STARTER FOR TEN A TESTER
Put aside miss, Shanks has hit target in last decade
FROM East End Park to the Johan Cruyff Arena.
From Kevin Rutkiewicz to Virgil van Dijk.
They say a week is a long time in football. For Lawrence Shankland, a decade ago must now seem like a different lifetime.
On March 22, 2014, he was on loan at Dunfermline and playing against East Fife in League One.
He ended up on the losing side that day but scored. Of course, he scored... that goes without saying.
That’s what he’s done pretty much ever since.
And that has led the Hearts striker to last night in Amsterdam.
Exactly 10 years on, Shankland was picked by Steve Clarke to start for his country against the Dutch in their own backyard in what turned out to be the heaviest of heavy defeats.
And irrespective of the chance he passed up or what the striker goes on to do in the remainder of his career, that’s some journey.
This was a boy who started at the amateurs of Queen’s Park and had a job as a tool maker at the McAlpine factory in Hillington industrial estate.
As recently as 2017, he thought he might need to go back to it.
Shankland walked into a DW Sports shop at Glasgow Fort to buy himself two balls. He’d just been released by Aberdeen and was without a club.
So he jumped on to the pitch at Bannerman High School and kicked them about himself to keep fit.
At times last night – up against Dutch skipper van Dijk – he must have wished he’d had one of them to get a touch.
It’s some audition, eh? With just four friendly games to play before the Euro 2024 finals kick off in earnest, Clarke had to have a proper look at Shankland from the start against a top nation.
But going head to head with the laconic big Liverpool centre-back who is arguably the best defender in world football? What a test indeed for the Jambos goal machine.
As it was for the rest of Clarke’s team in Amsterdam.
But in many ways, this was the perfect game for the manager to take on right now.
As much as the Euro 2024 opener at the Allianz Arena in Munich on June 14 will be unique in terms of its sheer magnitude, this was a decent dress rehearsal.
The atmosphere will be similar in Bavaria. Standard-wise, the Dutch are on a par with the Germans.
And you have to say, early on here the signs were good that this group of players won’t be fazed by it – even if it didn’t quite look that way at the end of 90 minutes.
In fact, if Ryan Christie’s header had found the back of the net instead of clipping the bar, Scotland would have deserved their lead.
Playing with a much higher defensive line against a top side – that was the wee “surprise” Clarke hinted at on Thursday – it’s rare to see our team play with such composure away from home at one of Europe’s big guns.
There were moments before Tijjani Reijnders’ goal against the run of play when we out-passed the pass masters.
How often have we ever been able to say that? Goodness, the late, great Cruyff himself would have been impressed by our display.
And how we didn’t score at least once on the night will be a huge frustration for manager Clarke.
Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay bossed it for long spells in midfield and Ronald Koeman’s side didn’t like it. At one point, the home crowd were more interested in Mexican waves and a flying paper aeroplane than their team’s performance.
And Shankland was playing his part in that too up front for Scotland.
He’s never had or never will have searing pace to get away from van Dijk and his young colleagues.
But you don’t score 56 goals in eight months without being box clever.
He deliberately peeled on to Lutsharel Geertruida whenever he could, used his body well and his touch was good when it had to be.
For an hour, he’d have been pleased with his – and the team’s – work.
But the chance he craved came in 61 minutes. After a mix-up in the Dutch defence, Shankland’s eyes must have lit up.
One on one with Mark Flekken, this was his golden moment.
The kind he could only have dreamt about on that Baillieston school pitch seven years ago.
The type of gilt-edged one that he’s been tucking away for the Jambos on a regular basis.
Initially, it looked like he’d done everything right by lifting it off the ground – and 99 times out of 100 he buries it into the pokey.
Ultimately, he didn’t take it. He beat the Dutch keeper but not the top of the woodwork.
And, of course, the home side went up the other end and killed us off with no fewer than three clinical finishes from Gini Wijnaldum, Wout Weghorst and Donyell Malen.
That was extremely harsh on Scotland, Clarke and Shankland.
But that’s the difference at this level and he will have realised that sitting on the team bus going back to their hotel last night.
Even so, the best strikers don’t let missed chances affect them.
They put themselves in there for the next one... and the next.
That’s the challenge for Shankland now. He’s proved he can do it at club level with Steven Naismith’s side and there will undoubtedly be more opportunities for him with Scotland.
Let’s be honest, you would rather he squandered last night’s than the one he might get in Munich in June.
From Fife to scoring in a Euro finals in the space of 10 years, now that would be one heck of a story.