You could have been watching a post-match interview from any of a few recent Heart of Midlothian games.

Cammy Devlin stopped himself a couple of times in the wake of the 4-1 home defeat to Celtic to display his awareness that he was repeating himself from two weeks before when he faced the media following a defeat at Ibrox.

While the nature of Saturday's defeat was different to the recent trip to Ibrox, it bore striking resemblance to the Heidendeim defeat: a great first half though failing to capitalise before succumbing to a better side after the break.

After the game, Devlin addressed recent comments made by his "close" team-mate Kenneth Vargas. 

Here, he talks about the recent loss at Tynecastle Park, the progression under head coach Neil Critchley and his second-half miss.

Was the result a sore one to take?

Yeah, it is sore. I feel like we had a game plan that we've worked really hard on and one that we really believed in. Celtic are a really good team, there's no denying that, but I feel like the way we set up stopped a lot of their strengths and I feel like everyone would have seen that watching. I feel like we were the better team until they scored the first goal, to be honest. We had a few chances that, I feel like I'm repeating myself, we just didn't take again. The better the opposition, the more they punish you and that's exactly what happened.

It was a similar scenario at Ibrox?

That's what I mean. I feel like it's carbon copy, to be fair. I feel like we had a game plan, the way we pressed them, pressing high up the pitch, we were at home, we really wanted to get after them and not sit off them. Before the international break against Rangers, we played well, didn't take our chances and got punished and yeah, I feel like this score line doesn't really reflect the game. It's just frustrating, you know, we have the chances and we clear a ball, it lands to their player in front of goal and he can't really miss, so it's frustrating, but just got to keep going.

How difficult is that when you are on top but don't capitalise?

It's really difficult, to be honest. I feel like, you know, there's the gaffer and Mick and Foxy coming in, they are faces and I feel like we've been playing really well, but football's about scoring goals and not conceding goals. On the pitch, it feels positive, it feels good and I feel like you can feel the fans watching on, they can feel it's been positive. We just haven't been ruthless enough in both boxes as what we should and goals win games. You can't concede four goals at home and expect anything, but yeah, it's frustrating. It's our job to be men, we're at a massive football club, we've said it before and we've just got to step up and keep going. We've got a really exciting game on Thursday, we know how many fans are coming to support us and we appreciate it so much, we've just got to dust ourselves off and go again, because if you feel sorry for yourself, it's only going to get worse.

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Does it feel like there's a big result coming for you boys and could it be on Thursday?

I thought it was maybe coming against Rangers and I thought it was maybe coming against Celtic, but yeah, it'll come for us. We know we've just got to keep going. If we go away from what we've been told from the manager, then that's when it will go wrong, but we're really buying in and I think he would say the same in terms of what he's telling us. He's told us that he was really encouraged by what he saw in terms of how he wanted us to set up against Celtic. We went out and implemented that as best we possibly could and I felt like it was positive until they scored the first goal. Then they get another and they're a ruthless team, but yeah, you've just got to keep going and be men and stand up.

I suppose at some point, you've got to consistently get points to start moving up the table?

You're exactly right. We're at a massive football club and I'm not used to being down there since I've been here. If you feel sorry for yourself and start moaning, then it's only going to get worse. We've got to start picking up points, but I feel if we keep the performances up and tidy up on a few things, it's only going to be up from here. That's how I feel anyway.

Were you kicking yourself with Shanks last chance?

It was weird, I've spoken to Shanks about it. He thought he was offside and then I thought he was going to shoot so I wasn't expecting the set-up. We've watched it back there, he was onside, but it's one of those ones in the heat of the moment, I've got my shot off and he's made a really good block to be fair. Maybe I should do better. At 2-0, if I score that then it's 2-1 maybe, but I've got my shot off and he's blocked it, so there's not much I can do now.