Lawrence Shankland addresses Hearts form, Rangers trip and ‘subconscious’ impact of transfer rumours
Lawrence Shankland addresses Hearts form, Rangers trip and ‘subconscious’ impact of transfer rumours.
Captain hopeful Hearts can snap their dismal streak at Ibrox.
Lawrence Shankland insisted on-form Hearts are full of confidence as they seek a statement victory away to faltering Rangers on Saturday.
The Jambos have not won at Ibrox in 11 years, and in the top league since March 2012.
However, Derek McInnes’ side, which is joint top of the William Hill Premiership, is expected to break that record this weekend against a Gers side that has drawn all four league matches so far.
“We want to go there and win, and that’s what we’ll try to do on game day,” Hearts skipper Shankland said. “People expect us to go there and produce results, and you should embrace and thrive on that.
I believe we can go there and enjoy ourselves given where we are in terms of attitude and how the season has begun. “The most essential thing for us is to be in a good position, and everything about us is positive.
I believe we’d look forward to any game we played over the weekend, and coming to Ibrox is an excellent chance. If you’re in good shape, it’s a terrific location to go. It’s a fun spot to play football.”
If Hearts win on Saturday, they might go nine points ahead of Russell Martin’s side, but Shankland is determined to keep such chatter to a minimum.
“I think at this stage of the season, it would be silly to start looking at league tables,” stated the football player.
“Of course, it’s good to see yourself at the top of the game, but we all know it’s early days and there’s a lot of football to play. It’s another game we have to strive to win, and then we’ll see where it takes us.”
Hearts have trailed at halftime in their last three league meetings, but have come back to gain seven points, including stoppage-time victories in their last two away games.
“We’d obviously be looking to be starting games a bit better than we have been, but most importantly is we’ve been finishing them well and we’ve been winning them, so whether you’re good at the start or you’re good at the end, if you’re winning the game that’s all that matters really,” says Shankland.
“We just need to have good moments, be solid defensively and that gives you a chance to win the game, so that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Shankland appeared to be on his way out of Hearts in the summer after a long period of heavy speculation before signing a new contract in June.
The striker admitted that uncertainty about his future affected him “subconsciously” last season.
“It was probably heightened by the way the team was playing and results weren’t quite going our way, so there was a lot of pressures there to deal with, but personally I’m just delighted to be sorted and really enjoying it at the moment,” he said.
“I’ve come back to a club that I know, that I enjoy, and it’s been good so far, it’s been a good start to the season.”
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