Devlin is not missing his brief time as a striker
Cammy Devlin is currently modifying his game to become a more complete Hearts midfielder, however he was once a striker whilst growing up in Australia, writes Barry Anderson.
His formative years saw him used as an attacker and the 25-year-old reflects with a touch of humour on the outcome. “I think it’s pretty clear I’m not the best goalscorer. I like tackling too much as well. That’s two pretty important things,” smiled Devlin.
But he is enjoying playing slightly more advanced under Hearts head coach Steven Naismith since returning from an ankle injury last month. “I was a striker when I was younger but that only lasted a few games, as you can probably see. A positive for me is that I’m more of a midfielder in terms of winning that ball back, but I can play attacking midfield, middle or defensive mid. That works in your favour if you can play in a few different positions. I’m comfortable in all of them.
“If I’m on the pitch I don’t really care where I am. I’ve done it before but not at this level. It’s about putting the work in on the training pitch and listening to my coaches. Naisy has played at the highest level, so I listen and put the work in. I take in all the information I can and try to make it happen on the pitch.”
Devlin is under instruction to get involved in the final third of the pitch more often. “I’m not playing as a No.10. It’s more a No.8. You are in between a defensive midfielder and an attacking midfielder,” explained the player. “At the same time, I’m just as comfortable playing the defensive midfield role that Beni [Baningime] plays.
“Naisy is just showing me different little things. When we are training, he will break it and say: ‘Cammy, you could maybe move outside here or move there.’ It’s about watching it back and picking up the information to improve myself as an all-round midfielder.”
Australia coach Graham Arnold named his squad on Thursday for back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against Lebanon. After two and a half months out with an ankle injury, the midfielder knew a call-up might not transpire.
“There is always that little bit of hope. The physios were in contact with me but I didn’t make the final squad,” he said. “It’s up to me from now until the end of the season to play my best and hopefully get in the camp in the summer.”