From Tool Setting to Record Setting: The Incredible Rise of Lawrence Shankland

From Tool Setting to Record Setting: The Incredible Rise of Lawrence Shankland

When Steve Clarke signalled for Lawrence Shankland to get warmed up during Scotland’s 1-5 demolition at the hands of Germany at EURO 2024, it set the tone for a remarkable new chapter in the 28-year-old’s career.

The Hearts striker entered the field of play in the second half of the defeat, barely a decade after he was working part-time as a tool setter in a plumbing supplies firm in Glasgow.

It’s a true Roy of the Rovers story!

International Ace

That substitute’s appearance against Germany wasn’t Shankland’s first international cap, but it was his maiden outing in a major tournament – another ticked box on the striker’s journey to the top.

In truth, Scotland were unlikely to trouble the Germans – the host nation was as short as 4/1 in the EURO 2024 odds to lift the trophy, compared to the Scots’ rather more pessimistic 300/1.

The England odds to win EURO 2024 of 7/2, the same as France, confirmed their status as pre-tournament favourites, but the performance of Germany against Scotland – and the added benefit of playing in front of their own fans – reveals why the hosts were so well fancied.

So defeat to them wasn’t wholly unexpected, but the manner of the performance was disappointing, leaving the likes of Shankland – no stranger to setbacks in his career – to lift morale in the Scotland camp after the game.

“We’re all looking forward to bouncing back”, the 28-year-old said afterwards. “You’ve obviously got that initial hurt after the game, but you need to quickly get over it in tournament football, when there are games coming thick and fast.”

Having someone like Shankland in the camp is vital – a player that has seen the peaks and troughs of football first-hand, despite his relatively tender years. In 2013, he was still working a ‘normal’ job in a plumbing firm while turning out for Queen’s Park, while in 2017 he was released by Aberdeen, leaving him with no choice but to find a new club.

Battling against adversity has been Shankland’s forte throughout his career.

Walking on Ayr

It was a move to League One side Ayr United that ultimately revitalised the Glaswegian’s career.

He notched 29 goals in that title-winning season of 2017/18, before the Honest Men narrowly missed out on promotion to the Premiership the very next season – Shankland, despite suffering from injuries, blasted another 34 goals.

His reputation as a prolific marksman was confirmed in those two campaigns, while a switch to Dundee United gave Shankland what he craved – promotion and a crack at the Scottish Premiership.

A move to Belgium with Beerschot was a misstep, but his subsequent return to Scotland with Hearts has been nothing short of a revelation – he became the first Jambos player in more than 30 years to score 20+ goals in a single season in 2022/23, before improving once more to net 31 times in Hearts’ run to third place in the Scottish Premiership in 2023/24.

Unsurprisingly, Clarke came calling with full Scotland honours for the 28-year-old – a fitting highlight of his extraordinary career. Nevertheless, Shankland will be hoping there are still plenty more triumphant moments to come.