Lawrence Shankland became just the 12th player in Heart of Midlothian history to score 30 goals in a single season.

The striker stepped off the bench in the second half of the 2-2 draw with St Mirren on Wednesday night and reached the milestone with a sublime effort which saw him guide the ball up and over Buddies goalkeeper Zach Hemming, a strike reminiscent of a goal scored for Dundee United against the same opponents during the 2020/21 campaign.

With 28 goals last season, Shankland became the first Hearts player to score 20 in a season since John Robertson in 1991/92. And with two more this campaign he became the first to reach 30 since Robertson did it in 1987/88. 

The excellent Hearts Heritage put the feat into context. In 150 years of the club only 12 individuals have scored 30 goals in a season, Shankland the latest to join a club that features some of the greatest ever players to pull on the maroon.

Willie Bauld, John Robertson, Jimmy Wardhaugh and Barney Battles Jr. are names that run of the tongue when discussing the club's most fearful goal scorers. Bauld, Wardhaugh, Battles Jr. and Andy Black all did it more than once. And Bauld, Battles Jr. and Black all hit 40.

The first to achieve it was Andy Wilson in 1918/19 and the last before Robertson was Willie Wallace in 1963/64. It means that of the 18 occasions where a Hearts player has netted 30 in a season, 16 came during a 45-year period. In the last 60 years, it has been done just twice.

Hearts head coach Steven Naismith was effusive in his praise of Shankland after the match and noted that what the striker has achieved will only be understood years down the line.

"It’s incredible," he said. "He has had plaudits and people have talked throughout the season, but I don’t think people will really understand it for a few years until it has been and gone and someone else is scoring goals.

"Hearts did a lot to get him here and then put their faith in him that he was going to be good. He has been a brilliant pro, a good leader, and his goal record over the two seasons here is unbelievable. He deserves everything that comes his way.

"He has had to graft his whole career to get anything out of it. He has had knockbacks and setbacks when he was younger and he is now getting recognition with the awards and the international scene. But he deserves every bit of it."

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