Heart of Midlothian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Cammy Devlin is putting contract talks aside to focus on his return from injury and Hearts' title pursuit.

The Australia midfielder has been out with an ankle injury since mid-January but, along with striker Lawrence Shankland, is available to make his comeback in Saturday's home game against Dundee.

"I'm really happy to be back," Devlin, 27, said.

"I've found it quite tough in terms of just being away from doing what you love, especially with how everything was going this season.

"But this is part and parcel of football. You've got to overcome challenges all the time and injuries are part of it.

"I haven't enjoyed it at all so to be on the other side of it now, out of that physio room and back with my mates on the grass, has been really exciting.

"That was always my focus, just do everything in my power to come back in the best possible way I can."

Devlin, who joined the club in 2021, is out of contract at the end of the season and still has to decide where his future lies.

The midfielder has ambitions to play in the Champions League and should Hearts win the Premiership it would put them in the play-off round for next season's tournament, while the runners-up will go into the second qualifying round.

Devlin admits that tournament could be pivotal to what he decides this summer.

"I think growing up as an Aussie from the other side of the world the Champions League is something you would wake up at four or five in the morning to watch on the telly," he said.

"So I think that's a massive, massive carrot because that would be a dream come true for not just me, but for any player that is here I'm sure.

"In terms of right now my focus is on just getting back fit, playing for Hearts, seeing what we can do, and then I'm sure that stuff will come into play at the end of the season.

"The Champions League would be so special, so cool, and something we believe we can do. So fingers crossed.

"We're working ever so hard to make it happen, but there's 24 points left to play for. There's a lot of twists and turns left in this title race and the fact I can say we're a part of it is cool in itself."

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• Since the start of February, Hearts have scored five league goals from 77 shots, a conversion rate of 6.5% - the lowest of any side in the competition in this time. Their xG/shot of 0.076 is also the lowest of any side in the top flight in this period. Meanwhile, Dundee top both of these metrics since 1 February (15.2% conversion, 0.129 xG/shot).

• Dundee are unbeaten in five league games (W2 D3), last going longer without defeat in the Scottish Premiership from January to February 2015 (eight).

• Hearts have won seven of their past nine league meetings with Dundee (L2), keeping a clean sheet in the latest five of those wins, including both this season (4-0 in November, 1-0 in January).

• Dundee have lost four of their past five Scottish Premiership trips to Hearts, winning the other 1-0 in April 2025.

• Each of Hearts' last three home league games have ended in 1-0 wins; they last won four in a row on home soil in the Premiership without conceding in March 2016.

Hearts' need to pay a fee for to make Marc Leonard a permanent signing is not an insurmountable hurdle, but matching his salary would be considerably more difficult and the 24-year-old on-loan midfielder says his focus is fulfilling the remaining years of his contract with Birmingham City. (Edinburgh Evening News)

Read all of Friday's Scottish Gossip

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Hearts head coach Derek McInnes is "disappointed" but "not surprised" none of his players were called up by Scotland for this month's friendlies against Japan and Ivory Coast.

Striker Lawrence Shankland has only just returned to fitness while fellow squad regular, goalkeeper Craig Gordon, is sidelined with a shoulder issue.

Scotland boss Steve Clarke also omitted Harry Milne and Craig Halkett, who were tipped for inclusion after shining in the Premiership leaders' defence this season.

McInnes said: "Surprised, probably not. Disappointed, yeah, absolutely.

"I think we've been a really strong team this season and there's been key players within it.

"My opinion doesn't matter, I don't really like people telling me what players to pick in my team and the only opinion that matters is Steve but it doesn't mean to say I think he's right with it.

"I do think I've got players that have earned the opportunity to be part of an international set-up but hopefully the lads' motivation keeps going, they keep doing well and hopefully in time that they get there, that's the hope.

"I speak to the lads regularly about it and I do believe that we have got players who could represent the country, there's no question of that to me.

"While there's disappointment that they're not in this squad, you all know how things can change and whether it's through injury or whatever it will be, players get opportunity.

"There's enough motivation for them to get on with here but if there's any added motivation to try and be part of a World Cup squad then of course it can only help."

When asked about the omission of Hearts players earlier this week, Clarke said the Tynecastle team is "maybe better the sum of the parts".

On those comments, McInnes said: "Yeah, I understood the context of that.

"Like I say, Steve's opinion is the only one that matters when it comes to picking the Scotland squad and I understand what he's saying with that but it doesn't mean to say that I agree that some of my players shouldn't be in the squad."

