LAWRENCE SHANKLAND: "I ENJOY MY TIME HERE AT BEERSCHOT BUT THE POOR RESULTS ARE EVER SO FRUSTRATING"

In normal circumstances Lawrence Shankland would have been Beerschot's match winner in last Sunday's derby against Antwerp. But ref Verboomen and his two faced friends in the VAR room decided otherwise when they eventually disallowed his brilliant goal for an earlier foul from Avenatti half a minute earlier at the other end of the pitch. No 2-1 victory for Beerschot but an unfortunate 2-1 defeat after Michael Frey score in the 83rd minute. "Totally undeserved. I felt really gutted my goal didn't stand", Beerschot's Scottish striker says. "We were by far the better team in the first half. And I believe we were entitled to get at least a draw from that match."

"It suprised me how intense that rivalry beween Beerschot and Antwerp proved to be. The derby was hotly contested with loads of hard tackles, high spirited duels and played in a hostile setting. I loved the atmosphere and enjoyed playing in it... but for the result of course. Is it comparable to the derbies in Dundee? Antwerpen is a much bigger city than Dundee, so it appeals to a lot of people here, and that showed. Mind you, the Dundee derbies are often hotly contested too. Both clubs' stadia are situated in the same road, just about 300 yards from eachother. And that creates a special atmosphere as you can imagine."   
 

... and give your career a boost to get back in the Scottish squad...

"Yep. That's right."

And, have your heard from Steve Clark or one of his backroom staff since your transfer to Beerschot?

"No, which means there's only one option for me: scoring more and be more important here in Belgium. It is my dream to get a recall for Scotland and win my 5th cap. I will keep working hard. That's my attitude anyway, both on the training pitch and during matches."

How's life in Antwerpen?

"Very nice. It's a beautiful city to live in. I have a flat right in the centre of the city where there's always something going on. My parents have come over a couple of times to watch me play and they also enjoyed the atmosphere in the city. No complaints. I don't go out very much because I like to focus on my football and my family. So, I haven't seen much of Belgium yet. Let me think. Oh yes, I have been to Brussels... to pick someone up from the airport..."

And to score a goal against Anderlecht...

"Hahaha. Exactly. Byn the way, Anderlecht is by far the best and most impressive team I've played against this season. They not only beat us 7-0 at our ground but also outplayed us in every sense of the word. What a humiliating experience that was."

Will Shanks still be playing for Beerschot next season? Possibly in the second division.

"I am not talking about relegation as long as we mathematically still can save ourselves. I signed a three year contract at Beerschot without a release clause if we should go down. So I reckon I will stay put."

By Danny Geerts
Photo: Jan Mees