Lawrence Shankland in 'I have to do better' pledge as Hearts target Celtic redemption

Lawrence Shankland concedes that spurning opportunities at one end and coughing up chances at the other is not a recipe for success.

The Hearts striker is taking his side’s recent troubles personally. A run of no wins in the last five matches has coincided with a mini lean spell for the striker, although there wasn't much he could do sitting on the bench for the majority of last week’s 5-1 defeat against Fiorentina.

He returned to the starting XI against Aberdeen on Sunday and was upbraided by many, including the watching Craig Levein on Radio Scotland’s Sportsound programme, when he snatched at a chance at the start of the second half.

The hosts went on to score twice in the last 20 minutes to secure the points and deal out a tenth defeat in 14 outings for Hearts. Shankland knows he might have changed the course of the game had he struck although he wasn’t alone in missing chances.

Hearts' Lawrence Shankland (left) - seen here vying with defender Anthony Stewart - worked hard but missed chances against Aberdeen (Photo by Craig Foy / SNS Group)

“It was a good ball from (Alex) Cochrane and I knew I was beyond the front post,” the striker lamented. “So I have just tried to open up my foot and I didn’t get enough contact on it. I have got to do better. I have got to score, essentially.”

His last goal came in the 3-0 away win over Motherwell that seemed to underline an improvement in fortunes for the Gorgie side, who were fresh from a fine midweek win over RFS in Latvia (when Shankland also scored).

The 27-year-old is now experienced enough to know that all strikers go through such periods. And five games without a goal is certainly not long enough to qualify as a famine. But he’s also aware that he needs to start scoring sooner or later to help patched-up Hearts through this awkward spell.

Defeat at Aberdeen was compounded by another two players being added to the injury list. Andy Halliday limped off early in the first half and Peter Haring came on and then promptly went off again on a stretcher after suffering a head knock. They are among 11 first-team players currently sitting on the sidelines.

It doesn’t rain, it pours. There are signs of a fruitful attacking partnership developing with Stephen Humphrys. But Shankland knows his main job is to score goals.

“You can’t beat yourself up but you know you need to convert,” said the striker, who has struck six times this season. “I know I am expected to score those ones. Humphs as well, at the start of the second half, tries to take it around their ‘keeper and he gets a touch. We know ourselves what chances we had, and we needed to score them. It’s frustrating.”

Shankland does not subscribe to the viewpoint that Hearts are in a deep malaise. The only crisis involves the number of injuries. The World Cup break at least affords an opportunity to reset. Saturday’s home league clash against Celtic, meanwhile, offers the tantalising prospect of redemption.

“To be fair, I don’t think we were miles off it at Aberdeen, we started the game really well and as the game went on maybe the guys who played the other night (v Fiorentina) started to tire," he said. "We just need to get back in there and get ready for Celtic.”