Heart of Midlothian

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter in Copenhagen

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Neil Critchley has been speaking to the media before Hearts face FC Copenhagen in the Conference League on Thursday.

Here are the key points from the Tynecastle boss:

• Beni Baningime has stayed in Edinburgh to receive treatment on a knee injury but could make Sunday's game at Kilmarnock. Frankie Kent has travelled and is fit to play.

• Critchley says Copenhagen will be the "strongest team" Hearts have faced so far in the Conference League, adding: "Technically they are a good team, they have a clear identity how they play in and out of possession."

• Hearts "don't want to go to the last game" - next Thursday's visit of Petrocub - to secure the point they need to reach the play-offs.

• The Jambos boss feels Copenhagen, who are on five points - one fewer than Hearts - "need to win" this game if they are to progress.

• With Lawrence Shankland having missed from the spot in the defeat at Cercle Brugge, Critchley wouldn't say who will take a penalty should Hearts be awarded one on Thursday.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Some players can shrug off a defeat and move swiftly on to the next game. To them it is just a job.

But there are others who really struggle with losing and all it brings.

Over the past few months I have watched Lawrence Shankland endure some of the most painful moments a player can go through. Missing penalty kicks in crucial matches and hearing nasty comments being made about him by the same fans who just a few weeks earlier were singing his praises.

After scoring the two goals on Saturday that gave Hearts the win that lifted them off the bottom of the table, Shankland spoke about just how tough the last few months have been.

That in itself shows a mental strength. To speak about something that obviously hurt so much is an indication of how strong a character the striker has become.

He was open about the fact he has been using a mental skills coach, John Johnstone, to help him to cope with the good and bad parts of being a footballer.

Sports psychology is common among elite sportspeople. While it is largely unseen, there are few who have reached the top without the use of a mental skills coach.

Thanks to Shankland rediscovering his scoring touch, Hearts' victory over Dundee was the perfect tonic for the visit to Copenhagen on Thursday.

The Danes sit top of their domestic Superliga and their win over Dinamo Minsk last time out in the Conference League gives them an excellent chance of reaching the knockout stage.

Hearts, despite stuttering to defeats against Heidenheim and Cercle Brugge, are also on track to progress.

And maybe that Shankland double last weekend can be the springboard for himself and the team to create a little piece of history in ensuring European football beyond Christmas for the first time in over 30 years.

Greg Playfair
Fan writer

While the winner of the Celebrity Jungle was announced last Sunday, Lawrence Shankland looked to reclaim his crown as the Gorgie favourite following his return to the scoresheet in the victory over Dundee.

His double was greeted with overjoyed reactions from his team-mates and I felt like a proud dad when he netted his first, even though I'm only a few years older than him.

Both goals sum Shankland up perfectly. He wrestled off a defender to put an excellent header well beyond the goalkeeper. Then, for his second, he did what all good strikers do and anticipated the rebound and put himself into a position to score.

Head Coach Neil Critchley was roaring with pride too, perhaps in some relief that we were able to get the victory and move off the foot of the Premiership table.

We have three more games - Kilmarnock away and home matches versus St Johnstone and Hibs - before reaching the halfway stage in the Premiership season. We must target at least seven points from those games.

We will be without the suspended Shankland for Saturday's trip to Ayrshire, which will show how crucial he is to our side, but it's good we've got Musa Drammeh and James Wilson coming to the fore.

Before that is the trip to Copenhagen which should be enjoyable for supporters, more for off the pitch than on it. There's no doubting the quality of the side we're up against, who are regulars in the Champions League group stage most seasons.

I can see this being a similar game to our last trip to Cercle Brugge but I'm strangely more optimistic. I don't know if it's because midfielder Cammy Devlin is in the best form of his Hearts career and I fancy him faring well in the battle for possession, or if it's the return of Craig Halkett to the backline.

Frankie Kent has been off form this term and Kye Rowles and Halkett can complement each other well at the heart of defence.

I'm hopeful we can get to Sunday evening unbeaten.

Image source, BBC Sport

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley says his primary focus is getting the best out of captain and main striker Lawrence Shankland on the pitch despite much speculation about his future off it (Scotsman), external.

Meanwhile, Critchley has held talks with the club's new sporting director Graeme Jones about keeping both Craig Gordon and Zander Clark at Tynecastle beyond this season (Edinburgh Evening News), external.

James Penrice: The left-back has become a key component of the Tynecastle side, constantly providing width and crosses to devastating effect.

Lawrence Shankland: Finally, the real Lawrence Shankland is back. A pale shadow of himself for most of this season, but will those two goals versus Dundee ignite him once again? Hearts need their captain scoring goals if they are to be a top-six side this season.