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Derek McInnes has been speaking to the media before Hearts host Dundee in the Premiership this weekend.

Here are the key lines from the Tynecastle boss:

• Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin are available having returned to training this week after injury lay-offs - "it looks as if they've not been away" - and McInnes says the key duo's comeback gives the squad and fans a boost.

• He adds: "Lawrence, until he went out of the team through injury, was the best striker in the league and Cammy for me was arguably the best midfielder in the league so it's good to have both boys back at such a crucial time in the season."

• McInnes will have to "weigh up" whether they are ready to start and says: "There's obviously a temptation with that but we also don't want to put ourselves in a position where you put both boys at risk and then we lose them again."

• Harry Milne, who has a slight calf strain, and Beni Baningime haven't trained all week. Tomas Magnusson suffered a fractured cheekbone in last weekend's defeat at Kilmarnock and will miss Saturday's game but should be available after that to play while wearing a mask.

• With Hearts' lead at the top now down to two points, McInnes says there is "not a lot of room for error" for all teams in the title race and none of the top four are "really catching fire" in recent weeks.

• On what went wrong in defeat at Killie, he says: "We were quite bold with our approach. It was the same team that played so well against Aberdeen but we never started the game well enough and we've got to be mindful of that."

• While McInnes sees Hearts as the title "underdog" against "heavyweights" Celtic and Rangers who have "so many obvious advantages over us", he insists: "We've got real strength and a real will to do well, a real togetherness and we're screaming with ambition to do well."

• On the pressure of the title race, McInnes says: "I think every time we lose a game, people are quite happy to point the pressure thing. When we win games, you don't get that. That's just the way it is and that's just for us, it's been a case of can we stay at the top of the league for as long as we can."

• He is glad Hearts are still "relevant" rather than being mid-table and watching the title fight with envy.

• McInnes fully believes Hearts will have a "special end" to the season and does not want to talk about having no regrets because "it's as if it's going to end up in disappointment".

• He adds: "We need to try and get back to the winning sequences [we had] at the start of the season, which elevated us into the position where people started to talk about us."

• McInnes was "not surprised" there are no Hearts players in the Scotland squad but is "disappointed" as he feels some of his squad have "earned the opportunity".

• He adds: "While there's disappointment that they're not in this squad, you all know how things can change and whether it's through injury or whatever it will be, players get opportunity. There's enough motivation for them to get on with here but if there's any added motivation to try and be part of a World Cup squad then of course it can only help."

• Saturday's game is Foundation of Hearts day at Tynecastle after fans' funding reached a £20m milestone and McInnes praised the "significant achievement that deserves to be celebrated".

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Former referee Steve Conroy thinks it is "mission creep" with VAR in Scottish football before new changes to the laws for the upcoming World Cup.

VAR was introduced in Scotland almost four years ago but has frequently been criticised by fans, players, managers and former players.

Now there could be more changes to the scope of technology as football's law-making body the International Football Association Board (Ifab) backed plans to increase the powers of VAR.

For this summer's World Cup in America, VAR will be allowed to intervene on second yellow cards and the awarding of corners, provided the process doesn't slow down the flow of play.

Ifab has also expanded the countdown rule around goalkeepers where they have eight seconds to release the ball from their hands to include goal kicks and throw-ins.

But former referee Conroy thinks involving the technology in more decision-making is bad news for the game.

"It's inescapable that there is more and more mission creep with VAR," he told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The authorities seem hell-bent on using it more and more and relying on it and I think that is to the detriment of football.

"I know Ifab are talking about getting them involved for corners and second yellows and all that sort of stuff. As [Celtic interim manager] Martin O'Neill said, soon enough we'll just referee from a port-a-cabin somewhere.

"And this is all happening at the same time as every football supporter survey tells you that they just want it binned."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

Losing high-stakes matches can often prompt intense, reactionary fallout, with Hearts' away form coming into sharp focus after Saturday's defeat at struggling Kilmarnock.

The Scottish Premiership leaders' league form on the road is now the division's third best but is just two points worse off than Rangers, who have the best record in the top flight.

However, are Hearts fans seeing a worrying recent trend in away games that could derail their title charge?

Derek McInnes' men have the best home form in the Premiership, with a stellar unbeaten record of 11 wins and four draws from 15 matches.

Away from Tynecastle, though, they have lost their past three fixtures - at St Mirren, Rangers and Kilmarnock. Throw in December's derby defeat at Hibernian, and Hearts have suffered defeat in four of their past six away games.

