Cammy Devlin is confident he'll be available for Hearts ' Scottish Cup semi-final showdown with Hibs.
The Edinburgh Derby comes to Glasgow on Saturday as the capital rivals face off for a place in the final at Hampden.
Devlin watched from the stand as the Jambos put their rivals to the sword in the Premiership on Saturday and admits he's itching to return from a hamstring injury.
The Australian midfielder hasn't played since March 5 but reckons he has a real chance of featuring at the national stadium this weekend.
Devlin said: “It was a massive shame that I didn’t play on Saturday and was gutted.
“The injury is going really well and the hamstring is coming along nicely.
"Fingers crossed, I think I’ll definitely be ready for Hampden and the cup semi next week.
“I’m feeling really good, my body’s coming across really well, the physios have been unreal so I’m buzzing.
“I hope I’ll be back on Saturday.
"If you ask any footballer, sitting in the stand watching the team is probably the worst thing you can do.
“You just want to be out there to help them. You always think you can add that extra.”
Devlin was on the bench for last September’s goal-less draw with Hibs at Tynecastle having only just arrived from Newcastle Jets in his homeland and played in February’s stalemate at Easter Road.
And the 23-year-old admits he is now fully aware of just how big this fixture is, especially when a Scottish Cup final and guaranteed European football will be at stake at Hampden.
Devlin, who has made 25 appearances for Neilson’s side - scoring once,
said: “Until you get here and experience it yourself you don’t understand.
“That’s what I’ve been saying to everyone back home, you might watch it on TV and see that it’s loud but when you’re here it's a whole different story.
“The main thing the fans want is to beat Hibs.
“As soon as I arrived there was an Edinburgh derby for my first game.
“I was on the bench but just to be at Tynecastle, a full stadium - it was the first time I’d seen a game here - I’d never really seen anything like it in my life.
“It just made me more hungry and excited to get involved.
“Even at Easter Road with the away fans, because there’s less of them, they’re so loud.
"It’s just a good experience as a footballer and for someone like me coming from the other side of the world where maybe you don’t experience atmospheres like that - it’s so cool.”
