Can Hearts keep marching towards title without Cammy Devlin?

When Lawrence Shankland put them ahead the roof nearly came off the place. And when Tomas Magnusson elicited a similar reaction in the latter stages the game was done and dusted.

It was the mark of champions. Just like at Dundee this past Sunday when Alexander Schwolow was sent off in first-half stoppage time, Hearts were able to dig it out; keeping a clean sheet and adding another three points to their tally in what continues to be a fairy-tale run.

But in order to be champions, especially for a team trying to tear apart Scottish football’s long-standing duopoly, you need to have a little bit of good fortune on your side, and they may have been robbed of some late in this contest.

With supporters counting down the seconds until they could greet the referee’s whistle with another appreciative roar for their team’s efforts, Cammy Devlin contested a ball near the centre circle with St Mirren’s Killian Phillips. The influential midfielder and heart-and-soul of Derek McInnes’s side landed awkwardly, hit the deck and immediately looked in a considerable amount of pain. You could hear his cries of agony from the main stand as the midfielder slammed his hand into the wet Tynecastle turf. Was it a case of doing something else to distract from the agony? Or did the Aussie know instantly that his season was over? At this present time, we don’t know. He was able to walk off the field with the help of the physios, but nobody the true extent of the damage will be revealed with the results of a scan in the coming days.

The hope is that it’s only an ankle sprain, which would see him miss three to four weeks. Not ideal with a season-defining run of fixtures coming up for the Jambos in their next five league fixtures, including two games against the Old Firm and an Edinburgh derby with Hibs, but it is the best-case scenario at this point in time. Anything worse than that, a break or ligament damage, and it would be difficult to imagine him returning this campaign.

With one goal and zero assists to his name in 2025/26, it’s fair to say that Devlin isn’t exactly a highlights reel player. However, I feel very confident in saying this: if the season ended today, he should be Scottish football’s Player of the Year. In a campaign in which Celtic and Rangers have routinely made fools of themselves, the contest is wide open. His team-mate Lawrence Shankland would certainly have a claim as leader of the team, fulcrum of the attack and leading goalscorer in the Scottish Premiership. Elliot Watt, Elijah Just and Tawanda Maswanhise should all fancy their chances at Motherwell. But as someone who has watched a lot of top-flight action this term, Devlin, for me, stands out above the rest. He has been at least an 8/10 every single week, even in games in which Hearts have not played well.

The diminutive No.8 has always been something of a fans’ favourite in Gorgie. He runs himself stupid every single match, plays with unwavering aggression and routinely winds up opposition players. Opposing fans also can’t stand the guy, which means he’s doing something right.

He’s always someone who has been counted on to give 100 per cent every single time he steps on the field, but he’s managed to take his play up a couple of levels under McInnes’ tutelage. His use of the ball is much better. He’s cutting out a lot of the slack passes which used to blight his game, and he’s being braver in possession.

His defensive work, never previously in doubt, has improved also. Especially late in games when things get stretched, Devlin becomes a magnet to the football. He is always there to interfere in whatever the opposition have planned, constantly winning it back and getting his side going in attack again. It would be a real shame if the St Mirren match was the last time we saw his work this term, especially with what is on the line.

Hearts do have some options in terms of cover, but none of them can replicate Devlin’s combination of play, combativeness and energy. Tomas Magnusson has size, energy and poise on the ball, but he lacks Devlin’s grit and speed. The latter is also true of Oisin McEntee who is a big lad and, as a result, didn’t have Devlin’s terrier-like qualities. Record signing Ageu will be due back from injury also, but he’s more of a forward-thinking player. The same goes for Blair Spittal. Unfortunately, the man on the books who could do the best Devlin impression, his fellow countryman Calem Nieuwenhof, has suffered a set-back on his bid to return from long-term injury. And seeing as he hasn’t played in almost two years, it’s doubtful as to whether he’d be able to have the same sort of impact.

It would also cast a doubt as to whether the team can properly function in McInnes’s preferred system of this term, the 4-4-2. A largely outdated way of playing, it functions well for Hearts because Devlin and partner-in-crime Baningime can cover the work of three players in the hotly-contested engine room.

Hearts have had to deal with some injury issues already this campaign, so it’s not a total catastrophe for the league leaders. They’ve very much got a ‘next man up’ mentally. It’s also taken place during the transfer window, so if the worst fears are realised then they could boot up the Jamestown Analytics machine and find a replacement. But it’s tough to imagine anyone performing to the levels Devlin has reached this term.

A bad injury would also be especially cruel timing for the player on an individual level. A thoroughly sound bloke off the park, he was coming up to a crucial juncture in his footballing career. Already in his peak years, his contract expired at the end of the season and off the back of his play this term he would have been expecting a bumper payday, either to remain at Hearts or go elsewhere. Now his immediate future, like that of his team if they have to go on without him, is very much uncertain.