In fact, after starting the season with four straight victories on the road, they have won just four of the following 11.

Hearts have only one pre-split away fixture remaining. That comes at bottom side Livingston, who have won just once all season but have recently held Rangers and Hibs to draws and were denied a point at Celtic in stoppage time last month.

Post-split scheduling will no doubt cause controversy, given the Gorgie side will have hosted Hibs, Motherwell and Falkirk twice by the time the league is cut in half.

However, trips to Easter Road and Celtic Park are expected for Hearts, plus a visit from Rangers.

Whether home or away, each top-six fixture will provide a stern test, given the standard of the Premiership's top half this term.

But the leaders have a potential banana skin to deal with in West Lothian, either side of home games against Dundee and Motherwell, before focusing on their post-split calendar as they aim to allay fears of a wobble.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

As soon as the final whistle went at Rugby Park, you just knew there would be days of overreaction from Jambos.

I've heard a wide range of opinions from 'this defeat can be a good thing for Hearts' to 'we are definitely going to finish third at best'.

We need remember that after finishing in the bottom six last season, Hearts top the table going into the penultimate weekend in March and have led the way since late September. Derek McInnes' remit was to take us back to third place and he is on course to deliver.

McInnes has attracted flak from fans in recent days and I understand the frustrations. The main gripe supporters have is we've not used the squad well enough in the second half of the season and I think that is absolutely fair.

The defeat at Kilmarnock was arguably our worst performance of the season and I think a lot of that is down to a combination of fatigue and players picking up niggly injuries.

The drop off-in form in Alexandros Kyziridis is alarming. He should have been dropped a month ago. I know McInnes appreciates his workrate and I guess that's why he's been deployed on the right, to protect Michael Steinwender, but we're nullifying his strengths.

Kyzi playing on the left, cutting in, drives fear into opponents. We've got Sabah Kerjota, Islam Chesnokov, Alan Forrest and Rogers Mato all fit as wide options, yet we only appear to play with one out-and-out winger at times.

Mato is a strange one. We made a big push to sign him in January, with McInnes saying "he's ready to go". Since that comment, the Uganda forward has made three substitute appearance totalling 14 minutes.

I do not think our January signings – Marc Leonard aside – have improved our starting 11. I would give Jordi Altena a run in the team, but the fact he's not 6ft 2in probably means McInnes won't swap him for Steinwender.

Each weekend the billing of 'biggest game of the season' gets trotted out and it's a fair argument for this Saturday with Dundee visiting Gorgie.

There's chat around Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland returning for this. Shanks must start if fit.

We need to see a better performance and something fans can get a lift from heading into the business end of the campaign.

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Chris Sutton says Hearts are still favourites for the Scottish Premiership title, despite "remarkable" Martin O'Neill continuing to find a way to win with Celtic.

The Jambos' advantage has been cut to two points following their weekend defeat at Kilmarnock, with nearest challengers Celtic fighting back to beat 10-man Motherwell.

Rangers' narrow victory at St Mirren on Sunday means the Ibrox side are now just three points off the summit and one behind their city rivals.

However, former Celtic striker Sutton believes Derek McInnes' leaders are still in the driving seat, citing the imminent returns of influential duo Lawrence Shankland and Cammy Devlin as a key factor.

"I'm sticking with Hearts," he said on BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "You can lose to Kilmarnock. And I think everybody will beat everybody else."

On his former club, Sutton added: "The remarkable thing about Celtic under Martin O'Neill is they just keep finding a way to win.

"They're not playing good football at all. It's not like a Celtic team of previous seasons, dominating every area. It's been a real struggle for them.

"Rangers are not a particularly good watch either. It will go down to the wire."

Former Rangers head coach Russell Martin also featured on Monday's show and hailed McInnes and Hearts for "an amazing season".

He also said both Old Firm clubs will perhaps feel fortunate to still be in with a shot of the title after turbulent campaigns and suggested they will be feeling more pressure than the current leaders.

"It's such an interesting season," Martin added. "Hearts shaking it up has been really good for Scottish football as a whole. The emergence of Hearts and Motherwell has been really good for the game up there.

"There's pressure on the Old Firm always. But, I know it sounds crazy, I think Hearts have less pressure on them than the other two.

"They can play on the underdog thing from now until the end of the season."

