Cammy Devlin has opened up on the pressure of the next month ahead as the Hearts star bids for a spot on the plane to Qatar 2022.
The Jambos midfielder earned his first cap for Australia last month and is hoping to do enough to land a place in Graham Arnold's squad that will take part in the World Cup finals with France, Denmark and Tunisia the opposition in their group section. The 24-year-old admits he achieved a childhood dream by turning out for the Socceroos and now the goal is to get himself noticed ahead of next month.
He admits even discussing the World Cup is quite surreal, as he hailed Scotland as the 'perfect' place for dealing with pressure as their is an expectancy at Hearts to go out and perform and win weekly. It's something Devlin has learned on the job and hopes he can impress this month and create a memory that will last a life time.
READ MORE: Alex Cochrane calls on Hearts to show Celtic 'no respect' and take bookings if needed
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He told Edinburgh Evening News : “Playing for your country is the biggest achievement you can get in any sport. It’s something I wanted to do since I was a little boy.
"I made my debut last month and there is a World Cup coming up. If I play well for Hearts, I will at least put myself up for selection.
“That’s the goal and I haven’t stopped thinking about it. Arnie is really good. He lets you go about your work. The physios and staff keep in touch to make sure your body feels good and you’re happy. Arnie just tells you to keep playing and then you will have a chance of being selected.
“Obviously there is pressure. It’s a World Cup, which only comes around every four years. To even be talking about going is quite surreal. When you’re a professional athlete, if you crack under pressure then you probably won’t have the career you should have.
“Playing in Scotland is probably perfect for me because you are under pressure every week. At Hearts, you’ve got to win and perform. That has been good for me, learning to deal with situations like that. I’m someone who enjoys the pressure to perform. It gives you than extra meaning to go out and do well.”
On facing Celtic at Tynecastle this weekend, the Hearts star added: “We know we need to improve and Saturday is a big test. These are the games you want to bounce back in. Playing the top of the league – everyone knows Celtic are probably the best team at the moment – is a game you want to be involved in. It gives you a lot of confidence if you get a result. Even if we had been winning, you are up for this game naturally. With the position we’re in now, you need to be up for it twice as much.”
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