DEVLIN KEEN TO PROVIDE A NEW YEAR PICK- ME- UP
Hearts midfielder determined to spread festive cheer for crocked skipper Gordon
CAMMY DEVLIN has revealed Hearts are determined to provide Craig Gordon with a New Year pickmeup after the stricken skipper was forced to spend Christmas Day in hospital.
Gordon’s horrific double leg- break towards the end of the Christmas Eve draw with Dundee United resulted in the Scotland internationalist being ferried straight to Ninewells Hospital, where he subsequently underwent surgery.
Devlin has confessed he was left floored by thought of the goalkeeper being laid up in a hospital bed during the festive celebrations.
But he dedicated Wednesday’s
3- 2 victory over St Johnstone to his team- mate and wants an even bigger result for Gordon in this afternoon’s Edinburgh derby after the now 40- year- old made a motivating appearance at training in the build- up to the mouthwatering meeting with arch- rivals Hibernian.
“It was devastating what happened to Craig,” he said.
“To see Craig Gordon go down like that… he’s Scotland’s No. 1, he was our player of the year last season, he is an inspiration to the younger boys, to everyone.
“To lose him in that fashion was really sad. We are all gutted for him.
“I texted him and told him the team is going to get together and the things we do are for you.
“It gives us added motivation to go on because having Craig Gordon on the pitch behind you is a good feeling, to be honest. Just having his big frame in goal. So it was great to have him in and about the boys before the derby.
“For Craig, having Christmas away from his family is just gutting. There is nobody that would not agree with me there. As far as I know he was in hospital in Christmas Day and that is just devastating.
“But I know he is back home now and hopefully he can celebrate Christmas [ properly] with his family and his kids.
“To win the derby for him would be super special. But
I think he would also be proud of us beating St Johnstone on Wednesday night. It can be easy to drop points in these games when the pressure is on but we showed how tight we are as a group.”
It has been a momentous year for Devlin. After representing
Australia at the delayed 2020
Olympics last year in Tokyo and then moving to Hearts, the 24- year- old played in European competition for the first time and then made it into the Socceroos’ squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
He is fully aware, however, that all his personal achievements will be superseded in the eyes of the Jambos support if he can help steer Robbie Neilson’s men to a derby triumph over city rivals Hibs.
“I’ve drawn a couple but I’ve not lost a derby and I want to keep it that way,” added Devlin, who missed the back- to- back victories over Hibs in April because of injury.
“In Australia, you play the derbies but it’s not the same feeling playing in a proper football stadium with fans. Especially [ being] at home we want to give our fans something to cheer about going into the New Year and I can’t wait.
“I relish these games, I absolutely love them, the atmosphere around them and everything that goes with it. A derby has just that little bit more.
“I think these are the games the fans want to win. It’s the Edinburgh derby and it’s one of the biggest games of our calendar year
“You never know with these games. To be going into it in third place is great but when it comes to a derby it’s 11 v 11 and anything can happen. That’s been shown over the years, but I’m very confident that if we play our stuff, and stick to what we know we can do, we can go into the game very confident.”
It was devastating. He’s Scotland’s No. 1, he was our player of the year last season, he is an inspiration to the younger boys, to everyone