Lawrence Shankland last night scored goal number 20 for the season in the Development League. An impressive tally at any level. The striker, who signed a new deal recently, spoke to RedMatchday…

The next generation

If we draw a veil over last Saturday’s result at Hampden and treat it as the unfortunate blip that it was, this has already been a season to remember for the Dons, one to rank with some of the better days from the past when Scottish football operated on a far more even playing field than it does today.

Frustrating as it was to lose at Hampden, the Dons’ present position in the league table should be enough to put smiles back on faces while, if we consider the future, things are looking to get better still. For the club’s hierarchy have been busy securing the futures of plenty of our key talent with the likes of Adam Rooney, Jonny Hayes, Andrew Considine, David Goodwillie, Niall McGinn and Ashton Taylor all signing new deals of late.

We welcomed Kenny McLean to Pittodrie on Saturday while Graeme Shinnie will be joining up in the summer.

Bubbling under those guys though is a wave of fresh new talent, itching to get to grips with the first team, boys like Lawrence Shankland who also signed a new deal recently. It’s all a far cry from the day he first walked into Pittodrie a couple of years ago when he was still a teenager working in a plumbing equipment factory.

“Two years ago while I was playing for Queens Park, I worked during the day in a factory. I was working in the McAlpine factory in Hillington, making items for the plumbing trade – the plastic bits under the sink, I made them.

“Depending on whether or not I played on the Saturday, I could sometimes train three times a week. If I did not play on the Saturday, I would play a reserve game on a Monday and then train on a Wednesday and Thursday. Otherwise, I would train on a Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. The nights I was not training, I would go swimming.

“It was difficult balancing work and football but it taught me a lot. I had to be at work for 7.45am but I had a bit of travelling to do in the morning. I was up about six and then after work, I would have to get the train to training.
They were very long days. It was hard but it was good as well because it made me want to be a professional player even more. I really do appreciate how lucky I am to be a full time player. It really is the best job in the world, even on the hardest days. I still remember my first morning at Pittodrie. I was straight into it with some long runs and then back out in the afternoon. It was a bit of a shock to the system to be honest!

“I was born in Baillieston and went to Bannerman High School. When I was young I was a bit of a utility player. I played in midfield and also in defence and I even played at left-back! It was not till I was 17 that I really became a striker.

“I was with Queens Park for five years. I joined them when I was 13 and then made my first team debut when I was 16. I made my debut against Elgin at Hampden – what a great place to make your debut! With Rangers playing in the league last season, I got to experience playing in front of a big crowd at Hampden and also playing games on TV. That was all good for my development. Playing our home games at Hampden was a bit strange, especially as it was fairly empty most weeks. It was really frustrating not to be a part of things last weekend, but unfortunately, I was too ill to be considered for the squad.

“Queens Park has an excellent youth system with a lot of good coaches and I am I very grateful to every one of them who worked with me over the years. One of my coaches was Gardner Speirs who used to be assistant manager here.

“In recent seasons, they have brought through quite a number of boys who are now playing at a higher level. Andy Robertson was there and he is doing really well down at Hull City. It has been an incredible rise for him, from Queens Park to Dundee United to the English Premier League and from the Scotland U21s to the full team in the space of a year. I still speak regularly to Andy and to Aidan Connolly and Blair Spittal who also went to Dundee United and are doing well. All four of us played for the Queens Park first team a couple of seasons ago.

“Although they are an amateur club, they are very professional in the way they are set up. They are a very good club and I really enjoyed my time there. Although there is a lot of competition for signing young players in the Glasgow area, they would give boys an opportunity who were maybe not going to get a chance with the Old Firm clubs. They would then work with them and make them better players.

“The quality of the training was very high. It made it a very easy place to play when you were young. They made the experience very enjoyable without some of the pressures many kids have to face when trying to win a contract. They were not too hard on you if results did not go our way. It was about developing us as players and as individuals.

“The Third Division was certainly not a little boys’ league! You get a lot of kicks and bruises, but I learned a lot from the experience. It made me a lot wiser and a better player, you learn how to protect yourself, how to look after yourself. It was good for me and I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. There are a lot of good young players in the division that I played against. I think there will be more players who will move up through the leagues in the future.”

