Robbie Neilson says Lawrence Shankland's goal contribution is exactly why he was so desperate to bring him to Hearts over the summer.
The Scotland international netted a double as the capital club returned from the World Cup shutdown with a 3-1 win over Kilmarnock in front of the Tynecastle faithful. His two goals now takes him joint top of the Premiership goalscoring charts with the capital club also closing in on Aberdeen after their defeat against champions Celtic.
Neilson and Co are now just one point behind Jim Goodwin's men. The Reds face Rangers under the lights at Pittodrie tomorrow night while the Jambos are not in action until Christmas Eve when they travel to face Dundee United. But the result over Killie 'delighted' boss Neilson who was buzzing to sign off the year with a win at Tynecastle but also close in on the Dons - with third spot the ultimate aim here on in.
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Speaking to Hearts TV, he said: “I’m delighted with the three points.
“It was the final game of the year at Tynecastle, so it was important that we sign off with the three points, but also those points get us closer to Aberdeen. We want to be pushing for that third place and it gets us a point behind him.
“I thought in the first half we played extremely well. We created a number of chances. We scored two goals, but I would have liked to have scored a few more. At 2-0 as you see at the end it is always in the balance. We switch off at a free-kick and they get the goal and get their tails up.”
On Shankland, he added: “That is exactly what Lawrence does and that is why we brought him to the club. Our job is to create opportunities for him.
"I thought the ball from Snodgrass was outstanding, but Lawrence has that final moment and with the penalty you are always pretty convinced he is going to score. So, I am delighted for him.”
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