Hibs v Hearts: Cammy Devlin ready to tackle Hibs as Hearts midfielder reveals plan for Easter Road

He’s got the right idea already. Cammy Devlin has never set foot inside Easter Road or played in an Edinburgh derby, yet he instinctively knows the fundamentals.

“At the end of the day, it’s a derby mate and I’ll do anything for us to win,” says the diminutive Hearts midfielder. “If that means I’ve got to put my foot in and make a strong challenge, I’ll be the first one to do it. We got a win at the weekend and I’m absolutely bursting for the Hibs game now.”

He speaks as enthusiastically as he plays – all-action, energetic, 100-miles-an-hour stuff. Ideal traits for a Hibs-Hearts fixture and for an engaging newspaper chat. Devlin’s problem might be controlling himself amid the intense Leith atmosphere.

“That is something I’m trying to improve on,” he laughs. “Silly bookings, stuff like that, but part of my game is to get in there, put my foot in, win tackles and go forward. It’s not something I want to change. It’s just maybe controlling my aggression.”

Cammy Devlin is itching to play for Hearts against Hibs.

Pushing boundaries has earned the Australian seven yellow cards in 18 appearances to date. Yet his appetite turned him into a cult hero with Hearts supporters from the moment he arrived in Scotland five months ago.

Don’t mistake him for purely hustle and bustle, either. He was heavily involved in creating both goals on Saturday as Motherwell were dispatched 2-0 at Tynecastle Park. The player himself isn’t content with his performance, however.

“Personally I thought I was quite average. We didn’t get to pass the ball as we liked and we want to overcome that. We get taught at training to believe in ourselves and believe in the structure to play through that.

“We’re ten points clear in third place and that's important. I think we are a good enough team that, even when we win, we are still disappointed if we didn’t play well.”

Cammy Devlin says he'll "do anything" for Hearts to win the derby

Better to get your “average” performance out of the way before a derby. “I didn’t think I was great but you just have to move on,” says Devlin.

“We have one of the biggest games of our season now and we want to win convincingly. We are really excited. We know if we put in a good performance we can come away with another win.

“A derby has a bit more meaning for the fans. We want to beat Hibs, it’s important for the club, and if we win there it puts us in a really good place in third position.”

The form book favours Hearts following five wins from their last six matches. Hibs won their first two games under new manager Shaun Maloney in December. Since then, they have lost to Celtic and Livingston, drawn with Motherwell and beaten Cove Rangers in the Scottish Cup after extra-time.

Devlin watched the last meeting of the Capital clubs as an unused substitute back in September when Hibs held Hearts to a goalless draw at Tynecastle Park.

“It was a pretty cool experience. I’d just arrived here so seeing the crowd and what it’s all about was unreal. Now we’re going to their stadium with our fans there in number and I know they’ll be singing really loud,” he says.

“They want us to win as bad as we do so it will be super special. Derbies like this are one of the reasons you want to come over and play here. I was desperate to get out there and play in that last game, that’s my character. I wouldn’t say I was frustrated but, yeah, if my team are playing I want to be involved.”

Along with compatriot Nathaniel Atkinson, who joined Hearts at the start of the month, Devlin is expected to be given an important role this time. Atkinson is the only fit first-team player to fill the right wing-back role and is likely to make his fourth appearance for his new club.

“We both played against Celtic last week and Tynecastle was almost sold out,” says Devlin. “It was a vibrant midweek game and for us it was just out of control. We were devastated to lose but we were talking the other day about how cool it is that we’re here and how crazy the whole experience is with the passion.

“We both thrive off that as players, we love it. Hopefully me and Natty are both in the team against Hibs and if we are, we will work together on that right side to try and create goals for the team.”

Again, that energy is slightly overwhelming due to the pace at which Devlin talks. He is a little different away from Riccarton. The body needs to rest at some time, even with his levels of liveliness. At home he relaxes and switches off by catching up with family on FaceTime.

“I spend a lot of time at night on the phone to my family and friends because it’s morning back home. It’s important to switch off from football when you aren’t actually there.”

So the batteries will be fully recharged come kick-off this evening. Devin is a newcomer to Scottish football derbies, but some of his native experiences will at least give him an inkling of what to expect from inner-city rivalry.

“My A-League debut was in the Sydney derby, Sydney FC against Western Sydney Wanderers,” he recalls. “I was on the bench and came on for the last 20 minutes. The crowd was 35,000 and I was only a kid.

“To get my first professional game in that setting was incredible. It’s going to be very different on Tuesday night and I can’t wait. I’m absolutely buzzing for it.”

Message from the editor

Thank you for reading this article. If you haven't already, please consider supporting our sports coverage with a digital sports subscription.