Uncertainty over Hearts' next penalty taker after Lawrence Shankland admission

Hearts skipper missed crucial spot-kick in Belgium

Lawrence Shankland is unsure whether he will take Hearts’ next penalty despite finally finding the net again against Dundee.

The striker ended a 12-game drought which had seen him castigated by his own fans with two first-half goals in the 2-0 victory over the Dens Park side at Tynecastle on Saturday.

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There were two appeals for a penalty from the home side, neither of which were given. One was dismissed following a VAR check. Shankland was hunting for a hat-trick and would surely have tried his luck from the spot having been jeered by Hearts fans after missing from 12 yards in the Conference League against Cercle Bruges last month.

Lawrence Shankland ended a 12-match scoring drought with both Hearts’ goals in the 2-0 win over Dundee.Lawrence Shankland ended a 12-match scoring drought with both Hearts’ goals in the 2-0 win over Dundee.
Lawrence Shankland ended a 12-match scoring drought with both Hearts’ goals in the 2-0 win over Dundee. | SNS Group

He missed three penalties-in-a-row last season and was then jokingly labelled a “bottler” by Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart when the striker passed on the penalty-taking duties to Jorge Grant in a match at Tynecastle. Shankland has missed once to date this season.

The striker is now suspended from Hearts’ next league game against Kilmarnock on Sunday but will hope to still have his shooting boots on when in Denmark on Thursday when they face FC Copenhagen. It will be interesting to see what happens if Hearts are awarded a penalty in the Parken stadium.

“If there was one after scoring two (against Dundee) then I might have fancied it,” he said. “Obviously my record of late has not been brilliant on penalties so I am not going to sit here and say I will definitely take it. From a (less) selfish point of view, there’s other boys in the team who feel they might have a chance as well, and it’s a chance for them to score goals. Listen, someone will take the next penalty, if it’s me or not….If there’s nobody on the pitch wants to hit it, I will hit it. We will see.”

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