Hearts midfielder Cammy Devlin is relishing a high-stakes finale to the season as Hearts aim to continue hunting down Aberdeen and secure European group-stage football.
The Jambos pulled off a potentially huge victory over the Dons on Saturday to cut the gap between the teams from five points to two in the battle for third place in the cinch Premiership.
Hearts travel to Rangers on Wednesday and host city rivals Hibernian on Saturday, while the Dons welcome St Mirren before finishing away to Celtic.
Devlin knows it will be a “special” ending to the season if his side can pip the Reds and secure third place – and the financial and European rewards that go with it – for the second year running.
“Being a professional footballer you want to play in the big pressure games,” said the Australia international. “For all of us being fortunate enough to be at a club like Hearts, that pressure is normal.
“It’s about building yourself up for the games and being up for it, and there’s no excuses for not being up for it.
“On Saturday, as individuals and as a team, we showed we are up for it. We’ve got massive games coming up and it could be very special, but we’ve just got to control what we can control and hopefully make that happen.”
Devlin is adamant Hearts never gave up hope of finishing third even though Aberdeen, who won eight games out of nine before the split, seemed to be marching clear in recent months.
“I don’t think we’ve ever taken our mind off third,” he said. “That’s where we know we need to be. Obviously there was a period there where we as players weren’t good enough, but I think you can see now where we want to be.
“We look like we’re turning it around. Saturday was a massive result and it showed how hungry we are to give back to the people who pay to come and watch us home and away, and hopefully we can finish that off in the last two games.”
Hearts had 30 goal attempts against Aberdeen and 38 in their recent 6-1 victory over Ross County.
Devlin has enjoyed the “front-foot” football Steven Naismith has encouraged since being appointed interim manager in April and the midfielder feels that approach is essential for Wednesday’s match with Rangers at Ibrox, a venue at which the Jambos have not won in nine years.
“We’ve found it tough against Rangers, they are a very good team, there’s no shying away from that,” said Devlin.
“But since Naisy’s come in we’ve changed a few things. A few results haven’t been ideal, but I think the football we’ve been playing has been attractive to watch and as a player it’s enjoyable to be playing attacking football on the front foot.
“The defensive side of it is so important (at Ibrox), but we need to go and score more goals than them.
“Naisy won’t want to set us up defensively because that’s not the coach he is and (assistants) Frankie (McAvoy) and Gordy (Gordon Forrest) aren’t like that.
“As players you never want to sit back on your box inviting pressure, that’s not enjoyable for any player, so we certainly won’t be doing that.
“Naisy wants us to play attacking football and take any opportunity to go forward and put pressure on the opponent. He’s instilling that into the players and I think it’s showing.”
Andre Blake signs ambassador deal with JustBet
Jamaica Reggae Boyz Captain and Goalkeeper Andre Blake has signed an endorsement deal with Supreme Ventures Limited’s sports betting brand, JustBet.
The 33-year-old Goalkeeper, who celebrates ten years in the nets for the Reggae Boyz, joins the JustBet roster as one of the faces of its new advertising campaign unveiled at the Jamaica Premier League semi-final on Sunday.
As part of the sponsorship, SVL will use Blake in their JustBet ad campaign and support his charity initiatives for 2024.
In welcoming Blake to the SVL family, Kamal Powell, Head of Marketing at SVL, noted that Blake is an excellent role model given his exploits as arguably the best goalkeeper in Jamaica's history, "Andre has represented Jamaica consistently and his talent is undeniable. We are impressed by his winning attitude, his passion for the sport and the high level of leadership and integrity that he displays, which are all the core values of Supreme Ventures and JustBet.
"We are delighted to have him on board as we promote the exciting competitions we deliver to our customers, and we have a shared vision for sports development in Jamaica."
For Andre Blake, this will help to further his efforts to give back to the sport.
"Supreme Ventures has supported sports in Jamaica, including football, for many years, and so I'm excited to work with their team, not just in the new ad campaign but also by supporting the Andre Blake Foundation", commented Blake.
Other faces of the 2024 ad campaign include Race Car driver Fraser McConnell and Olympian Stacy-Ann Williams.
Philadelphia Union v New York City FC: Cushing salutes togetherness of in-form NYCFC
Nick Cushing hailed the togetherness demonstrated by New York City FC as they look to continue their impressive form against a struggling Philadelphia Union.
The Boys in Blue endured a poor start to the MLS season – losing four of their opening five matches – but have tasted defeat just once in their last seven.
