The Preview: Forget the prize guys, midfield maestro Devlin is the person who actually makes Hearts tick

Of the eight individual awards already handed out this season in the Scottish Premiership, five have gone to men at the centre of Hearts’ surprise title charge.

Derek McInnes had the monopoly on Manager of the Month until Martin O’Neill claimed November’s prize having steadied the ship at Celtic. Lawrence Shankland and Claudio Braga each have a Player’s gong to their name courtesy of their impressive start to the campaign.

The performances of Ivan Dolcek of Dundee United and Motherwell’s Tawanda Maswanhise haven’t gone unnoticed either, with the pair gaining official recognition in August and November respectively.

Those who get the goals tend to get the plaudits. Which is obviously why Cammy Devlin hasn’t had a look-in yet. And that’s unfortunate, considering he’s been the best player in the country so far.

Simply put, Hearts wouldn’t be where they are without him.

The Australian’s efforts in the engine room have enabled Shankland and Braga — as well as Alexandros Kyziridis — to strut their stuff at the top end of the park and hog the headlines.

Midfielder Cammy Devlin has been instrumental in Hearts’ surprise Premiership title charge 

His performances have allowed Alexandros Kyziridis (left) and Claudio Braga (right) to thrive

The Australian hasn’t missed a single minute of top-flight action for the Jambos this season

Now in his fifth season at the club, the 27-year-old has established himself as the guy who makes Hearts tick. Indeed, he’s not missed a single minute of Premiership action this season, such has been his consistency.

His reputation over the years has been built on being a disrupter. Someone who breaks up play and gets in the faces of opponents. 

We’ve seen it umpteen times this season. His man-of-the-match performance against Celtic last Sunday — he was also the standout in the reverse fixture in Edinburgh in October — typified what he brings in terms of the defensive side of things.

He and Tomas Magnusson were in the thick of the action at Parkhead, winning back possession time and again. Players — not to mention opposition fans — hate coming up against him, which is as big a compliment as you can pay.

It would be doing him a huge disservice not to mention he can play a bit, too. More than a bit, actually. He is just as comfortable dictating from deep, and his ability to pick a pass is criminally underrated.

Devlin would be an automatic starter for either half of the Old Firm. Can anyone argue that Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande, Arne Engels or even Callum McGregor would be better options at the moment?

Devlin’s manager has been banging the drum about his quality from the second he walked through the door. It’s little surprise that McInnes is desperate to get him tied down for the long haul. 

Devlin is no doubt attracting plenty of suitors and, with his contract up in the summer — when he’ll hope to line up for Australia at the World Cup — he could be forgiven for taking stock of his options.

Manager Derek McInnes is confident Devlin will soon sign a new contract with the club

A big move with a big pay day to boot is a realistic prospect. The good news for Hearts, however, is that he appears more than happy to extend his stay, admitting this week that, while no deal has been reached, talks are progressing nicely.

McInnes seemed confident when pressed on the subject ahead of this evening’s trip to Falkirk as he discussed ‘when’ Devlin will agree a new contract. Not ‘if’.

Hearts, remarkably, don’t need to greatly strengthen their squad in January. A couple of additions here and there to complement what they’ve got would be enough to keep the manager, players, and punters happy.

Before then, convincing Devlin to sign on the dotted line must be priority No1.

No time like the present for Livi to end long winless run

It may sound a tad dramatic given we’ve not reached Christmas yet, but Livingston find themselves in must-win territory this weekend as they welcome Dundee to West Lothian.

David Martindale spent most of his previous campaign in the top flight utterly dejected as he watched his side lurch from one abject performance to another before relegation was confirmed with a few games to spare.

There was a noticeable change in his demeanour on his immediate return to the Premiership. His enthusiasm and determination to once again shut up the naysayers was evident. Sixteen games in, that positive energy is in short supply.

It’s true that his side have been on the receiving end of some brutal refereeing decisions, but that’s not the main reason they’re without a win since matchday two.

It’s their failure to come out on top in close games which has cost them dearly. Yes, they’ve been competitive, but that counts for nothing in the grand scheme of things. 

Defeat today would see Dundee move seven clear. While Steven Pressley’s side are no great shakes, that’s a big deficit to make up, even at this stage.