SHANKLAND SICKENED BY BOYLE LATE SHOW
AS the clock ticked beyond 94 minutes at Easter Road on Sunday, Lawrence Shankland was within touching distance of a perfect Edinburgh derby debut. An expertly-taken first goal for Hearts provided a 1-0 lead before a terrific clearance at the opposite end helped preserve it. Shankland was seconds away from his name being inexorably linked to a triumph on enemy turf. It was so close. But seconds were all Martin Boyle needed to completely change the narrative. Introduced as a 62nd-minute substitute the day after completing his return from Saudi Arabian club Al-Faisaly, Boyle worked an exchange with Elie Youan before angling the ball beyond Craig Gordon with the last meaningful kick of the game. As bedlam engulfed the stadium, Shankland’s role in the match was instantly relegated and a potential day of glory for Hearts was replaced by a sense of deep disappointment. ‘It’s a sickener for us, conceding that late in the game,’ admitted Shankland, signed last month in a six-figure transfer from Belgian outfit Beerschot. ‘At the end of the day, we got a point away from home in a derby but, yeah, he (Boyle) probably did steal my thunder. ‘Scoring was great. Obviously, it was my first competitive goal for Hearts. ‘There’s no better game to get it in, so I’m delighted with that. But, obviously, it would’ve been much better if we’d taken the win.’ The Tynecastle men were in control for much of the second period. They only wobbled during five minutes of stoppage time, with Boyle seeing a shot deflected wide and Rocky Bushiri heading over prior to the last-gasp transformation in Leith. Robbie Neilson felt his side should have ‘managed’ that spell better and hopes they will learn from bitter experience. ‘We just had a throw-in to defend in their half,’ said Shankland, reflecting on the prelude to Boyle’s equaliser. ‘They’ve managed to get the knockdown and I think we were a wee bit open for the second ball, which I think caused us the biggest problem. ‘That allowed them to get the runners down the side of us. The boy (Youan) played a good ball in, to be fair, and they got their goal. ‘We didn’t manage it as well as we should have.’ Meanwhile, the SPFL are awaiting a report from their match delegate before deciding on any possible action over shameful scenes at Sunday’s Edinburgh derby. The 1-1 draw was marred by the use of pyrotechnics, a pitch invasion following Boyle’s dramatic leveller and missiles being thrown on to the pitch. Hibs have launched an investigation and have vowed to use CCTV to take action against any proven perpetrators. SPFL chief executive Neil Doncaster had issued a warning to supporters on the eve of the new league season, telling them they would be punished severely if they stepped out of line.