obviously does help.

"It's hard, because you've got to look at the position you're in with seven games left - and what a position. I've been here a few years now, and it's been Celtic wrapping the title up, and you're going for third. As much as that is an achievement in itself. But now you're calling your mum and dad back home, and what a position we're in. You have to enjoy it, because you just don't know how many times you'll be in this position in your career. We've done so well to put ourselves in this position. The whole club, the staff and the supporters who have stuck with us all season. If you're not going to enjoy it now, then you're not going to enjoy football at any stage.

“Last season was really tough mentally, but this is the best job in the world. When you're winning, you need to enjoy it. But Derek wants us to keep our feet on the ground, working hard in training, and raise the standards even more. No team has done anything yet, so you've got to keep going, working hard and see where that puts us.”

A candidate for the Scottish Premiership player of the year award after his outstanding season in the Tynecastle engine room, Devlin is hopeful that his form has done enough to convince Australia boss Tony Popovic to include him in the Socceroos’ squad for the World Cup this summer.

Capped four times at international level, the 27-year-old was included in the squad for the games against Canada and the USA earlier this season, and Devlin is hoping his ‘special’ season with Hearts will ensure he is on the plane to North America in June.

“100%,” admitted Devlin. “I think, as a player and as a person, you always set yourself goals. For me, personally, the only thing I'm thinking of is trying to do something special with Hearts. That's the only thing on my mind. I feel like the rest will then just take care of itself. Obviously, there's a [Socceroos] camp just now, which I wasn't available for. Which is a shame. It was something I was trying to get back for, but I just wasn't ready.

"I've been in touch almost every day with the staff at the Socceroos. They've been really good with me, telling me to be patient. The main thing to be ready for is after the season. So fingers crossed, I'll do everything I can to be ready to be called upon, as I do with Hearts. I feel like if I play well with Hearts, then fingers crossed I'll be involved.”

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