Hearts have Lawrence Shankland back but he will miss Kilmarnock trip as another player lands milestone

Some consider Dundee to be Hearts’ bogey team. Lawrence Shankland would scoff at that notion. He seems to relish the sight of the Dens Park side on the fixture list.

And so it proved here. Two goals inside ten first-half minutes put his critics, many of them who were up on their feet applauding this return to scoring form, firmly in their place.

Shankland, who scored three times against the same opponents last season and has long been a thorn in their side, looped a header after 21 minutes into the far corner to score for the first time since late September.

He threw his head back and looked to the heavens in relief while the Dundee fans above him in the corner hurled some presumably barbed words at the former Dundee United striker. They had cheered when he lost his footing and crashed to the deck in an earlier attack. Shankland enjoyed the last laugh and then some.

Lawrence Shankland scores his second goal of the game as Hearts prevailed 2-0 over Dundee. | SNS Group

These Dundee fans probably feared the striker taking the invitation of their side’s visit to end his long drought stretching back 12 games and 70 long days. He then had to wait barely ten minutes for his next goal. “And he can’t stop scoring,” was the knowing Tynecastle Tannoy man’s announcement as Shankland put his side two up.

An angled pass set James Penrice on his way to the byline. Dundee ‘keeper Jon McCracken will feel he should have dealt better with the left back’s cross. Shankland, now with his tail up, gladly accepted the opportunity after McCracken rather weakly palmed out into the danger area. His strike wasn’t clearly hit but it reached the back of the net, which he knows better than anyone is all that matters.

If there was any disappointment on an afternoon when Hearts managed to lift themselves off the bottom of the league it was that the striker did not collect a hat-trick. Shankland was also booked for a high boot challenge on Dundee midfielder Mo Sylla in the second half and will now miss Sunday’s trip to face Kilmarnock.

His blood was clearly up. He had over an hour to source his second Hearts hat-trick and it was clearly on his mind. It seemed the Tynecastle coaching staff were also alert to this. They kept him on when they might have been minded to replace the striker towards the end and let him feel the love of the Tynecastle crowd after a trying period. Dundee’s afternoon had little to commend it but drawing the second half 0-0 and stopping Shankland grabbing his third goal of the afternoon was a mini triumph.

One late chance which the striker perhaps snatched too eagerly at was smothered by McCracken. There was also an extra frisson of excitement as VAR carried out a penalty check took place after Dundee substitute Ethan Ingram tangled with Shankland in the box.

Still, a double’s not bad to be going on with, particularly given his circumstances. One must be careful to avoid placing all the focus on one player’s redemptive arc, as cheering as it might be. After all, it was a red-letter day for Craig Gordon as well after he finally chalked up his 100th clean sheet on as easy an afternoon as he's known in two spells at Hearts. He barely had a save to make.

Hearts keeper Craig Gordon kept his 100th clean sheet for the Tynecastle club. | SNS Group

The ‘keeper has spent weeks on the cusp but will be relieved to have made it to a century before turning 42 at the end of this month. It was also a day to remember for 17-year-old schoolboy James Wilson, who made his full debut. While he didn’t score, his non-stop running seemed to provide Shankland with the space to do what he does best.

The skipper’s recent struggles had become painful to observe. Jeered at times by his own fans, the relationship between the striker and his own club was threatening to sour horribly amid talk of him being content to simply run down his contract. That might well be the case but it was a good time for the old Shankland to re-introduce himself. Hearts have now leapfrogged Hibs into 11th place.

They might have done so with a more handsome victory here. The hosts had what would have been a comical goal ruled out with 20 minutes left following a VAR check after McCracken’s clearance crashed off Ethan Ingram’s back. It left Musa Drammeh with the easiest task of tapping into the empty net but the striker had strayed marginally offside. Ryan Astley also cleared substitute Alan Forrest’s effort off the line in the dying moments.

Nothing stopped it being Shankland’s day. He gazed steely-eyed down the tunnel at the end as he walked off, cheering fans all around him. They’ve got Lawrence Shankland back, for now.