SHANKLAND’S IN A NICE SPOT
Skipper saves Hearts with last-gasp penalty
THIS was an outcome that helped neither side in their pursuit of European football next season — but it was Hearts who undoubtedly left the field at full-time the happier of the two.
Trailing by two goals at half-time and then a man down for the closing stages after Peter Haring had been shown a straight red card, Steven Naismith’s side looked to be heading for an eighth defeat in nine games.
That would have been near terminal for their hopes of catching third-placed Aberdeen — their opponents next weekend — but salvation arrived late and from a familiar source.
Josh Ginnelly looked to be running out of room as he took possession in the penalty box in the fourth minute of stoppage time only for St Mirren substitute Ryan Flynn to needlessly bundle him to the ground.
Referee David Dickinson awarded the penalty, VAR upheld the call and captain Lawrence Shankland was the calmest man in the ground as he rolled his penalty beyond Trevor Carson to earn his team a battling draw, to the bitter disappointment of Saints boss Stephen Robinson (right)
Naismith was happy to take it but acknowledging Hearts will need to perform much better over their remaining three matches if they are to overhaul Aberdeen and book group-stage European football for the second season in succession.
St Mirren can probably forget any thoughts of a first journey onto the Continent since 1987 after this abject capitulation. Goals from Joe Shaughnessy and then Ryan Strain — excellent throughout — ought to have been the platform for them to win comfortably, especially when playing with the man advantage for the closing 20 minutes.
Not for the first time this season, however, they weren’t able to see the game out and with it any chance of European football probably went.
Saints still trail Hibs in fifth place by three points and have Celtic and Rangers still to play. Only the most optimistic of Buddies will be keeping their passports handy at this stage.
Neither side could be accused of a lack of effort but the fact there were more bookings than shots on target in the first half told its own story. When Shankland and Barrie McKay messed up a short corner routine and the ball dribbled out for a throw-in, that summed up a contest that ignited only in flashes.
If anything, referee Dickinson was overly lenient with the cards, with Hearts pair Andy Halliday and Haring also fortunate not to go in the book for clumsy challenges.
The sense that the match officials didn’t have a grip on proceedings didn’t help the flow of a staccato contest as niggly tackles were allowed to go unpunished.
It was St Mirren, though, who coped better initially with that uncertainty and by half-time had harvested a well-deserved two-goal lead as Hearts struggled to handle Saints’ greater physicality. That both strikes arose from dead balls would only have angered Naismith more. Scott Tanser was the creator of the first in 36 minutes, his deep corner finding Alex Gogic who nodded the ball back across goal. From a matter of yards St Mirren captain Shaughnessy could hardly miss.
Naismith’s halftime team talk was likely set to be corrosive enough but a second goal conceded in injurytime no doubt increased his rage. James Hill thundered into Mark O’Hara just outside the Hearts box and Strain took advantage, sweeping a sumptuous free-kick over the wall and past Zander Clark.
It was a shot that would have beaten most goalkeepers but not what Hearts’ current No1 would have wanted with Scotland coach Chris Woods watching on, although he did later make up for it with a stunning tip over the bar from another Strain effort and a superb block from a close-range header by Shaughnessy. The game looked dead and buried by this point but Hearts, finally, showed a spark as they claimed a goal back after 73 minutes. Substitute Nathaniel Atkinson curled an enticing ball across the goal and Ginnelly tucked in his shot at the back post. The visitors’ prospects of a comeback suffered a setback when they were reduced to 10 men.
Haring looked to deny O’Hara the chance to break quickly on the counter attack with a foul but the referee thought it merited a red and VAR didn’t disagree.
St Mirren, however, couldn’t take advantage, wasting several chances to score the third goal and paid the price when Shankland slotted home his 26th of the season.
‘What I’ve taken from previous managers and recently working with Steve Clarke is you’re still in a game at 2-0 down,’ said Naismith. ‘You need to make bold decisions and I felt we did that today.’