Lawrence Shankland Hearts contract bombshell hasn’t shaken Tynecastle squad as Jambos ally speaks out
Blair Spittal checked into professional football as a late substitute for Lawrence Shankland with Queen’s Park. Almost exactly 12 years after that low key debut at Montrose – and having been reunited with his old mucker at Hearts – the midfielder is readying himself for Shankland checking OUT of Tynecastle.
Scotland’s player of the year openly revealed at the weekend that, as things stand, he will be leaving Gorgie in the next seven months with his contract running down. But Spittal insists nobody inside the Tynecastle dressing room has been shaken by his bombshell – least of all Shankland himself.
The goals have dried up this season after a remarkable tally of 31 in the last campaign. The offer of a bumper new deal that was on the table but remained unsigned at the start of the year has disappeared too. But while Shankland’s honesty over his contract situation in Gorgie may have made created noise on the outside with the transfer window just a month away, Spittal insists there were no shockwaves inside the squad.
He said: “You don’t want to be coming away from games saying we played well in parts but not getting anything from it. In the first half against Celtic we created numerous opportunities and a couple of really good ones. The one for myself in the first minutes just bounced up awkwardly. But when you are playing quality sides like Celtic you have to be taking your chances or else you leave yourself susceptible.
“It is frustrating. We need to keep getting into those positions and it’ll turn. We are coming away from games knowing we are creating chances, it’s just that we’re not taking enough at the minute. But if we keep getting into those positions it’ll turn for us.”
Spittal’s only previous European experience came to an abrupt and embarrassing halt with Motherwell as they were dumped out by Sligo Rovers two years ago. So it’s no surprise the 28-year-old is savouring every moment of Hearts’ Conference League journey.
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