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This could be a truly historic year Heart of Midlothian in the fiercest competition scottish premier league Championship battles over the years, Derek McGinnis This month could see the return of an injured star.
Hearts beat Hibs 1-0 in Edinburgh derby
Hearts are under pressure to maintain their lead at the top of the table and they miraculously maintained their momentum with a 1-0 victory over city rivals Hibs.
Substitute Thomas Magnussen’s thunderous 88th-minute strike sparked jubilant scenes at a rain-soaked Tynecastle.
The Icelandic midfielder secured three crucial points with Harry Milne’s sublime left-foot pass to put McInnes’ side six points ahead of Rangers and nine ahead of defending champions Celtic.
The 18,766 supporters witnessed a tense, frantic game on a soggy pitch that limited the quality of play.
Tuesday’s win keeps Hearts on pace for a first league title since 1960, which would be Scottish football’s first outside Glasgow since Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen side won the title in 1985.
McInnes’ side have lost just three of their 26 league games this season, showing remarkable resilience while achieving good results despite a lackluster attack.
Tony Bloom’s nearly £10m investment last summer seemed to reshape Tynecastle’s entire philosophy, and Brighton Chiefs have so far delivered on his promise that Hearts can break Celtic and Rangers’ stranglehold on Scotland.
“I’m very excited to invest in Hearts,” Bloom said last June.
“I am a firm believer in the club’s ability to break the dominance of Scottish football which has existed for far too long.
“This great club has a bright future and I look forward to seeing that over the coming months and years.”
Bloom’s Brighton-style data-driven recruitment has created exceptional value, with the entire squad costing just £5.4m to set up, a fraction of Rangers’ £52.3m and Celtic’s £86.8m outlay.
McInnes deserves huge credit for the tactical changes that sealed a crucial win against Hibs, while working with an injury-plagued side missing star players such as Kami Devlin and Scotland forward Laurence Shankland.
It could be a while before we see the latter return to action, with Edinburgh Evening News reporter Barry Anderson reporting that Shankland is aiming to return as early as the end of March against Dundee.
The Hearts skipper, who has scored 15 of his 26 goals in all competitions this season, will indeed be sorely missed for the Jam Tarts, but McInnes has worked wonders to make the system work without their talisman.
Devlin was also a similarly notable absentee, but Anderson had better news when it came to the Australian’s potential imminent return.
Cammy Devlin plans to return to Hearts from injury in February
The reporter wrote in an article in the Edinburgh Evening News, Devlin aims to return to action against Aberdeen on February 28.
Hearts may be wary of the 27-year-old and delay his return until March 14 against Kilmarnock, but regardless, the addition of Devlin will ultimately give McInnes a huge boost.
The midfielder is a mainstay for Hearts, having started every game in the Scottish League before suffering an ankle injury, and is a vital cog in McInnes’ squad.
The four-time Australia international is out of contract this summer and could leave for a free, so Tynecastle bosses will be desperate to negotiate an extension to keep the player.
Devlin claimed in December that he Still a long way from reaching a new dealbut perhaps Hearts can use this time to restart conversations off the field.
The former Wellington Phoenix ace has been widely praised for his performances this season, with the former Celtic star Scott Brown Praise him for his arrogance and his skills.
“I really like Devlin at the moment,” Brown told Sky Sports.
“He’s got a little bit of arrogance. He’s playing with confidence now; he’s playing with his chest out. He looks like a top, top player.”
“He reminds me of a young Callum McGregor. He gets the ball and drives the team forward. Everyone at Hearts is looking to him. Expect him to get the ball, to make tackles, to set the tone early in the game. That’s what he’s doing now.”
Hearts face Rangers in another crucial six-point tie this weekend, with the Premier League title race in the spotlight more than ever.
