Lawrence Shankland holds Hearts talks with Neil Critchley as boss reveals sit down at 'biggest club I've ever managed'

Neil Critchley has vowed to get Lawrence Shankland back firing as he prepares for his dug out debut at what he says is the “biggest club” he’s ever managed.

The new Hearts boss insists the expectation levels at Tynecastle outweigh anything he’s encountered in his previous jobs with Blackpool and QPR. But it’s driving him to succeed and prove the doubters wrong with large sections of the Hearts support unconvinced by his appointment. Critchley spent his 46th birthday yesterday preparing for his first game in charge against St Mirren in Gorgie this afternoon.

And he knows getting last year’s SPFL player of the year Shankland back among the goals is crucial. The skipper - who has struck just one goal this season - is back fit after pulling out of the Scotland squad with a hamstring niggle. And Critchley said: “Lawrence is going to be very important. I’m obviously aware of his background and his career and we had a good conversation with him yesterday. His goal-scoring record in the last couple of seasons has been unbelievable.

“It's not gone the way that him or the team would have wanted so far this season. It's a two-way thing, it's not just down to me but if I can help the team to help him and if I can help him in any way that I can then that's what I'm here to do. I'm here to try and help all of the players to improve and get better.”

Critchley can’t wait to experience the Tynecastle atmosphere for real when the Buddies visit this afternoon. He’s been in the ground twice before - for a closed doors friendly with Liverpool U21s in 2017 and a pre-season match with Crewe over two decades ago.

But he knows he has to hit the ground running to drag the winless Jambos off the bottom of the table as soon as possible. He said: