Hearts debrief: Shankland price rise, midfield clicks, quality in reserve - how team is shaping up for derby

How Hearts earned a 2-0 win over St Mirren with Shankland at the double

Lawrence Shankland celebrates with Barrie McKay after scoring to make it 2-0 for Hearts against St Mirren. Photo by Ross Parker / SNS Group

If clubs want to sign Hearts goalscorer Lawrence Shankland then they are going to have to pay a premium for him. And, as he continues to rattle in goals - both the expected and the exceptional - that price tag, along with the interest will only grow.

His current employers are well aware of the asset they have at their disposal and the difference he makes to their points haul and their ambitions, so it would take something very special to convince them to let him go.

In a Gorgie side looking to build on the notable win over Celtic last weekend, Shankland once again led from the front, nabbing a goal in each half and coming close to completing his hat-trick as the hosts made it six wins from their last eight league matches.

It saw them make the most of the opportunity to move clear of the rest in third, shaking off Stephen Robinson’s St Mirren, who had been tied on points at the start of the day.

Next up is the Edinburgh derby match on Wednesday, and Shankland will need to be marshalled throughout as he attempts to add to the 16 already netted for club and country this term. His latest exploits – he has scored 10 in the last 11 games and has only failed to find the net in three of his last dozen outings for the Jambos – means the player who broke club legend John Robertson’s long-time record goals haul for a campaign last term has now amassed an incredible 43 goals for the side since joining a season and a half ago.

The first of yesterday’s match put Hearts in the driving seat and when he provided a nonchalantly-brilliant second, the game was over, especially against a team that has stuttered following a positive start to the season, scoring just three goals in their last eight matches. Against a Hearts team that had bounced back well from the recent defeat to Aberdeen, recording four clean sheets in six outings, there was no real threat. Instead the home side eased through to the final whistle.

Zander Clark had to make a save from an Alex Gogic header and Kye Rowles made a block on the line to deny Thierry Small a goal but there were further chances at the other end as well as several players in maroon had a dig, but, other than Shankland, who was in search of his treble, it was youngsters Aidan Denholm and Macaulay Tait who came closest.

In fact the biggest danger to Clark came from his own bench. The starter went to ground in the first half prompting a strange frisson of excitement in the stadium as Craig Gordon briefly readied himself on the sidelines before being dispatched back to the substitutes’ seating when Clarke declared himself fit to continue.

But the sight of the former Scotland No 1 warming up served as a reminder of the quality Hearts have in reserve. Craig Halkett made his first start since Christmas Eve last year and after settling into the action, strolled through the game. While Beni Baningime continues to edge closer to the top levels he produced before his long-term injury, doing a lot of selfless and tireless work in the middle of the park, fetching and distributing, linking up play and helping to set the tempo. Alongside him Denholm is growing in confidence and backed up his Parkhead performance with another industrious showing. Asked to support Shankland and play in the likes of Barrie McKay and Yutaro Oda, his combativeness and desire is always going to please his gaffer, who will be cognisant of the way the 20-year-old battles and links up well with Baningime in the heart of the team when he decides on his derby starters.

But Naismith does have options, and his men put on a display that demonstrated hunger and more of the energy they will require to stay up among the best. It also showcased the quality that can alert the outcome of a match in seconds when the ball was played into Shankland at the edge of the area, in the 50th minute. As time seemed to stop, Shankland showed imagination and technique to flick the ball into the air before dispatching it with his weaker left foot into the top corner of Hemming’s goal. The understated celebration simply amplified the ease with which he seemed to create something so delightful and the side’s growing swagger following the past couple of displays.