Shankland delight as Baningime and Boyce return

Heart of Midlothian captain Lawrence Shankland was delighted to see Beni Baningime and Liam Boyce return to action in their 1-0 pre-season defeat by Plymouth Argyle in Marbella, Spain.

Striker Boyce has been on the sidelines since August and midfielder Baningime for more than a year.

The pair came on in the second half after Freddie Issaka had scored the only goal of the game for the English Championship side with a low drive after 20 minutes.

"It's great to see them back - they are key members of the squad," Shankland told Hearts TV. "Obviously behind the scenes we can see how hard they're working - that's their rewards."

Shankland pointed out that "the first game is always like that, a wee bit rusty".

"It was good to get everybody minutes," the striker added. "That was the most important thing - people getting on the pitch and getting fitness in their legs.

"The football could have been better at times. But the ideas are there and we know what we're trying to work for."