\n<\/p>\n
He’s taken the long road to Boston, from Queen’s Park to Dunfermline, from Dunfermline to Aberdeen, from Aberdeen to St Mirren, and then Morton and Ayr United in the summer of 2017, when things started to happen for him.<\/p>\n
That’s where he encountered Ian McCall, the Ayr manager who has become a mentor and friend to Shankland. <\/p>\n
“Our relationship had a rocky start,” says McCall. “He left me standing for 45 minutes at Lochinch training centre armed with the loan forms to bring him to Ayr from Aberdeen. <\/p>\n
“It was only when I received a call from Owen Coyle (a good friend of Lawrence senior) that I found out he was on his way to Cappielow to sign for Morton. I was a little angry – it’s the first and last time he ever let me down.”<\/p>\n
McCall never gave up on him and eventually persuaded the striker to join him at Ayr. <\/p>\n
Shankland scored in nine of his first 10 games for the club, who were in the League One at the time. He finished the season with 29 in 33 and helped them get promoted. Then he hit 34 in 41 in the Championship<\/p>\n
“It became obvious quite early that he was playing levels below where he was capable of playing,” says his former manager. “He can score every type of goal; tap ins, headers, right foot, left foot, curlers, drives, chips and on the odd occasion from 50 yards…”<\/p>\n
Shankland launched one from halfway – Kenny McLean style – after he left Ayr to join Dundee United, a 53-yard strike against St Johnstone in January 2021. <\/p>\n
“When you have his varied abilities it was clear that he would get to a high level,” says McCall. “But it took him longer than we both thought.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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