Last weekend's 3-2 victory over Toronto FC was New York's fourth in five matches, and Cushing saluted the character shown by his squad in recent times.
"We're training incredibly well," he said. "Our intensity and our culture is excellent at the moment.
"I'm so proud of the team because if you look at the way the bench celebrated the third goal [against Toronto], these are guys there that really want to get on the field.
"The way they celebrate for their team-mates and for the team shows me that [togetherness]."
Despite their impressive form, though, NYCFC face a potential banana skin in Philadelphia, who have prevailed in each of the last five meetings between the Eastern Conference sides.
"They are a really hard team to get results against, especially there [at home]," Cushing added. "There's an opportunity there for us, but we have to prepare well."
The Union are without a win in five matches – losing three – and have been beaten in each of their last three on home soil.
Jim Curtin's side had started the season with a seven-game unbeaten run, and the head coach has urged his players to draw inspiration from that as they bid to turn their fortunes around.
"I'm a big believer that you can make your own luck," he said.
"We've shot ourselves in the foot quite a bit in recent games, played from behind quite a bit, had to chase games and put a lot into them, and we get punished.
"We have to stick together as a group and find a way to tighten things up. We're on a really bad stretch here, but we know we're capable of going on unbeaten streaks already like we've had this year.
"We have to turn it around, and we can't feel sorry for ourselves."
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Philadelphia Union – Daniel Gazdag
Despite Union's recent struggles, Gazdag has been in fine form – scoring in three straight home games, though they have all ended in defeat.
The Hungary international is the first player to score in three successive home matches but appear on the losing side each time since Colorado Rapids' Kei Kamara in 2019.
New York City FC – Hannes Wolf
Wolf set up two of NYCFC's three goals in their victory over Toronto FC last time out.
The midfielder became the first Austrian to claim at least two assists in an MLS game after Daniel Royer (2020), Andreas Ivanschitz (2016) and Andreas Herzog (2004).
MATCH PREDICTION: NEW YORK CITY FC
New York have won four of their last five matches, scoring multiple goals in each of their victories.
They had only scored two or more goals once in their opening seven games of this season.
Meanwhile, Philadelphia are currently on the longest losing home streak in their history, having lost each of their last three at Subaru Park.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Philadelphia Union: 49.7%
New York City FC: 22.8%
Draw: 27.5%
All Saints United crowned as 2023-24 ABFA Premier League champions on goal difference
All Saints United have been crowned as champions of the 2023-24 Antigua and Barbuda Football Association (ABFA) Premier League.
All Saints entered the 18th and final game on May 5 on 46 points, trailing Grenades FC by two points.
They then defeated Garden Stars 3-1 in their final game while Grenades were held to a 1-1 draw by Ottos Rangers FC who played the ultimate spoiler role as their relegation to the first division was already confirmed before this game.
In the end, both All Saints United and Grenades FC finished with identical records of 16 wins, one draw and one loss from their 18 games.
However, by virtue of a goal difference of 55 compared to 48 by Grenades, All Saints United were crowned champions.
The top five were rounded out by Old Road FC, FC Aston Villa and Hoppers FC with totals of 38 points, 33 points and 29 points, respectively.
The ABFA issued a statement congratulating All Saints on winning the title as well as acknowledging the contributions of all the teams to a successful season.
“The ABFA Executive members extend heartfelt congratulations to the management, coaches, and players of All Saints United for their triumphant victory in clinching the 2023/24 ABFA Premier League trophy. We also commend Grenades FC and Old Road FC for their outstanding performances, securing second and third place respectively, and contributing to the thrilling championship race,” the statement read.
It continued, “this season has been filled with excitement, with the premier division delivering a nail-biting finish. The first and second divisions are also gearing up for an equally thrilling climax. We express gratitude to our dedicated fans whose unwavering support has made this season unforgettable.”
Joining the aforementioned Rangers in next season’s first division will be Sap FC and Empire FC who finished 13th and 15th, respectively.
Swetes FC, who finished 12th, will fight for their spot in next season’s Premier league in the playoffs with Police FC and Attacking Saints who finished third and fourth in the first division.
Potter’s Tigers and Five Islands FC were the top two finishers in the first division and have booked spots in next season’s Premier League.
Individually, Old Road’s Raheem Deterville was crowned as both the season’s golden boot winner and MVP.
All Saints United’s Jayden Martin and Blake Thompson took home prizes for best goalkeeper and best defender while FC Aston Villa’s Tyrik Hughes was named best young player.
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