Source: Team_Talk
Jonsson targets strong finish to season
Hearts defender Eggert Jonsson wants to finish a disappointing season on a high but Hibernian are out to end their European dream this weekend.[LNB] Jonsson says the Jambos squad held crisis talks back in October after a poor start to the season that easily could have seen them dragged into a relegation dogfight.[LNB]They took until their final game before the split to secure a top-six finish but were still in a good position to challenge for a Europa League spot.[LNB]Back-to-back defeats have left that ambition hanging by a thread, which will snap if they lose tomorrow's Edinburgh derby, but Jonsson is remaining positive.[LNB]"We started the season really badly, to say the least," he said.[LNB]"I remember back in October, I sat in the dressing room after a defeat and we were talking, the players.[LNB]"We just said, 'We have to look at reality here and if we keep doing what we've been doing, we might have a chance to go down'.[LNB]"After that, obviously things got better and we finished in the top six.[LNB]"We were hoping to get into Europe and climb up.[LNB]"We've still got a chance to do it, but it will be a really hard task to get it."[LNB]Hibernian defender Paul Hanlon believes the European equation makes tomorrow's derby even bigger than usual.[LNB]He said: "To beat Hearts at any point is massive for the club but when you're pushing on towards Europe at the end of the season then it's obviously an even bigger result."[LNB]Hibs are in freefall, losing their last five matches, and Hanlon has urged his team-mates to take charge of their own destiny tomorrow.[LNB]"I think everyone's got to take added responsibility on in these games," he said.[LNB]"You can't be scared to get on to the pitch.[LNB]"You've got to to get on it and do your job properly. If we can get our whole team doing that then we should be all right."[LNB]Hanlon wants Hibs to take a leaf out of their arch-rivals' book following last month's derby defeat.[LNB]"We were disappointed with the last game at Tynecastle," he said. "They came out of the traps, got two goals early on and that sort of killed us.[LNB]"But it's a different game now, we've got to take the initiative going forward and take as many chances as we can to win the game."
