“Last few days he’s been ill,” Naismith said without managing to refer to Shankland by his name. It was almost as if Naismith didn’t realise he was making the hole even bigger than it already was. Naismith was then given the opportunity to settle some fraying nerves by addressing the elephant in the room. Of all the things Naismith could or should have said about Shankland’s immediate future, putting Spartans under pressure wouldn’t have made the top 100. But even though a 2-1 win was ultimately enough to prevent a Scottish Cup catastrophe, this was a day when Hearts fooled no-one.

Source: Express January 22, 2024 06:50 UTC