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The reaction of the Hearts squad after Lawrence Shankland ended his goal drought shows the team always had full faith in their captain, says ex-Tynecastle defender Ryan McGowan.

The Scotland striker has faced criticism from some fans this season following a two-month spell without a goal.

But Shankland, who netted 31 times for Hearts last term, scored his first goals since late September in Saturday's league win over Dundee.

Speaking on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast, McGowan said: "What I really like is you could see everybody in the squad was absolutely delighted for him.

"It puts to bed that little bit of a narrative people were saying about his attitude and body language being disappointing.

"When strikers aren't scoring, fans and pundits start looking to see if there's anything they can pick up on.

"But I think it has purely been goals that has been missing from his game. I think his link-up play and some of his overall performances have still been very good."

Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland is back on the radar of potential suitors after the 29-year-old ended his barren scoring spell with both goals in Saturday's 2-0 win over Dundee. (Daily Mail), external

Read Monday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Watch highlights as Hearts win 2-0 against Dundee in the Scottish Premiership. (UK only)

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland says he has been using a mental skills coach to help him come through his recent run of poor form.

The Scotland forward scored twice in the Tynecastle side's victory against Dundee on Saturday, his first goals since September.

And Shankland says his work with his mindset coach has been key to helping him through his goal drought.

"I have worked mentally on my game to be ready for those sort of situations," the Hearts captain told BBC Scotland.

"Football is easy when everything is going well, but it can be tough in those spots and you have to be ready for that. Thankfully enough it's worked out.

"I've worked with a guy, John Johnstone, for four years now. He said this was the moment we have worked for over the years.

"I have had a lot of success over the last couple of years and that was enjoyable, but it's when you get to these tougher points you need to dig into that knowledge and use it.

"He has been good for me and beneficial to my career. That's why I decided to work with somebody to deal with those moments and I think I have dealt with it very well."

Shankland was singled out by Hearts fans after the recent defeat to Cercle Brugge in Belgium when the striker blasted a penalty over the crossbar late on in the game.

Hearts eventually lost the match 2-0 and the Scotland international says he now uses that night as motivation to be better.

"It was probably one of my lowest nights of my career in recent seasons," he added.

"It was a really tough night and I am not going to deny that, but that is why you train mentally to deal with those situations.

"It was a long night and there wasn't much sleep, but you come through it, deal with it, put yourself back out there and take chances again. As I said I was always confident it would turn."

We asked for your views on Hearts' 2-0 win against Dundee.

Here's what some of you said:

Ian: Dominant performance. Attacking formation and willing runners helped. Lawrence Shankland getting his deserved goals. Craig Halkett was solid and Cammy Devlin bossed the middle.

Rob: I thought we were pretty strong all over the pitch. Despite the absence of Beni Baningime, Frankie Kent and Stephen Kingsley. It was great to see Devlin and Halkett step up, they were great. I think 99% of fans have always been behind Shankland so it's great that he got the goals.

Chris: Hopefully I am wrong, but from watching the game I do not see this as a stepping stone to build upon and it will just be a false dawn if Hearts fans start raving that Shankland scored. I saw the usual possession with little impact. For the first goal, what was keeper doing? The second goal was a scuffed shin roller, but once again it shows we have zero other scorers in the club.

Dave: A good first-half performance where the game was won. Dundee were poor but that was down to strong contributions from Halkett, Shankland and co. My man of the match was Devlin, he was also excellent against Aberdeen. I've been critical of his inability to take the ball in tight situations but he did this very well. Could this be Neil Critchley's coaching paying off?

Colin: Another good performance, but this time we got the win that we deserved. Let's hope the boys can kick on from this over the Christmas period and get us closer to the top six. So happy for Shankland. He's kept plugging away game after game and got his rewards today.

Chris: We controlled the game with relative ease, second half was slightly grim viewing but job done. The formation and team caught me off guard. James Wilson and Musa Drammeh both had excellent chances to score which they fluffed, if they want to be serious contenders to start they need to take these chances. A weight off of Shankland's shoulders and a fantastic header!

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• Dundee failed to attempt a shot on target in this game, it's the first time they failed to attempt a shot on target in a game in the Premiership since facing St Mirren in February 2024.

• Hearts have scored in each of their last three games in the Premiership, scoring four goals in that run.

• Lawrence Shankland attempted nine shots in this game, the highest total for a player in the Premiership this season.

Rangers are still in pole position to sign 29-year-old Scotland striker Lawrence Shankland, who is out of contract with Hearts next summer, when the transfer window opens in January. (Football Insider), external

Read Sunday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Hearts moved off the bottom of the Scottish Premiership with their first win in six games as Lawrence Shankland ended his goalscoring drought.