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Leaders Hearts and Rangers are planning overseas training trips while fellow Premiership contenders Celtic are on Scottish Cup semi-final duty on the weekend of 18 and 19 April. (Sun), external

Andy Campbell
BBC Scotland

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Celtic and Rangers bear more pressure in the Scottish Premiership title race, even though Hearts are top, says former Ibrox head coach Russell Martin.

Martin was sacked after Rangers' seventh league game of the season, when they were eighth, and successor Danny Rohl has taken them to third - within three points of Hearts with eight games to play.

Defending champions Celtic, under Martin O'Neill, are two points below Derek McInnes' Hearts and a point above Rangers.

"Because it's so close, there's pressure on the Old Firm always," Martin told BBC Radio 5 Live's Monday Night Club. "No matter what the situation, no matter what the game.

"I do think Hearts have less pressure than the other two right now. They can probably play on the underdog thing from now until the end of the season."

Martin's Rangers drew 0-0 with Celtic and lost 2-0 at home to Hearts early in the campaign.

"The Old Firm both have a chance of winning the league and the fans have been so frustrated and disappointed with their seasons," Martin said.

"Martin O'Neill and [assistant] Shaun Maloney have been there, won it between them so many times and [captain] Callum McGregor and the Celtic guys having had the experience of winning it, I think it could be really, really important.

"Derek McInnes and Hearts have had an amazing season.

"It's a really interesting and unique season. I really don't know which way it's going to go.

"Each week it sort of changes. No-one's really in flow. There doesn't seem to be a team that's playing at the peak of their powers. It's an eight-game season and it's going to be really, really exciting. You could easily see it going to either one of those teams."

Hearts, who lost at Kilmarnock on Saturday, finished second in the Scottish top flight in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 2006 but have not finished higher than third over the past 20 years.

And ex-Celtic forward Chris Sutton said on the Monday Night Club: "Hearts are really difficult to measure because it's so easy to just say... the pressure's off.

"I don't necessarily think it is amongst the Hearts fan base.

"I still think that Hearts all season, they've found a way to win. They're not a beautiful football team. They are well structured. He knows what he's doing, Derek McInnes does, in the way that he sets his team up, he knows the Scottish league inside out.

"The pressure's ranked up on Rangers."

Sutton was part of O'Neill's Celtic side from 2000-05 and said of his former club: "If Celtic win the league this season, they'd have done it without a centre forward. Think about that. Celtic have used five different centre-forwards.

"I think Celtic were 112 goals last season. Numbers-wise they are massively down on what they were last season [at 56]."

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Claudio Braga's decision to stay on his feet in Kilmarnock's box on Saturday night could be "pivotal" in Hearts' season, according to former Hibernian and Celtic midfielder Scott Allan.

Braga was caught by Kilmarnock defender Robbie Deas as he broke towards goal, but opted to stay on his feet.

No penalty was given on the field and there was no intervention from VAR.

Hearts lost the game 1-0 with title challengers Celtic and Rangers both winning and narrowing the gap at the top.

"I think it could be pivotal," Allan told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "I just can't for life understand why he stays on his feet.

"It's not as if he's got a glaring opportunity to go and score a goal. I think once you feel the contact, you have to go down and let the referee make a decision and it would have been a penalty. He obviously stands on his toe.

"Derek McInnes spoke about it after the game, a bit frustrated with it. It's not often you talk about players getting a bit of stick because they've been honest.

"These little moments can define your season, that could be one coming into the season, looking back on it. If it goes down, how does the game look?"

Former Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands says Hearts are still in the best position of the Premiership's top three sides, but thinks they must end their shaky away form if they are to last the course.

"They're still in the driving seat, don't forget that," the former Denmark international said. "They're still the team to beat.

"I do worry a wee bit about their confidence into the next couple of games after two defeats. They need to really start picking up points again because the other two teams are coming really, really fast behind them."

The Scottish Premiership leaders stumble to a third successive away defeat as Kilmarnock dig out a deserved three points.

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We asked you Hearts fans for your opinions on the 1-0 loss to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. Here's a taste of what you had to say...

Campbell: We have too many of our best players injured. Some may be back for the next match and certainly for the games after the split, so we can still do it.

Jim: Wrong team, wrong tactics again. What did this squad do for a fortnight? Very poor, didn't look like scoring, but hey, we're still top.

Finn: Spineless and absolutely no fight, playing like we were last season when we had nothing to play for. Effort simply wasn't there, playing absolutely nothing like what we are capable of. It can only get better with Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland to come back, but a serious wake-up call.

