Lawrence Shankland Hearts contract bombshell hasn’t shaken Tynecastle squad as Jambos ally speaks out
Blair Spittal made his professional football debut as a late substitution for Lawrence Shankland with Queen’s Park. Almost precisely 12 years after his low-key debut at Montrose, and having reconnected with his old mucker at Hearts, the midfielder is preparing for Shankland to leave Tynecastle.
Scotland’s player of the year stated over the weekend that, as things stand, he will be departing Gorgie within the next seven months, with his contract expiring. But Spittal insists that his bombshell has not unsettled anyone in the Tynecastle locker room, least of all Shankland himself.
In 2012, the duo made their Spiders debut as raw 16-year-olds. After a dozen years and over 200 goals for Shankland, few inside Hearts understand what makes the hitman tick more than Spittal.
The goals have dried up this season after a record 31 in the previous campaign. The offer of a lucrative new contract, which was on the table but not signed at the start of the year, has also vanished. While Shankland’s openness about his contract situation in Gorgie may have caused some noise on the outside with the transfer market barely a month away, Spittal insists there were no shockwaves within the squad.
He replied: “Not at all. Nowadays, it is normal for youngsters to be in their final year of their football contracts. It has had no effect on Lawrence or the changing room. Whatever happens, we just need to focus on what we’re doing. We have a really busy schedule coming up, and those types of things will take care of themselves as that happens. Lawrence’s major emphasis right now is on putting in excellent performances and getting back on the scoresheet.”
Spittal is still optimistic about his captain’s chances of scoring again. He understands what Shankland is about. As Hearts prepare to jet over to Belgium for tomorrow’s Europa Conference League meeting with Cercle Brugge, he says: “I don’t think so.”
“It’s something he’s certainly not used to, especially after scoring so many goals the previous two seasons. However, in recent weeks, he has performed admirably in terms of working the entire backline. I’ve played with him previously. I know Lawrence’s capabilities. I’m confident he’ll get back up and continue. If he continues to get into positions, it will eventually turn. The last thing you can do is let your head drop down, and there is
Hearts head to Belgium with six points from their first three Conference League games. They are 12th in the table, but tied on points with Fiorentina in eighth, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the knockout stages.
A win tomorrow night at Jan Breydel Stadium would most certainly be enough to earn a playoff position with two games remaining. Cercle is ranked third-bottom in the Belgian top league. But Hearts are no better than 11th in the Premiership. And Spittal knows that if they are to have a chance tomorrow night, Shankland and his teammates must improve in front of goal.
The team’s recent 4-1 loss against Celtic was a result of wasted opportunities, following a string of promising performances. Spittal himself gave up a golden opportunity within the opening two minutes.
He remarked, “You don’t want to walk away from games saying we played good in sections but didn’t get anything out of it. In the first half against Celtic, we produced numerous opportunities, including a few really good ones. The one for me jumped up uncomfortably in the first few minutes. But when you’re facing strong teams like Celtic, you have to take your opportunities or leave yourself vulnerable.
“It’s frustrating. We have to keep getting into those positions, and it will turn. We leave games knowing we’ve created opportunities; it’s just that we’re not taking them at the moment. But if we continue to put ourselves in such situations, things will change for the better.”
Spittal’s only other European experience ended abruptly and embarrassingly when Motherwell were eliminated by Sligo Rovers two years ago. So it’s no wonder that the 28-year-old is enjoying every bit of Hearts’ Conference League campaign.
He remarked, “It has been good. We started the group with two good results, and the last one wasn’t bad; the performance was there, but Heidenheim punished us twice.
“As a player, you dream of playing in Europe and competing against the greatest. I haven’t had many opportunity to do that, so we should make the most of it. I had a brief encounter in Europe with Motherwell. That was awful the way things turned out. I’m hoping to make up for it this time.
“Hopefully we can catch Cercle Brugge by surprise and get a good result.”
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