Jim Jefferies admitted consulting Hearts sporting director Aleksandr Metlitksi before playing contract rebel Jose Goncalves in yesterday’s Scottish Premier League defeat by Dundee United at Tannadice.
Goncalves was a shock starter at Tannadice, the Portuguese defender being drafted in amid an injury crisis that saw the visitors missing 14 first-team squad members, including three centre halves.
It was Goncalves’s first appearance under manager Jefferies, who had vowed not to play him while he refused to sign a new deal with the club, and his selection followed reports that permission to field him had been sought from majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov. Jefferies, who succeeded Csaba Laszlo in January, denied any knowledge of that but revealed he had discussed the matter with Metlitksi.
“I report to the sporting director and I told him the situation, that we needed to play him,” Jefferies said after his side’s 1-0 defeat.
“He agreed and there was no problem. Everybody understands that it was a necessity today because of the injuries we’ve had.
“If I had somebody else fit, he wouldn’t have played.”
Jefferies denied previously stating Goncalves would not be selected until he extended his contract, which expires this summer. Asked if Goncalves would remain part of his plans for the rest of the season, Jefferies added: “We’ll obviously try to negotiate and get this thing resolved. If we don’t, well wait and see. It’s better to concentrate on players who want to be here.”
Hearts’ injury list grew when captain Michael Stewart was forced to pull out of the side after the warm-up.
The midfielder picked up a calf strain on Thursday and it had been hoped he would shake it off.
“By the time he was on the bus coming here and warming up it just stiffened up,” said Jefferies, who hailed the performance of stand-in Paul Mulrooney.
United manager Peter Houston admitted he feared his side would be made to pay for wasteful finishing before Morgaro Gomis sealed a 1-0 victory.
Gomis’s 77th-minute winner, which found the net via a huge deflection, was the midfielder’s third goal in two games.
Houston said: “We must have a midfield player in the box and Morgaro has taken me to task on that one and he’s become a machine.
“I’m delighted with the three points today because you never get an easy game against a Hearts team.”
Francisco Sandaza, who had been out all season after hernia surgery, was introduced for David Goodwillie 13 minutes from time to a rapturous reception, which grew when United immediately took the lead. Craig Conway’s free kick broke to Gomis in the box and the Senegal midfielder’s left-foot finish took a big deflection past the helpless Janos Balogh.
Sandaza went close to capping a dream comeback in the closing stages but the ball evaded him as he looked poised to pounce and Goncalves almost scored a comical own goal in stoppage time.
Yesterday’s win lifted United above Hibernian into third place and 11 points clear of the sixth-placed Jambos.