It’s a fond farewell for ‘unreal’ Souttar as Devlin salutes his final effort
THE consolation of knowing that he could have done no more to bring the Scottish Cup back to Tynecastle in his final act as a Hearts player ought to mean something to John Souttar in the coming days. While many in maroon will spend the summer reflecting on why they couldn’t reach their optimum level on the day, the defender has no such reason to reproach himself. Making his first start since March 5, his final appearance before moving to Rangers, in some respects put him in an invidious position. Rarely has the performance of any player been the subject of such scrutiny from both sets of supporters. By the end of a display which combined timely blocks and nudges with piercing runs into midfield, half of Hampden was left to reflect on the chasm he leaves while the other was relishing the prospect of what he will bring to their side next season. ‘I couldn’t wish him more going to Rangers,’ said Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin. ‘I couldn’t be more grateful to share a pitch with him. He’s an unreal guy, an unreal player and he’s got a massive future. ‘I wish him nothing but the best. He’s such a great guy and he’s been unreal to me. ‘From the day I got here he’s taken me under his wing — even though half the time he’s been screaming at me because I’m maybe doing not what he wants me to do. ‘But I don’t mind that as a player. We always chat behind the scenes and he’s only trying to make me a better player and show me his experiences.’ As has been well documented, those experiences have included two ruptured Achilles tendons. It takes a certain type of character to bounce back from such a serious injury once never mind twice. Souttar’s rewards for his tenacity are now being seen, though. He headed home his first Scotland goal at Hampden against Denmark in November with a pre-contract move to Rangers confirmed soon after. A supreme talent that just couldn’t buy a break for so long is finally getting his just deserts. ‘It’s a credit to him,’ added Devlin. ‘I wasn’t here when he was injured but I’ve heard all about it. He had a few years out. It’s not easy being out for two or three months which I was. ‘I’m not surprised because I see him in the gym working harder than anyone. He was one of the guys who hadn’t played for so long and he came back. ‘For him to play like that is super special but I’m not surprised. He’s such a good player. ‘I’ve been made to feel at home at Hearts and John has been a massive part of that. I wish him well.’ Were it not for Souttar (below) and Craig Gordon, Rangers would have been parading the Scottish Cup long before they were. Despite incessant pressure in the second half, the pair produced an extraordinary rearguard action to take the game the distance. The general expectation that Hearts would come up against a side which had emptied the tank in Seville proved to be wide of the mark. As Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men continued to dominate, the one gilt-edged chance Hearts craved in extra-time failed to materialise. ‘It’s a fine line, isn’t it?’ said Devlin. ‘Celtic and Rangers are unreal teams, everyone knows that. ‘But we back ourselves. We went into the game with a
game plan and I mean it when I say we believed we could win. ‘It was beaming through that changing room. It would have been nice to get one over them especially in a final. ‘I’d have loved the noise to be coming from our changing room right now. But it’s not to be and I’m sure we will come back stronger. ‘I’m so proud of the boys. We came as underdogs. I know Rangers had a big game a few days ago but we focused on ourselves and to take them to extra-time and go so close is heart-breaking. ‘But you’ve got to move on, we’ll enjoy our summer and come back next season stronger.’ Much had been made of Rangers’ efforts against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League final. But Hearts’ preparations had also been far from ideal. Souttar and Craig Halkett hadn’t played as a defensive partnership since March 5. Liam Boyce was nursing a groin injury. Devlin had also been sidelined for a month either side of the semi-final. ‘In hindsight, you can say how good would that be if I’d played for the last two months,’ said the Australian. ‘You can say the same about all the injured boys but it’s not to be and that’s football. ‘They’ve (Rangers) had injuries and they played in Spain on Wednesday night. ‘You can say all these things but that’s not how the world works. It’s not a perfect world, you’ve got to get on with injuries and that’s part of football.’ Amid the natural sense of deflation, Hearts are entitled to reflect upon a third-placed finish and a Scottish Cup final appearance as a very decent season for a newlypromoted club. The guarantee of European group-stage football and the desire to go one better next time at Hampden will sustain them. ‘The target for us as a team was to make the Scottish Cup final, win the final, get in the top three in the league and get into Europe,’ explained Devlin. ‘We’ve done two out of three. We’ll enjoy our summer, come back stronger. ‘We’ll have some new players, some players will go, unfortunately. ‘But we’ve got big games to look forward to and that’s so exciting for us.’
I couldn’t be more grateful to share the pitch with John. He’s got a massive future