Robbie Neilson says Cammy Devlin will learn from his red card challenge as he highlighted the positives from the defeat to Rangers after playing with ten men for over 50 minutes.
The Australian was given his marching orders for a nasty challenge on Rabbi Matondo as the Light Blues ran out 4-0 winners on the day thanks to Antonio Colak's double, an Alfredo Morelos strike and a first goal of the campaign from Ryan Kent.
There won't be much time for the Gorgie club to reflect on the defeat with the hard work and attentions now turning to Serie A outfit Fiorentina. They make the journey to Tynecastle this coming Thursday as the Europa Conference League group stage reaches the middle point. Neilson admitted he explained the huge importance of keeping 11 players on the park against Celtic or Rangers, the derby or in Europe as he highlighted the good news that came out of the capital loss.
READ MORE: Hearts' Cammy Devlin sent 'really like him' message by Rangers boss van Bronckhorst after red card
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He said: “Cammy [Devlin] will learn from it. He is a young kid. He came over here last year and he is full of energy, full of passion and aggression. He is always borderline.
"On Saturday he probably just stepped over the mark a wee bit but that happens. I’ve been there myself as a player. Most people who played football have been there at some point.
“After the game I spoke more to the group about things. We speak before big games and we spoke before Saturday’s game about the importance of keeping 11 players on the pitch. When you play in derbies, or against the Old Firm, or in Europe, it’s crucial – and we didn’t do it on Saturday.
"The positives from Saturday are that a few boys got some minutes on the pitch that they needed. Robert Snodgrass got some game time, Stephen Humphrys got some game time.
“I thought the boys fought really hard, worked hard and kept their shape. They did everything they could to try and get us back into the game. Ultimately, it wasn't enough."
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