Lawrence Shankland was heckled by raging Hearts fans at hospitality after their defeat to Hibs – before the host stepped in and called the fans out for ‘starting p***.’
The Gorgie skipper was visibly hurting after their season sunk to another low point at Tynecastle, losing at home to their city rivals for the first time in exactly five years. A late Dwight Gayle goal sealed a 2-1 win for David Gray‘s team, heaping the pressure on Neil Critchley who has struggled to get things going since taking the reins.
Footage of Shankland‘s interview at post-match hospitality has been shared across social media as he took to the stage to face Hearts fans in person after the defeat. The first question from the interviewer was whether Hibs ‘simply wanted it more.’ And before Shankland could get a word out, a chorus of comments flooded in from the gathered crowd, fans heard branding the performance ‘s***’ and criticising Critchley.
That’s when the hospitality host snapped and faced up to the hecklers. He said: “Boys, do you want to do the job or are you going to leave me to do it? If you want to start p***, that’s fine, we’re all hurting, but a wee bit of courtesy when the guys are up on stage.”
When Shankland was eventually asked to speak, he disagreed that the defeat was down to a lack of desire on the part of him or the his teammates. He said: “I don’t think so, I know the boys. Overall, the story of the season is a lack of quality. If you don’t cause teams problems, you’re going to need to defend. So it’s been a frustration and it’s carried on today, but I do think Hibs deserved (the win).”
Asked if it was down to their dwindling confidence, Shankland went on: “No, it’s a lack of quality in key areas. We need to try and do better. Picking the boys up will be tough but we need to get over it as quickly as possible.”