SCOTLAND duties will have to come secondary this week to parental considerations for Dundee United striker Lawrence Shankland as he waits for the call to get himself out of Steve Clarke’s international camp and to the maternity unit.
The 24-year-old’s partner, Nicole, was due to give birth
on Friday but the day came and went with no hint of the baby making an appearance.
With Scotland setting up base at Hampden for Thursday night’s Nations League play-off, their lifeline for a route in to next summer’s European Championship, against Israel and the Nations League double header against Slovakia and the Czech Republic, Shankland will have no issues if he needs to make a quick dash to get to the hospital.
“The due date was Friday,” said Shankland. “We are both so excited and can’t wait. To become a dad and to help Scotland win would be special. It would be the perfect pick-me-up after that result on Friday night.
“It is a huge week coming up.”
The striker won his first Scotland caps against Russia and San Marino and netted his inaugural goal for the national side against the latter. Clarke has a significant shortage of options when it comes to leading the line although Shankland conceded that he would need to process Friday night’s dismal showing against Livingston before he could get his head in place for the Scotland games on the horizon.
A last-minute Alan Forrest goal gave Livingston their first win of the season on the road with Gary Holt’s side well worth their victory after dominating the game.
The hosts had only one shot on target throughout the game – a free-kick that Nicky Clark dispatched – and Shankland was irked not to have made much of an impression on the game.
“I’m looking forward to Scotland enormously but I won’t start thinking about it until later on today,” he said. “I needed some time to get over the disappointment of losing the match against Livingston.
“It is sore for a couple of days, which is normal, but
I will be ready to go again. It was a frustrating night and it was a sore one to lose the goal so late.”
Micky Mellon’s side have won just one of their five home games this term although Shankland was scathing of the style Friday night’s game was played in.
“Livingston are frustrating to play against,” he said. “I don’t think the ball was on the grass for more than five seconds at any one time.
“It was horrible but that was the challenge and we need to stand up to it. I thought we did that even though it was not suited to how we want to play.
“We did cope reasonably well up until the last minute of the game when they got the goal.
“It was a real sickener to concede so late. We were under pressure in the second half but I thought we were holding in there.”
Meanwhile, Livingston’s Jon Gurthrie, who got the visitors back on level terms, inevitably, had a different view.
“I think this was our best performance since I’ve been here,” he said. “We dominated from the minute they scored and played a lot of good stuff.
“It would have been a travesty if we hadn’t taken all three points. It felt like we were in complete control. We had a lot of the ball and created a lot of chances. If we had taken them it would have been a lot easier.”
The goal was the defender’s second of the season with Guthrie keen to continue being a threat in opposition penalty boxes.
“I said I would be happy if I could match or better my total from last season,” he said. “I got five then which was delighted about.
“It is not something I have done in my career up until now. I haven’t scored that many goals before now so it is a pleasant surprise. But, by the same token it is not a fluke as we work a lot on finishing in training everyday.
“We did have a slow start in the league but we are now starting to find our feet. The performances have been improving and now the results are coming. “
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