Laszlo sets victory target for Hearts

Published on Monday 16 November 2009 09:05

HEARTS boss Csaba Laszlo wants his side to lay down a marker for the second quarter of the season by returning from the international break with a victory over St Johnstone at Tynecastle on Saturday.

The Gorgie club are currently lying a disappointing eighth in the Clydesdale Bank SPL table, having managed to register just two wins in their opening 11 games in the first segment of the campaign.

Laszlo knows his side has been under-performing, the Hungarian having become frustrated with their inconsistency, as was illustrated when they knocked Celtic out of the Co-operative Insurance Cup in the quarter-finals at Parkhead only to then lose to Motherwell in the league a few days later.

However, the Hearts manager remains confident they can climb into the top six and is looking for his players to come out with all guns blazing when they start the second quarter by welcoming St Johnstone – the side directly below them in the table – to Tynecastle for a game that kicks off at 12.30pm.

"Our target in the next quarter is simply to take more points," said Laszlo.

"We need to bring more danger to our performances and also more stability. We have been up and down too often this season. I still believe we can beat every other team in this league but, at the same time, there have been games against St Johnstone and Falkirk, for example, where we lost points we shouldn't have been losing.

"We need to do better in the second quarter and that means getting off to a good start against St Johnstone. This game has to be a signal for us to show our fans that we are okay and can start winning more games."

While he knows there is work to be done before beginning to climb the table, Laszlo says the fact the club has a cup semi-final in the bag is just one reason why the fans should be looking forward to the rest of the season rather than dreading it.

"My first target (for the remainder of the season] is still to qualify for the top six," he added.

"I still think the league table is very close and two or three wins in a row can make a big difference in a small league like the SPL.

"Then we have the two cup competitions. We have progressed well so far the Co-operative Insurance Cup and now have a chance to qualify for the final.

"Hopefully, we can also get a good run in the Scottish Cup when it comes along."