Has 'diamond' Shankland delivered his biggest moment for Hearts?
It was a moment built for one man, and one man only. A win for Hearts would mean another step towards a historic title. A step towards the unthinkable.
A step towards immortality. Lawrence Shankland was the one all eyes fell upon at Tynecastle. Seventy-one nerve-jangling minutes in, he was the person Stephen Kingsley's cross skidded towards.
In the blink of an eye and a swing of a left boot, Shankland powered Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts towards a monumental 2-1 win over Rangers which leaves them on the precipice of glory. The captain has long been Hearts' go-to man, but it's almost unthinkable to ponder nine years ago he was ready to get a job as a delivery driver to supplement his stalling football career. Now, Scotland's best finisher is potentially three games - or fewer - from leading Hearts to their first top-flight title since 1960.
Leaders Hearts topple Rangers to take seismic leap towards title 'Pure theatre puts Hearts on cusp of title fairytale' "He was going to go and get a job [as a delivery driver], and he could now be the captain of Hearts, scoring unbelievable goals and going on to lift a title," former Hearts striker Ryan Stevenson said on BBC Radio Scotland. Shankland broke through in a Queen's Park team that included the current Scotland captain Andy Robertson and his current Tynecastle team-mate, Blair Spittal, but failed to make an impact when he moved to Aberdeen. When he was released by the Pittodrie outfit, he had a gap where he considered his change of profession, before a move to Ayr United.
Spells with Dundee United and Belgian side Beerschot followed, but at Tynecastle, he has found a home. "See for any young player listening, let this resonate with you," Stevenson said. "He was going to go and get a job [delivering parcels], and he could now be the captain of Hearts, scoring unbelievable goals and going on to lift a title.