Cammy Devlin remains sidelined for Hearts as he continues to recover from a concussion, with manager Neil Critchley acknowledging that the Australian midfielder is still not fully fit. Hearts secured a 2-1 victory over St Johnstone on Sunday without Devlin, who has now missed two consecutive matches after suffering a head injury during the Scottish Cup clash against St Mirren.
“Cammy’s still not quite right, unfortunately,” Critchley admitted. “He trained this week, but we had to take a step back after he experienced symptoms post-training. Now, we have to let him rest before trying again. It’s frustrating for both him and us, but his health is the priority. We won’t take any risks with him.”
In Devlin’s absence, Beni Baningime took on the lone defensive midfield role, excelling in difficult conditions as Elton Kabangu’s brace secured a crucial three points for Hearts. Critchley praised Baningime’s work rate, particularly his ability to cover ground, win back possession, and initiate counter-attacks. “Beni’s been fantastic in the last two games,” he said.
Hearts remain hopeful that Devlin could return for Wednesday’s match against St Mirren but are taking a cautious approach. “There’s still a chance,” said Critchley. “We’re monitoring him daily and won’t rule him out, but we won’t take any chances either.”
Critchley also commended his team’s resilience in securing the hard-fought win. Kabangu opened the scoring before Adamah Sidibeh equalized for St Johnstone early in the second half. However, Kabangu quickly restored Hearts’ lead, while goalkeeper Craig Gordon made a vital save to prevent St Johnstone from taking the lead moments before the winner.
“It was an incredible, match-winning save,” Critchley said of Gordon’s stop. “His reactions are unbelievable. That moment changed the game, and we scored the winner shortly after. Those are the fine margins in football.”
Despite challenging conditions, Critchley was pleased with his squad’s mentality. “The pitch and weather made things difficult, but we had to grind it out. These were big three points after last week’s loss.”
Looking ahead, Hearts sit seventh in the league, just one point outside the top six with six games remaining before the split. However, Critchley insists he isn’t focusing on the table. “Our goal is the top six, but we just need to keep winning games. If we do that, the table will take care of itself.”
