Cammy Devlin shares his special Hearts vs Rangers moment that tells him all about Hampden sell-out importance

Cammy Devlin hopes a big Hearts crowd can follow Steven Naismith’s men to Hampden this Sunday on Scottish Cup semi-final business.

The Australian midfielder scored at the weekend as the Jambos warmed up for action in Mount Florida with a 4-2 win over Livingston. It’s a top-up in confidence - having also found themselves 2-0 down in the game - heading into battle against a side they have never beaten at Scotland’s national stadium.

Devlin was part of the starting XI that featured against the Light Blues in the 2022 final, which was lost 2-0 after extra-time. Of that starting team, nine including Devlin remain at the club, and the Socceroos international knows how important fans backing was on that particular day at Hampden.

CEO Andrew McKinlay delivered a message to Hearts supporters last week, urging them to snap up the remaining allocation if they were able, after the club pushed for a 50-50 split. If they are unable to shift their allocation, it could affect future pushes for an even split of tickets according to McKinlay, and Devlin is hopeful of repaying those who do make the journey.

He told the Edinburgh Evening News: "It's so important. You saw on Saturday when we are 2-0 down and they stayed behind us, believed in us, because on the pitch we still believed that if we got a goal we could turn the game and that is what happened. Credit to them for sticking with us because it definitely helped.

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“It's a cliché and all that but we have shown so many times this season that with their energy, it feeds onto the pitch. I remember the Scottish Cup final against Rangers when we walked out and just seeing so many of them there, it does make such a difference.

“I know cost of living at the moment is so tough and it is a massive day out especially if you have a family, it's expensive. It's so appreciated and it does not go unnoticed. Hopefully for all the ones that come to Hampden, we can repay them with a win."

It was on that cup run where Devlin got his first taste of Hampden, a 2-1 win over Edinburgh rivals Hibs at the semi-final stage. He came off the bench to play a part in the 3-1 defeat to Rangers in the League Cup semi-final earlier this term, and he is keen to make amends for previous defeats.

He explained: “Beating Hibs in the derby there was super special. That was my first experience there and it was so nice to walk out to 50% of the stadium being our fans, an exciting day out for them. It's up to us to send them home happy after making the effort to come and support us.

“The last couple of times I have been hasn't gone our way so fingers crossed we make it right this time. We wanted to go into the game with momentum and we are going in with a win which is good for the confidence. It's exciting to go back to Hampden for the second time this season and hopefully not for the last time.

“It's important to have a good week, train hard and get our game plan in the head, get focused. It's the games you want to play in, it's a chance to go to a Scottish Cup final. A massive week and one we look forward to.”

With plenty of Hampden experience both for club and country within the ranks, Devlin hopes that plays into Hearts hands come kick-off at 3pm on Sunday. None of it will count for anything if the key ingredients for a positive result are not found in their performance.

He added: "There's a lot of boys, even the boys playing for Scotland, that have been to Hampden and know what it's all about. There's a big group of us that have been around and we have done it.

“That means nothing if you don't show up on the day, be energetic, be brave. There's massive week of training ahead, one we look forward to and hopefully we go into the game with confidence. We should do, we are sitting in a good spot."