CAMMY'S SIMPLY THE PEST

Jamie just wouldn't be without 'nippy' Devlin

- BY FRASER WILSON

JAMIE McCART admits he never used to like “nippy” Cammy Devlin.

But since signing for Hearts the defender has realised he couldn't ask for a better mate on his side.

Whether it's battering into tackles, indulging in some verbals or just patting heads when tempers are flaring, Devlin loves the art of mischief-making in midfield.

But there has been so much more to his game this season in the Jambos' shock surge to the Premiership summit which sees them go into tomorrow's top-of-the-table showdown with Celtic six points clear.

That's why nobody at Tynecastle is underestimating the enormity of the hole left by the diminutive Devlin's absence for the next six to eight weeks with a leg injury.

Along with crocked captain Lawrence Shankland the duo are set to sit out a crucial period of the season.

With Beni Baningime also suspended, McCart wasn't sugar coating the scale of the triple whammy.

And it's Devlin’s infectious competitiveness in the middle of the park that might just be missed most.

McCart said: “These things happen in football but losing two key players in a week is always disappointing.