Sergio predicts improvements but warns top six is as good as it will get for Hearts this season

PAULO SERGIO has warned Hearts supporters there is no case to be made for their club finishing "third or fourth" and claimed a top-six finish would be a success after losing key players during January.

Hearts were challenging for third place after a run of five wins in six outings spanning December and January, achieved against the volatile backdrop of repeated salary delays. However, following the departures of Eggert Jonsson, Ryan Stevenson and John Sutton, a failure to register a Clydesdale Bank Premier League win since the middle of last month has caused the Gorgie club to slip 12 points behind Motherwell.

Hearts are four points in front of seventh-placed Kilmarnock and could sit in sixth place when Calum Murray blows the whistle to end tomorrow's match with Dundee United. Sergio is not surprised that a turbulent campaign is finally catching up with his team.

"My goal in the league right now is to keep the team in the top six," he said. "That's my major goal at this moment, and of course the Scottish Cup. We know it's going to be a fight to achieve that as there are other teams that have improved their squad a lot in January and they are getting closer. We've not had the results we've wanted in the last few games. It's a very hard season for us, we lost a few players in January and we have different solutions now. Because of that I'm saying no-one can make a case for this team to be third or fourth."

Sergio was able to strengthen his squad with the signing of Craig Beattie this week. The former Celtic and Scotland striker refreshes an attacking roster that has been misfiring. Hearts have scored once in four league games.

"In the last few weeks we've not created as many chances as before," added Sergio. "I believe that the team in the last game lost a little bit of our aggression when we don't have the ball and also our influence when we do have it. That was because of the amount of games we've had in the last four or five weeks. So after having a normal week of work, I wait for a different Hearts in the next game. [Beattie] was a solution as he was a free player, he needed a club and maybe we needed a player up front too."

While Hearts have not won a game since January 14, Dundee United are unbeaten over the same period, and travel to Edinburgh on the back of an emphatic 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in midweek. A win for Peter Houston's men will enable them to leapfrog Hearts. "We have to improve what we are not doing so well in recent games," said Sergio.

United are without their influential defender Paul Dixon, the SPL's leader in assists this season, for today's match. Barry Douglas takes his place at left-back and Houston said the youngster has been a victim of Dixon's fine form this season.

Houston said: "Barry has been unlucky, because he's not done anything wrong. I feel a bit sorry for him because he trains well and has been doing really well. He must have been wondering when he was going to get a chance again. I have told him that he would have to be patient so this is maybe an opportunity for him to make an impact.

"He played more games last season than he has this year but I can see him progressing. Not being in the team has been down to the form of Paul Dixon, nothing else. It will be a big season for him next year, too. He's had to wait for it this year, but I would hope that has made him even more hungry to succeed."

Taken from the Herald