What Lawrence Shankland told Jorge Grant in Hearts penalty handover as midfielder offers glimpse inside 'little chat'

Jorge Grant was coolest man in Tynecastle according to Steven Naismith, as Lawrence Shankland caught fire again in their 2-0 win over hapless Aberdeen

Sharpshooter Shanks took himself OFF penalty duties after a hat-trick of misses in recent weeks, and Grant had ice in his veins as he coldly sent Kelle Roos the wrong way to turn up the heat on under pressure Barry Robson. But Shankland produced a sizzling finish to double the advantage and take the contract maverick out on his own in the race with Bojan Miovski to finish at the Premiership’s Top Gun, leaving the Dons’ chances of finishing third completely goosed.

It would take a meltdown of epic proportions for the Jambos to throw third away now. They are 19 clear of the Pittodrie club and any threat will now come from elsewhere. But with nearest challengers Kilmarnock ten adrift, the capital club are hot favourites to finish best of the rest and secure a return to Europe. And Grant revealed Shankland’s selfless side when he explained the thought process behind him being put on the spot.

“We spoke about it in the changing room before,” he said. “We then had a little chat on the pitch as well. Obviously, he has scored so many penalties for us but at the moment it is just not happening for him, so if I can take that pressure off of him and he gets his goal anyway.

“I think he said it would be selfish of him to take another penalty. It's about the team and that just shows the type of character he is.”

Grant’s confident pen was a result of the former Peterborough man doing his homework on Kelle Roos. He added: “I watched the keeper before the game to see where he was diving and he's been diving that way a lot. I watched the keeper and I was always going to go that way.

“I