Devlin on fan reaction, Aussie devastation and 5 minutes of madness

Here is everything the Heart of Midlothian midfielder had to say after the first Edinburgh derby of the season finished with a share of the spoils.

Disappointed with that outcome?

When you are 2-0 up in a derby at home, you should always come away with three points. In our changing room, it feels like we lost because we are disappointed with a draw. You can look at that as a positive but we have to be so much better than that. our coaches bang on about discipline and big moments in big games, so it's disappointing.

Did you think there was an element of complacency that crept in at 2-0?

Not so much complacency, it was just a few errors. Fair play to the boy who scored both goals, he took his chances well. We had so many opportunities to win the game ourselves. Even at 1-0, there were so many times we could have scored a second. Then five minutes of madness.

Where does that madness come from? Hearts looked in good shape.

We felt in good shape. At 0-0, we were on top. Al [Forrest] scores a worldy and we settled into the game. I felt we were dominant and creating chances. You should never draw when you are 2-0 up in any game. You should always win. It's just so disappointing. There were moments when it was falling to them in the box and we were defending so well when needed and that has been a big focus. These games are fine margins and big moments. A draw was very disappointing.

READ MORE: Why a substitution hurt Hearts in derby draw - but it wasn't just Lowry's removal

Despite the performance fans ended up booing you off. Do you think that was fair?

I didn't actually hear them booing us off, to be fair. I guess, you play for Hearts so you are expected to win every single game at home. They are entitled to their opinion, of course. They are the ones paying all the money to put us in a job. It's up to us to go out there and perform. I felt, for 85 minutes, we did that. Then it probably wasn't even five minutes of madness - more like two minutes. When you play for a club like Hearts the expectations are so high, when you are at home you have to win it and the derbies, especially when you are 2-0 up.

Are you disappointed not to be in the Australia squad?

Devastated, mate. Devastated. But what can you do? Graham Arnold called me last week. He explained his reasons. As a player, you can only control what you can control. I feel I've been playing consistently well and that's all I can do. As the Australian coach, he has picked his team. Am I disappointed? Absolutely. 

Can you divulge any of the reasons because it has baffled?

He just said he wants to have a look at people. Three of the midfielders from the last camp aren't there. He has called up some ones he maybe hasn't looked at, spent time with and got to know them as a player and a person. He just said he wants to have a look at a few new boys. He said to me that he has been watching and that I'm doing really well. I guess that kind of makes it even more gutting that I'm not there. You need to be resilient as a player. Football is so up-and-down. At 2-0 up on Saturday, I felt so good and so happy. Then two minutes later I felt so sad. That's just how it is. It's how you bounce back as a player.

READ MORE: The evolution of Cammy Devlin: From midfield dictator to Hearts' all-action man

Will you use it as motivation to prove Arnold wrong?

Absolutely. You have to prove him wrong. If you go into a slump and feel sorry for yourself, it will just come back and burn you. As a person, you know the kind of person I am by now. It's about just performing for Hearts and playing regularly. I feel I'm playing well so I want to improve. I've got so many areas I can improve on and I'm aware of that. It's just about performing and making it impossible for him not to pick me.

Two massive games coming up after the break, Celtic then Rangers...

They are the games you want to play in, the big games. You don't want to be a player who hides in the big games. I love the occasion and the big crowd. Saturday was unreal and I felt all the boys thrived on it when we were 2-0 up. These are massive games for us. We wanted to go into the break with three points and sitting third in the table. I will get a bit of a break that I didn't really want but I've got. It's a chance for all the boys to rest while the international boys go away and do their nations proud.

To unlock all content from as little as £1 for six months, you can subscribe HERE. As a subscriber you will be able to have your say and help shape the content we produce.