Such was the name that Lawrence was making for himself down at Hampden, Aberdeen were not the only club in the hunt for his services with plenty knocking on his door. Where he would eventually head was a choice he wanted plenty of time to consider.

“I had interest from our clubs during my final year at Queens Park but I did not want to move halfway through the season. I wanted to play the whole season and then see what happened. It was at the end of the season when Gardner Speirs called me in and said Aberdeen were interested in me.

“There was still interest from other clubs and at that stage he didn't know if there was anything concrete in the move to Aberdeen, but then I found out the manager was interested. As soon as I spoke to Derek McInnes, I knew I wanted to come here and move onto the next stage of my career. He was so passionate and persuasive. There was nowhere else I wanted to go.

“At first it was quite hard moving away from home, to a new city, especially as I was in digs myself but it was no big deal. I stay in a flat now with Craig Murray and I feel very settled in Aberdeen. It is a very nice city to live in. 
“It has been a huge learning curve for me since I joined Aberdeen. It was a little surreal at first, training alongside players like Russell and Barry, players I've seen on TV for years. I really respect them and what they have achieved in their careers.

“Working with better players means that my overall football has improved. When I first came in, I was a bit off the pace so it took me a little while to get into it, but now I feel a lot more confident. In training with the first team players I feel a lot more comfortable.

“Working every day on my fitness has made a huge difference. I am definitely a lot fitter than I was before, a lot more toned. Graham Kirk is very good at what he does and gives us the right type of fitness work to help us improve our game. He also passes on a lot of good advice and helps with what I should be eating etc. I feel the work he has done with me has been very beneficial. We have done a lot of short, sharp stuff and I am feeling sharper as a result.

“I do feel quicker, especially over the first couple of yards. I feel I am getting to the ball before defenders more often now. Even for someone like me who is not blessed with lightning pace, improving your speed over those first couple of yards can make a massive difference to your game.

“First team games are naturally quicker and played at a higher tempo than the U20 ones, but when I am in possession of the ball, I don’t notice a lot of difference. You’re still trying to do the same things no matter who you are up against. With the over age rule, up to five can play so most weeks you are coming up against players who have played or are close to playing for the first team.

“I have really enjoyed playing for the 20s. It does not matter who you are playing for, scoring goals is a great feeling. Probably my best goal was my chip against Falkirk. I know it appeared on the club’s YouTube page!

“I have been doing well so I am really enjoying my football which helps. Paul Sheerin is a brilliant coach, I really enjoy his training. There is a lot of talk about how good the first team dressing room is and the spirit and harmony within it. The U20 dressing room is exactly the same. We all get on very well. There is no one in there who thinks they are better than everyone else.”

So much of football is about creating partnerships and our U20s have a number of those throughout the team, not least up front where Lawrence and Cammy Smith have struck up a great understanding.

“Cammy Smith and myself seemed to have clicked this year. We have built up a good understanding. We know where each other is on the pitch all the time. He always seems to be around about me, which suits my game. If I am playing the lone striker role, I need someone to get up and support and he has helped me out a lot this season. I can lay the ball off to him. He is a very clever player and makes a lot of very intelligent runs.”
While the goals are flowing for Lawrence in the U20s, he still awaits a first senior goal for the club since making his debut back in September against Inverness Caley Thistle.

“I have missed a few a chances to be fair! It is not something that weighs on my mind. I know it will come eventually. When it does, it will be a great moment because I have had to wait for it, so it will feel even better.

“My best goal for Queens Park was against Partick Thistle in a Ramsden Cup game in my first start, a 30 yarder at Hampden – that was a great feeling! It would be nice if my first goal for Aberdeen was similar!

“There is nothing better than scoring. Any goal that hits the net is pleasing, I'll take a tap in from two yards. I have got myself a few assists this season as well. It is good to set up goals as well and that is an important part of my game.”

Commendably modest, when asked what areas of his game he still needs to work on, Lawrence replies, “All of them! You need to keep working all the time to be at the top your game. You learn every day. Every day I watch Adam and David in training. Then I also watch them during games from the bench. They are two very good strikers to learn from. They have both been in great form this season.

“I know I have to be patient. I am not in any great rush. This is only my second season as a full time professional. I have come a long way in the last couple of years, from part time work to winning a new contract at Aberdeen. It’s all positive”.