4 September 2006, by Lorna Danion

Goncalves expects Hearts turnaround

Portuguese defender aiming for top-three finish

Hearts defender Jose Goncalves is confident that his side can still claim a place in the top three in Scotland this season, despite an unconvincing start by the Edinburgh club.

Goncalves made his first league start of the season on Monday night as the Jambos beat Motherwell 2-0 away from home, securing their first win of the season in their fifth match.

“It’s just the start of the season,” Goncalves had said ahead of the match. “Yes, we have started badly and Rangers and Celtic have begun well. We need to get a win under our belts to help but I believe we can still finish in the top three.”

“We need to improve and need to work hard to turn things around. The win over Stirling (in the CIS Cup) was good for our mentality and good for team morale.

“The Celtic game was a big disappointment (Hearts lost 5-0) but hopefully it will be a wake-up call for the squad. Something similar happened last season when we lost 4-0 to Dundee United. We went away to Germany after that and that really helped us build the spirit.”

“We have to work hard to do that again. When you win, there is always a good spirit but it’s not the same atmosphere when you lose. Obviously the mood in the camp is a little different from when we won the cup but that is normal and it is up to us change things again.”

Aguiar operation

Meanwhile, Goncalves compatriot at Hearts, Bruno Aguiar, will undergo an operation on Thursday to remove a cyst and correct a bone fracture in his foot.

The former Benfica man has suffered terrible luck with injuries in recent years, and has been struggling with fitness all summer.