Hearts striker Lawrence Shankland says he has been using a mental skills coach to help him come through his recent run of poor form.
The Scotland forward scored twice in the Tynecastle side’s victory against Dundee on Saturday, his first goals since September.
And Shankland says his work with his mindset coach has been key to helping him through his goal drought.
“I have worked mentally on my game to be ready for those sort of situations,” the Hearts captain told BBC Scotland.
“Football is easy when everything is going well, but it can be tough in those spots and you have to be ready for that. Thankfully enough it’s worked out.
“I’ve worked with a guy, John Johnstone, for four years now. He said this was the moment we have worked for over the years.
“I have had a lot of success over the last couple of years and that was enjoyable, but it’s when you get to these tougher points you need to dig into that knowledge and use it.
“He has been good for me and beneficial to my career. That’s why I decided to work with somebody to deal with those moments and I think I have dealt with it very well.”
Shankland was singled out by Hearts fans after the recent defeat to Cercle Brugge in Belgium when the striker blasted a penalty over the crossbar late on in the game.
Hearts eventually lost the match 2-0 and the Scotland international says he now uses that night as motivation to be better.
“It was probably one of my lowest nights of my career in recent seasons,” he added.
“It was a really tough night and I am not going to deny that, but that is why you train mentally to deal with those situations.
“It was a long night and there wasn’t much sleep, but you come through it, deal with it, put yourself back out there and take chances again. As I said I was always confident it would turn.”
