Baningime and Gordon to continue Hearts contract domino effect but the one fans really want to fall remains standing

Alan Forrest and Craig Halkett have both penned new two-year deals at Hearts, but it's those who follow them that fans are keen to hear about.

After battling back from a double leg break, Craig Gordon returned between the sticks in the narrow win over Spartans and proved age is but a number and it's not slowing him down. The 41-year-old is the oldest player to play for the club, but that doesn't mean they don't want him to stick around for another season. He has the No 1 spot to wrestle back from Zander Clark first, then it's all about forcing his way back into Steve Clarke's Euro 2024 squad.

He is expected to pen put to paper sooner rather than later, while the Jambos are hopeful that Beni Baningime will do likewise. The midfielder instantly won fans over with a Man of the Match debut display against Celtic after signing from Everton two-and-a-half years ago and was tipped to be a big money departure in the not too distant future. However, a serious knee injury kept him out from March 2023 until the start of this season.

With his contract in the final few months and doubts lingering over his fitness, it seemed as if he was heading for pastures new. But discussions over a new deal have been ongoing and the expectation is that Baningime will in fact be in Gorgie beyond the summer.

There is hope that Baningime can get back to his pre injury levels and become a sellable asset again, but that's some way off just now. All of those are positives for Hearts, but the big one fans want is Lawrence Shankland, and no number of extensions in other areas of the pitch will soften the blow if the top scorer doesn't follow suit.

The 28-year-old is in the form of his career (recent penalty misses aside) but is in that tricky spot of not