Note following late small change at the very heart of things
I believe the answer is:
dead centre
'the very heart of things' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether this works.
'note following late small change' is the wordplay.
'note' becomes 're' (**).
'following' says to put letters next to each other.
'late' becomes 'dead' ('dead' can be similar in meaning to 'late').
'small change' becomes 'cent' (I've seen this before).
'dead'+'cent'='deadcent'
're' put after 'deadcent' is 'DEAD-CENTRE'.
'at' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for dead centre that I've seen before include "heart" , "bullseye" , "Position when engine crank and connecting-rod are in line" , "cemetery?" , "Smack in the middle" .)