BRUNO BLASTS BACK AT SNIPERS

BRUNO AGUIAR last night hit back at the people who reckon he and Paul Hartley can't play together in the Hearts midfield.

The Portuguese playmaker scored and put in an impressive display in the Jambos' 4-0 midweek CIS Cup triumph at Alloa. But Hartley was rested, adding fuel to the doubters who claim the pair don't compliment each other.

However, Aguiar insists critics need only cast their minds back to last season when the Jambos finished second in the SPL and won the Scottish Cup.

He said: "People are saying I can't play in the same team as Paul Hartley should watch videos of last season.

"We played many times together and Hearts qualified for the Champions League which proves we are a good team in the Hearts midfield."

Aguiar knows Hearts have a massive week ahead of them with a trip north to Aberdeen to contend with tomorrow before the small matter of a UEFA Cup first round second leg clash with Sparta Prague on Thursday night in the Czech capital.

Hearts trail 2-0 following the first leg against Sparta at Murrayfield but Aguiar insists Hearts can still secure a place in the group stage.

Hereckons the Jambos' response since the Sparta defeat, with victories against Motherwell and Alloa easing the pressure on head coach Valdas Ivanauskas, means they can go into the tie full of confidence.

Aguiar said: "The criticism the team received after the Sparta tie wasn't good for anyone at the club.

"It affected the players, the coach and the supporters but if you always won in football then life would be wonderful.

"It is always interesting to see how a team copes with defeat. You must bounce back as soon as possible and we have done that the last two games.

"We will do our best to win in Prague but first of all we want to beat Aberdeen to remain near the top of the SPL.

"Then we will look to the Sparta Prague match as we want to continue our run in the UEFA Cup.

"People will be writing us off as we have already failed to reach the Champions League group stage and find ourselves 2-0 down after the first leg but anything is possible."

Despite his strike at Recreation Park on Wednesday night Aguiar hasn't set himself any scoring targets this season. However, he did enjoy his spectacular 22-yard lob over Alloa keeper Allan Creer which made the score 4-0.

He said: "It was a nice goal. I just glanced up and noticed the keeper was lying down so I thought it was worth having a try.

"If I play I will always try to score goals but I do not set myself any targets as I just try to help the team achieve their aims."

Ivanauskas reckons the Dons are one of a number of clubs capable of pushing for a European place in the SPL this season.

That's why the Lithuanian will accept a patchy display from his players as long as they return from Pittodrie with three points in the bag.

Ivanauskas admits it is all about results for Hearts right now and the pretty performances can wait.

Ivanauskas said: "Aberdeen have had a good start to the season and they are an interesting team.

"I think Aberdeen are just one of four or five teams who can challenge at the top end of the SPL. I believe they can sustain a decent challenge all season.

"You saw last season how well Hearts did after a decent start. We put ourselves in contention for the title.

"If Aberdeen continue getting good results up until the turn of the year then who is to say it won't be their turn to feature in the title shake-up.

"We must try to get more positive results on the board and our last two wins have been good for the players in terms of confidence. They have understood the seriousness of the situation.

"Hearts need to continue working hard and gaining positive results. We like to play beautiful football but that is not important as long as we are winning matches.

"Sunday against Aberdeen at Pittodrie will be a difficult game for us and we must go there with the right mentality.

"We have a very strong squad and I believe that we will reap the benefits in the next month or so when we should hopefully have everybody fit again and ready to stake a claim for a place in the first team."

Mirsad Beslija and Christos Karipidis both trained with the club yesterday at Riccarton but Ivanauskas admits he won't take risks on either player.

Beslija had to come off after 45 minutes against Alloa after hurting his jaw and is awaiting the result of a scan.

Ivanauskas said: "Mirsad trained but his jaw is still painful.

"We need to wait for the results of the scan because it would be very dangerous for him to play.

"Every header would hurt him and it would be a big risk for him to play.

"I am hopeful it is not broken but the situation is not looking too good for him.

"Christos trained on Friday and his knee is not as bad as we first feared."

Taken from the Daily Record