Hearts boss sets his sights on home wins

HEARTS manager Jim Jefferies has targeted six points from forthcoming home games against Falkirk and Hamilton in an effort to ignite his second reign at Tynecastle following three successive defeats.

Goals from Glenn Loovens and Marc-Antoine Fortune consigned Hearts to defeat against Celtic in Glasgow last night, their third consecutive loss without scoring since Jefferies returned to the club.

Falkirk visit Tynecastle this Saturday with Hamilton to follow on Sunday week, and Jefferies is determined to achieve two victories and propel Hearts back into the SPL's top six.

"We've had three away games which were always going to be tough," he said of the matches against St Johnstone, St Mirren and Celtic. "We just need to hope people get behind us now. If we get full points from the next two home games it might kickstart things for us and spark what we're trying to do here.

"I'm learning every day about the squad and I know what is wrong. I'm not making any definite assessments at the moment and the players have to use the time they have between now and the end of the season to prove they have a future at this club."

Jefferies still has to contend with mounting injury problems ahead of the encounter with Falkirk. He revealed today that only full-back Jason Thomson has an outside chance of being fit.

"Jason failed a fitness test before the Celtic game so a couple of days may help him," he said.

"Ruben Palazuelos isn't available and I don't think Andy Driver will make it. We have a lot of younger boys returning to training like David Templeton and Arvydas Novikovas.

"Calum Elliot is back in training but he's two or three weeks away from playing."