A chorus of ‘Oh, he’s Lawrence Shankland’ started up among the Gorgie Ultras when the Heart of Midlothian striker was sent out to warm up in front of them in the 50th minute.
The fan group had been part of a crowd of supporters who turned up to welcome their heroes to the ground ahead of their latest win at Tynecastle Park: a 1-0 win over Dundee.
Shankland was one of those who could be seen beaming through the windscreen, despite having to make a U-turn that briefly delayed his arrival.
The 30-year-old’s importance to this Hearts team cannot be underplayed. It is why there was such a buzz about his return from injury going into Saturday’s game, why there was such a roar when he took to the field four minutes after that warm-up and why his team haven’t been quite as effective in the final third without him.
Even when unavailable, Shankland has played a crucial role around the dressing room, but there has been no substitute for his attacking nous on the field.
Hearts had six shots on target in the game and the first came a few minutes before Shankland was brought on in the 54th minute: a long-range effort from Claudio Braga when there was a better passing option available.
When the striker took to the field, pulling on the captain’s armband, most of the stadium was singing his name, aware of the significance of his presence on the field. Still 0-0 at that point, Hearts were struggling to create anything of note after reappearing for the second half.
Derek McInnes, despite the many selection issues, picked a team that was able to dominate the game and restrict the away side to very few sights at goal. Where they came up short was in the final third.
Hearts have suffered in that regard for the two months since Shankland picked up a hamstring injury against Falkirk in the Scottish Cup, scoring two or more goals in three of their last nine matches – and two of those were in games when Hearts didn’t win: 2-2 against Celtic and the 4-2 defeat at Ibrox.
McInnes’ men have made a habit of winning 1-0 without Shankland and, even though he wasn’t directly responsible for the goal, Hearts were more of a threat when he was on the field.
There were chances before the break, but goalkeeper Jon McCracken was untroubled in the Dundee goals. Braga probably should have tested him when he collected Jordi Altena’s back heel.
The big chance of the half fell to Landry Kabore, the man tasked with replacing Shankland in his absence, when he raced through on the keeper. However, in a similar manner to the missed chance against Aberdeen, he tried to lift it and missed the target.
And rather than through build-up play, the opportunity arrived via route one: an Alexander Schwolow kick-out that was flicked on by Braga.
Despite those chances, McInnes bemoaned the lack of crosses in the first half: “What we were searching for was just that wee bit more quality in the final bit, more determination to put the ball in the box.
“We put the ball in the box six times, I think, first half and it caused so much stress in there. But we took too long to put the ball in. I thought we were guilty of that. I think we need to play with a bit more risk at times.”
There was a period of play in the first half that summed things up. Kabore dropped to collect a pass while Hearts were looking to counter but the ball got stuck under his feet, he was forced to take an extra touch and the momentum was lost.
In such situations, you would back Shankland to take the ball in and have the composure to take the ball in before picking out a team-mate.
Kabore was by no means the only culprit but moments like that, along with his missed chance, mean some fans are losing patience.
There is clearly a player in there and, while there are no guarantees that every Jamestown signing will be a success, there is little point throwing the baby out with the bathwater. He has shown enough to suggest he can be a goalscorer and has finally been given a run in the team when it has been at its weakest all season due to injuries.
It would have been much better for his development had he been brought into the side alongside Shankland rather than as his replacement.
And it says something that McInnes stuck Kabore after replacing him at half-time in the previous game. While he may have struggled on the ball in recent weeks, one thing you cannot fault is his effectiveness out of possession.
Enter Shankland
Hearts didn’t all of a sudden become a more free-flowing attacking outfit when Shankland came on, and the eventual winner was from a set piece, but there was a marked difference in how they attacked.
Alexandros Kyziridis, crowded out in the first half and forced to drop deep just to see the ball, was suddenly more involved. Braga now had less of a burden and started to get more joy from his tireless runs.
Within a few minutes, Shankland won a flick-on to send the Portuguese forward on his way and though it didn’t lead to anything, it was a sign of things to come.
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Later, he won a foul in a dangerous position after linking with Braga and wasn’t far off from executing a one-two with Spittal on the edge of the box that would have put him through on goal.
Shankland got Hearts’ second shot on target in the 70th minute, when the ball broke to him after a corner and didn’t get enough purchase on his strike on the turn after Kyziridis’ cutback. Added to his speculative effort in injury-time, the Scotland international had three shots, the joint most in the game with Braga. His two shots on target were more than anyone else over the 90 minutes.
And, according to FotMob, Shankland ended the game with the highest xG and the highest xG for shots on target.
There was a moment in the 64th minute that contrasted with the earlier passage of play highlighted.
Shankland goes to contest a high ball in his own half, but rather than jump, he uses his body to allow the ball to bounce, eventually taking control and finding a pass. It was indicative of how he allowed Hearts to play higher up the pitch.
There was a similar incident during injury time when he used the same technique to take a Jamie McCart throw down the line before gaining a bit of territory and picking a pass.
As put by the Hearts boss after the game, "the ball sticks" when Shankland is in the final third.
Conclusion
When Shankland was brought on, Hearts were entering the stages of the game when it would be easy for the crowd to lose patience, given what was at stake and given the result the previous weekend.
Rangers’ result a few hours later shows how precarious the lead still is and how hard Hearts will have to work to maintain it.
Shankland’s introduction lifted the atmosphere and likely increased the patience levels of those in the stands. They knew there was a greater chance of something happening in the final third with him in the team.
That will also apply to the final seven matches of the season as this Hearts side looks to make history.
