IF HEARTS are to emerge unscathed from potentially their season's most pivotal period, the recent goalscoring issues afflicting the team must be overcome.
An SPL visit to Motherwell is sandwiched by league and Scottish Cup encounters with Hibs over the next eight days as Csaba Laszlo and his squad embark on a triple header that could define their season.
Whether this sequence is to be viewed with fo
ndness or despair will almost certainly depend on the team's ability to ruffle some rigging. It is an issue prominent in the mind of Christian Nade, Hearts' only fit striker of any notable experience.
Mike Tullberg and Juho Makela remain injured with Jamie Mole only just recovered and Calum Elliot is on loan at Livingston. Teenager Gary Glen has hitherto remained out of favour, leaving Nade to shoulder goalscoring responsibilities alone. He is understandably frustrated after scoring just one goal this season.
Ploughing the furrow of a lone forward has been an often thankless task for the Frenchman in Laszlo's 4-4-1-1 formation.
His assignment is further complicated tomorrow by the absence of Bruno Aguiar, the talismanic Portuguese midfielder who has settled admirably "in the hole" behind Nade since returning from injury.
Aguiar's influence has been telling since he struck an equalising goal in the last Edinburgh derby – his comeback match following an 18-month absence through injury – but a hamstring complaint renders him unavailable tomorrow at the most inopportune juncture. Hearts have scored only once in their last three matches and Nade senses the pressure to find vital goals intensifying.
"It's hard and it's starting to go round in my head now. I play in a lot of the matches and I really want to score now," he told the Evening News.
"It's the same responsibility for me. I want to play but I also want to score. I said I wanted to play and that is happening now so I am happy."
A disallowed goal in that aforementioned 1-1 draw at Easter Road will not be allowed to affect his focus this weekend.
"I don't think about that. The only thing on my mind at the moment is scoring tomorrow," he continued.
"I feel fit, although I'm a little bit tired because I'm starting all the time. That makes a big difference but I think my fitness is better.
"If I score on Saturday I will wait for the next game, then I can hopefully score again and again.
"The mood in the team is still good, we lost last Saturday at Aberdeen but we know we have an important week coming up. We need to win. Everybody is happy to play a game like this against Hibs. It's a good game to have after a defeat and everybody enjoys playing this kind of game."
Striking reinforcements may be forthcoming as the month goes on with Laszlo intending to recruit help for Nade as quickly as possible. Eyes are being cast towards Glasgow where Chris Killen and Andrius Velicka remain unsettled and out of the first-team picture at Celtic and Rangers respectively.
"We are not thinking about next week or what might happen, we just have to win this game," said Nade. "Csaba is a very good coach and a good guy. He is always behind us and he protects us. That's why the team has responded. You want to work for him and play well like we have been playing. I think every player who plays here feels like that."
In a week when Hearts' on-field discipline has again come under the spotlight, the players' composure will be as critical as any attacking incisions made against Hibs.
The Scottish Football Association dismissed Marius Zaliukas' appeal against a red card for violent conduct on Tuesday so he joins suspended colleague Lee Wallace in the Tynecastle stand.
Eggert Jonsson is expected to deputise for Wallace at left-back with Christos Karipidis likely to revert to centre-back in place of Zaliukas. There may be a starting place for Deividas Cesnauskis or Glen if Laszlo wants to spring a surprise, but compromising on aggression is apparently not an option despite the ramifications from last week's defeat at Pittodrie.
"I'm a quiet guy, maybe a bit shy but you can't really be shy on the park," said Jonsson. "I like to fight but you need to know where to draw the line, how far you can go. If you find the right balance you have a good situation.
"Some referees allow more than others but I think the players have shown more fight this season. We have shown we want it and we have a good spirit together.
"We have big games coming up this week and, with tomorrow being a derby, sometimes it tends to be more physical than football. We need to make sure we are up for it. It's a massive game for us, we are at home in front of our own fans and hopefully it will be a great atmosphere. You can win a derby by playing better football but sometimes that doesn't happen. If the game develops into a physical battle we need to make sure we win that battle."
Jonsson recalled memories of his first derby success in 2007, which he cited as inspiration for future triumphs.
"The first derby I played in I came on as a sub and we won 1-0 at Easter Road when Zaliukas scored. It was just after Hibs won the CIS Cup and, as a young boy, it was a great feeling. I remember afterwards sitting on the team bus and I knew I wanted to experience that feeling again. You have a lot of work to do to make it happen but there is nowhere else I'd rather be tomorrow than Tynecastle playing against Hibs."
