GOALS Shankland felt cast adrift and

Walking through the swing doors of the DW Sports shop in Glasgow was when it hit Lawrence Shankland.

After all, here was a guy who – until that point – had scored goals pretty much everywhere he had been. On his debut for Scotland’s Under-21 side he had notched twice to seal victory. Yet he was without a club. And at the shops to buy two footballs to play HIMSELF on a school pitch in Baillieston. The penny had dropped for the 22-year-old striker. All of a sudden, after his release from Aberdeen, he was contemplating other lines of work. He cast his mind back to teenage days at Queen’s Park when he was a rookie tool setter at the McAlpine & Co factory. Shankland didn’t want to do that then – and he certainly didn’t want to do it again. Previously, he’d worried about silly things. A misplaced pass, a gilt-edged sitter or having a poor game. Now, he was on his own with a career hanging in the balance. The fact that just eight months later Shankland is the top league scorer in Scotland is testament to the kid’s character. He’s on fire, brimming with confidence at Ayr United on their charge towards the Championship. When he walked out that sports shop with a ball under each arm, Shankland’s self-belief was ebbing away. Now it’s back, thanks to Ayr and gaffer Ian McCall. Shankland has rattled 28 goals in 30 games for the League One leaders, who rescued him from Scotland’s football scrap-heap in the summer. And he told MailSport: “Looking back, when I was at Aberdeen I wasn’t mature enough. I should have believed in myself more. “Some young boys have natural swagger, they can be cocky. But I never had that, it’s just not me. “I’ve learned over time that I need to be a bit more like that. And the penny dropped when Aberdeen let me go. I ended up without a team for three months. “I t h o ught , ‘ W hy d o I wor r y about stupid things?’ I’d go home and beat myself up about mistakes I’d made in a game. “If I’d played badly, I’d be in a stinking mood. “But then I realised, ‘What’s the point? I’m unemployed.’ Those three months were horrendous. “I went to Swansea City for a two-week