2 March 2007, by Sean Gillen

Goncalves issues Hearts rallying call

Portuguese fully focussed on winning European berth

Hearts’ Portuguese defender Jose Goncalves says that the team spirit at the club remains high, and the players are still aiming to secure a European place this season.

The Edinburgh side have had a turbulent season, with owner Vladimir Romanov at the centre of several disputes with players, with one such incident leading to the sacking club captain Steven Pressley in December after he criticised the Lithuanian’s handling of club affairs.

Things have not gone particularly well on the pitch, either. Following last season’s second place finish, the Jambos are currently in fourth place, twenty-six points off leaders Celtic, but Goncalves says that the spirit inside the dressing room remains high as they aim for new targets.

“I think that it was always good,” he said. “It’s still good now. We have always had a good atmosphere in the dressing room. This is no problem because the focus is on the football. We don’t need to focus on the newspapers or the TV.”

“The players have the pressure because we want to go to Europe and be in second place, which is the big thing. We need to win games. It’s simple to say but we need to win games to get into Europe.”

Goncalves returns to training on Friday following a long spell out injured with an ankle injury, and the 21-year-old is keen to make the most out of what is left of the Scottish season.

“My job is the job of every player. We try to do our best all the time, but sometimes things don’t go the way you want.”

“This season is not finished and if we win all the games there can be a change. I think that we need to win every home game and away we need to avoid defeat and take a point.”