My best Kev secret
Ton star will call on van Veen for advice on how to stop Shankland
DARRAGH O’CONNOR is relishing his turn at trying to crack the code catching out so many defenders – how to stop Scotland’s most lethal marksman.
And the Morton man won’t hesitate in turning to another top-flight frontman known for his penalty-box prowess for a few clues.
The 24-year-old will be tasked with keeping Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland quiet come Monday night as the Championship outfit eye a trip to Hampden.
Shankland already boasts 28 goals for club and country this season, scoring in all bar two of 15 games leading up to running out at Cappielow.
O’Connor knows what it’s like being in close quarters with such a sharp-shooter – at Motherwell he wasn’t just teammates with Kevin van Veen, the pair were neighbours too. The Dutchman is back in Scottish football, seeking to help Kilmarnock see off Aberdeen in the first of the quarter-finals this lunchtime before it’s O’Connor’s turn.
On having his hands full with arguably the best striker in Scotland in the shape of Shankland, he said: “Some people say he is, some people say other people are.
“But listen, you can only play who is in front of you. Obviously he’s had a great season, he had a great season last year as well.
“So hopefully he has an off night and we can get a positive result. I know the way Kev plays but looking at Shankland’s game, he has a few similarities with Kev and a few differences.
“So I’ll be talking to Kev over the weekend and hopefully he can tell me a few things about Shankland.
“There is a great buzz around the place, isn’t there?
“If you have aspirations like any of the boys in the dressing room to play at the top level, what better way to test yourself than with the third-best team in Scotland?”
The Irishman has family, including his parents, inbound this weekend from back home and down south as a 7000-plus crowd get ready for the cup tie.
But while they’re taking off, O’Connor appears incredibly grounded as Ton eye another top-flight scalp fresh from back-to-back defeats ending a 16-game unbeaten run.
On it being special having them there, he said: “Yes but it’s a game, it’s not like it’s a Champions League Final!
“It is 11 v 11 on the pitch so no matter what happens, it’s still a game. The gaffer has said this week that some boys go through their whole career without getting to Hampden.
“It is spoiled a wee bit that obviously Queen’s Park are playing at Hampden and not Lesser Hampden, we have played there twice this season but with nobody there.
“So if it’s a full crowd, well it is just another game.”