Lawrence Shankland salutes statement Hearts win as striker takes alternative stance on VAR controversy

Lawrence Shankland insists Hearts are ready to go on the straight and narrow after a win at Motherwell which must become something more than just another statement of intent.

After all of the Topsy-Turvy trials and tribulations at Tynecastle in recent weeks, the Jambos skipper also believes it was a display that is the template for the rest of the season by being the sum of all parts.
Growing discontent amongst the support over the direction the team had been travelling under boss Steven Naismith was temporarily forgotten at Fir Park during an impressive afternoon's work which would have left the neutral wondering what the fuss was all about.

As Shankland's brilliant double helped the Jekyll and Hyde Jambos claim just a second win from their last six outings, the hitman delivered an honest and forthright about the impact of a victory which relieved the pressure valve from inside the Gorgie bubble and the need for it to be a momentum builder for the months ahead.

He said: “I think coming into the game we knew how big it was and to come here and get a result would be the best statement for the ups and downs we’ve had this season so far. I think that’s probably been the biggest thing it has been so up and down, there hasn't been any real consistency winning or losing.

"It’s been indifferent so it can sometimes cause frustrations among people and I understand that. But the main thing was coming here and getting the win ahead of the international break. It's' a big result, we knew it was going to be tough but I thought we performed really well. A solid away performance and overall I think we deserved to win."

This was a Hearts performance which combined graft with craft as well as being built on a solid defensive