The Tynecastle side leapfrog Edinburgh rivals Hibernian to rise up to 11th, while Dundee drop to sixth.

What did you make of that, Hearts fans? What went so right and what could have been better?

Did you ever doubt Lawrence Shankland? And what should the team look like on Thursday?

Let us know your thoughts here, external.

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Hearts boss Neil Critchley tells BBC Scotland: "It's been a great day. Made up for Shanks to get his two goals. I always felt it was coming, I always feel he's going to score. It was a great header and then a rebound. He nearly got his hat-trick. A clean sheet as well, Craig's 100th.

"I could [feel the relief] because of the situation, not scoring for so long. You could see what it meant to everyone in the stadium. I was made up for Shanks because I see what his contribution is every day. He lives for goals but he's been a brilliant leader, he's brought so much to the team. Goal scorers want to hit the back of the net. Delighted for him.

"There's no pressure on [James Wilson], just go and do what he's good at. Go and stretch the line, run in behind. He did that very well. There were a couple of moments where he was inches away from connecting. He picked up the ball for the first goal, recycling the ball.

"It gives us a lift but I've just said to the players, what they'll learn about me is I'm about performance. If we play well, and I can see we're playing with intensity and aggression and we lose - I won't go for the players. If we win, but I see we can do better and there's more improvement, they might see a different side of me.

"Even though we won, second half we could and should have played better. We were comfortable but it only takes one moment - a corner or free-kick - and it becomes game on. If we'd scored a few more goals second half, we could have made it easier for ourselves."

Andrew Petrie
BBC Sport Scotland

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The drought is over, the floodgates opened, and Shankland finally scored a goal - and then another - in maroon again.

Given his strike-rate in the last two seasons, the last 70 days must have felt like an eternity.

The pressure has told at times, particularly against Cercle Brugge in the Conference League when he missed a late penalty, but now the weight has lifted.

That should, in theory, allow Hearts to rise up the table.

They were up to 10th before Kilmarnock's late leveller at Dundee United. They are just three points off eighth-placed Ross County, with a better goal difference than the teams immediately above them.

Domestically, an away trip to Kilmarnock follows before they host St Johnstone and Hibs, finishing 2024 with a visit to Dingwall.

All are winnable games and Critchley will be targeting at least nine points.

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Lawrence Shankland. It had to happen eventually. The Hearts striker finally found the back of the net, and waited only 10 minutes to do it again.

He almost had a few more, had it not been for some good saves from Jon McCracken. It'll take a while to get him back to his best, but he's turned the corner.

A word for James Penrice. Always eager to get forward from left-back, he sent in countless crosses and both goals came from his deliveries.

A striker and a left-sided centre-back remain on Heart of Midlothian's wishlist for the January transfer window, with Stephen Kingsley's long-term injury and interest in Australia international Kye Rowles adding greater importance to adding a defender. (Edinburgh Evening News), external

Read Saturday's Scottish Gossip in full.

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Hearts defender Stephen Kingsley is facing a lengthy lay-off with a hamstring injury sustained against Aberdeen last weekend but Frankie Kent could be fit after being forced off in that match with a quad problem.

James Penrice returns from suspension and Yutaro Oda is available after injury and illness but Beni Baningime (knee) is a doubt and Calem Nieuwenhof (hamstring) is still out.

Dundee boss Tony Docherty has no fresh injuries. Ziyad Larkeche (hamstring), Scott Fraser (groin), Joe Shaughnessy (knee) and Clark Robertson (thigh) remain out.

Brian McLauchlin
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Hearts head coach Neil Critchley has been talking to the media before his side's Scottish Premiership match against Dundee on Saturday.

Here are the best bits from his press conference:

• Defender Stephen Kingsley will have surgery and be out for "months" after injuring his hamstring in the draw against Aberdeen on Sunday.

• Critchley says the injury means Hearts "now have to consider" defensive reinforcements in the January transfer window.

• The Englishman dismissed any notion of a crisis at the club, despite being bottom of the league. "I know you like to use words like 'crisis' but I am just focusing on the next game," he said.

• Critchley insists there have been improvements to performance levels, but now it is time to translate that into wins. He thinks the crowded festive fixture schedule could be a perfect opportunity to do just that.

• Dundee are "a good team with a good manager", but Critchley says the onus is on Hearts to play on the front foot with the game being at Tynecastle.

• Frankie Kent, who limped off last weekend, has trained and will be assessed before the game, while Beni Baningime has not trained but could yet feature.