Steve: Finally supporters are realising we'll win nothing under Derek McInnes. We've dropped so many points against the lowest teams in the league, who are meant to be on poor runs - Kilmarnock, St Mirren and Aberdeen - due to poor tactics or team selection. He constantly takes most of our attacking threat off to protect one goal leads. Hopefully we'll get third this season.

Calum: Quite easily our worst performance of the season. Alexandros Kyziridis is badly needing dropped, he looks an utter shadow of the player he was at the start of the season. It's getting worrying how loyal McInnes is to Michael Steinwender, a player who's let him down so often now. Anyway, we can't lose hope at this stage - bring on next week.

Raymond: Hearts looked like a team who had never played together before. It was a totally abject performance. All the players need to take a good look at themselves for letting all those travelling fans down with a terrible display.

Chris: Sick of begging for Steinwender to be dropped. We improved massively in the right back position when he was subbed off for an actual right back, Jordi Altena. McInnes has gotten lucky of late and it all came crashing down tonight. Deserved nothing, and got nothing.

Steve: Thousands of us turned up for this match, none of the players or management did. Insipid football reminiscent of the Neil Critchley days. We were 1-0 down and passing the ball across the back four, ensuring every last ounce of energy is drained from us. Kilmarnock were excellent value for their win.

Hearts do not plan on selling Claudio Braga to a direct rival after a report suggested Celtic are interested in the 26-year-old forward who joined the Edinburgh club last summer. (Football Insider), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Hearts head coach Derek McInnes tells BBC Scotland: "It wasn't good enough. I didn't think we started the game well, for whatever reason. We had a good week's work going into this game.

"I thought we had a good warm-up, looked sharp and ready then and when you come away from home against a team fighting for their lives you know what to expect.

"I didn't think we looked sharp enough to the pitch of the ball, didn't close spaces down or stop crosses. I just though we looked easy to play against.

"They get far too simplistic a goal and there's no pressure on the cross and they have a free man in the box.

"We gave Kilmarnock something to cling on to and you have to credit them.

"We had 60% possession and more chances but we never really… we huffed and puffed and had a few chances but you have to say Kilmarnock scrapped and fought for the three points.

"We tried to throw more attacking players on it but it petered out. We're disappointed not with our effort but the quality of our play.

"I've told the players we still wake up tomorrow top of the league with eight games to go. We pick ourselves up and go again."

Hearts' charge at the top of the Scottish Premiership was dealt a shock blow as Kilmarnock stunned the league leaders with a deserved victory at Rugby Park.

Read the match report here.

Have your say on the game here.

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Kilmarnock midfielder Jack Thomson returns from suspension while Kyle Magennis is back in training.

Tyreece John-Jules (quad), Djenairo Daniels (knee), Matty Kennedy (hip) and Lewis Mayo (hamstring) remain out.

Hearts welcome back Oisin McEntee, but Stephen Kingsley (calf), Craig Gordon (shoulder), Ageu (thigh), Cammy Devlin (ankle), Stuart Findlay, Lawrence Shankland, Calem Nieuwenhof and Finlay Pollock (all hamstring) are still unavailable.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts midfielder Blair Spittal says the players are "thriving" on the pressure of chasing down the club's first top-flight title in 66 years.

The Tynecastle club, who visit Kilmarnock on Saturday night, sit five points clear at the top having finished in the bottom six last season.

And Spittal, who joined the club in June 2024, has been blown away by the turnaround at Tynecastle.

"I think you could see the strength of the squad that we've built over the summer," the 30-year-old said.

"I think it helped going into the League Cup, having that chance to build that bit of momentum as well, going into the season and things have gone really well so far. There's still plenty of football to be played, we know that.

"It's mental, considering where we were at this point last year. It's probably a different kind of pressure to what we were under last year, but it's one that the boys are thriving on.

"I've never been in this position before, but it's one that all the boys in the changing room are enjoying at the minute. Like I said, there's plenty of football still to be played, so we just need to do our job, so we can do it."

Hearts won 3-0 win at Rugby Park earlier this season but Killie have been strong at home in the league since Neil McCann and Billy Dodds took charge, beating Aberdeen and St Mirren before a last-gasp defeat to Celtic.

"I think regardless of how Kilmarnock are doing, it's always a tough place to go," Spittal added.

"We're under no illusions of how hard it's going to be. Obviously people will be looking at the last result [5-1 loss at Falkirk], but the form before that was really good.

"We're expecting the best Kilmarnock to turn up on Saturday so we need to give the best version of ourselves."