Lawrence Shankland living his 'dream' as Hearts star goes from brink of Job Centre to Premiership Player of the Year

There was a time when Lawrence Shankland feared the writing was on the wall for his football career.

Now it’s his picture up there – and it’s being used as inspiration to the next generation to never give up on their dreams. Shankland’s sensational season at Hearts was crowned with the PFA Scotland player of the year award at Sunday’s glitzy dinner in Glasgow. The hotel is only a few miles away from where the 29-year-old grew up in the east end of the city but the frontman admitted he made a heck of a journey to get there.

A promising kid in a Queens Park side that featured Andy Robertson, Blair Spittal and Aidan Connolly, Shanks was snapped up by Aberdeen but found himself running out of options after a series of loan spells. His career sparked to life and he won the PFA League one player of the year gong at Somerset Park before it was lift off at Dundee United and then Hearts, with a detour to Belgium along the way.

Shankland had to do it the hard way but his story hasn’t gone unnoticed – and is now held up for others. There’s a huge picture now hanging on the wall at Bannerman High School in Baillieston, reminding kids that anything is possible if you put in the hard graft.

Shankland said: “I went in to see it not too long ago. They invited me in. Things like that make you proud of the journey that you have been on and the impression you can leave on people who go to your old school and your old teachers.

“They are always messaging me and it is always nice to see people are tracking your progress. I am always proud of those wee things. There have been ups and downs. But I think everybody’s journey is different. I wouldn’t change any of it. It has been my journey.

“I didn’t imagine I’d be here to be honest.