The 2-2 draw in Dingwall had a catastrophic ending for the visitors

Lawrence Shankland missed Hearts’ 2-2 draw at Ross County with a calf issue and will undergo treatment over the next 48 hours. The Edinburgh club are hoping their captain will be fit to face Motherwell at Tynecastle Park on Thursday.

James Wilson’s two goals had Hearts 2-0 ahead until the 97th minute in Dingwall. They conceded twice in as many minutes as Josh Nisbet and Jordan White salvaged a point for County. Head coach Neil Critchley was left exasperated at full-time as he discussed Shankland’s injury.

“He had an issue with his calf. He trained yesterday and wanted to play, he travelled with the group but it wasn’t a risk we wanted to take,” explained Critchley. “We will see how he responds to treatment in the next 48 hours. With the games coming up and the situation we’re in, we weren’t prepared to risk him.”

“We were comfortable at 2-0 and the game was over, really. They hadn’t really threatened our goal, so we should have seen the game out. It’s just two crazy moments that we don’t defend well enough in the penalty area, and two crosses that we don’t stop from coming in, that cost us three points.

“It was really like a war of attrition. You’re relying on moments, and we had two really good moments for our goals. Those were two moments of quality that put us in front, and those were the difference between the teams at that moment in time, and we should have seen the game out to take all three points.”

Hearts bemoaned a second-half decision which denied them a penalty and the chance to go 3-0 ahead. County’s Michee Efete pulled James Penrice back, an infringement which began outside the area and appeared to continue inside. Referee Ross Hardie awarded a penalty but then rescinded it and gave a foul outside the box after a VAR touchline review.

“The referee gives a foul, and the initial contact might be outside the box but it clearly carries on inside the box, so it’s a penalty,” argued Critchley. “He gives the foul, then looks at the screen and gives a free-kick. The contact carrying on into the box means it is a penalty. I thought we had cleared that up after the [League] cup final, but clearly not.”

The match official added nine minutes on at the end, mainly due to the long delay as he deliberated over the aforementioned penalty award whilst studying a touchline monitor. “The extra time comes from the VAR fiasco. There were eight minutes [initially], which there shouldn’t have been, but we still need to see the game out,” complained Critchley.

The manager replaced teenage defender Adam Forrester with Craig Halkett on 94 minutes in an attempt to cope with Ross County’s late aerial bombardment. He did not feel that had a negative impact. “No, because Halks headed two or three crosses out - and we don't push up the pitch for the second goal well enough,” said Critchley. “That ball should just go through to Craigie. We don't push up quick enough and we don't get pressure on the ball, which we've done really well up until that point.”

Critchley was happy with Hearts’ overall display on a sodden pitch in the Highland wind and rain. He admitted that was no excuse for the poor ending which leaves the Edinburgh club 11th in the Premiership table. “For 96 minutes it was a good performance in difficult conditions,” said the Englishman. “It wasn’t easy for either team, so we have to be very careful about how we judge that game.

“Two crazy moments in two minutes can cloud our assessment of that game. We’re in a moment where those things are going against us, and we just have to keep working hard to keep giving the same energy and commitment. We just have to play to the final whistle, and today we haven’t done that.”