Hearts transfer update on two players - and a Cristiano Ronaldo celebration from the new Tynecastle labrador

Portuguese striker Claudio Braga was labelled ‘Hearts’ labrador’ after a delightful cameo role in the 4-0 Premier Sports Cup win over Hamilton Academical. Braga entered the field as a 65th-minute substitute at Broadwood and set up James Wilson to put the visitors 3-0 ahead before scoring the fourth goal himself.

He celebrated both goals extensively and even mimicked Cristiano Ronaldo’s jump and pose in front of the travelling support, who were captivated by the forward’s repertoire of flicks, tricks and movement. The Hearts head coach Derek McInnes explained after the match that Braga is like a dog who just wants to please everyone.

“I think he was very harsh on himself after Saturday,” explained McInnes, referencing Saturday’s 4-1 win over Dunfermline in which Braga played in a wide-left midfield role. “He was very down Sunday, Monday, and I spoke to him tonight. Not about not playing, but just about his general performance on Saturday. I think he'd probably built it up in his head about how he wanted that first game to go, and in his eyes, it didn't play out exactly how he wanted it.

“He is a crowd-pleaser; he's like a wee Labrador, isn't he, running about? And he just loves that affection from his team-mates, he loves the affection from the supporters, and he'll work hard to get it. The one thing you can guarantee about him is he's going to work hard in a Hearts shirt. We want more than just the effort; we also need the quality and the goals, and it was good that he managed to play his part in getting himself a goal and then obviously assisting wee James.

“I thought he was a bright spark when he came on. When you've got tired defenders, and it's the same for our boys, you've got to be ready for those changes. Most managers will change strikers at some point in the game and defenders have got to be ready for it. And I thought Braga was bright as a button when he came on, really sharp with his work, and good to see him scoring as I said.

“We've got strikers there and they've all got different qualities. And we all want them to be goal threats because ultimately that's the first port of call for strikers, but the job of a striker isn't just to put the ball in the net. The job of the striker is to allow us to build plays and get up the pitch.

“I think Braga, you see he does a lot of his best work still off that left-hand side, he likes that left channel. But he had the freedom to go and play. He did on Saturday as well, and he runs the right channel as well with his assist. He's a strong boy, he's robust enough and I think he's quite willing to take that challenge on in Scottish football.”

Stuart Findlay opened the scoring on his Hearts debut and Elton Kabangu added a second before half-time as the Premiership side made light of League One opponents to put themselves in the driving seat in Premier Sports Cup Group E. “Any time you score four goals away from home, you've got to be happy,” said McInnes. “You see a lot of Premiership teams struggle at this stage of the season. We asked our players to be first class with our approach to it and I thought we were. We scored from a set-play and should have scored two or three more from them.

“We had three strikers scoring, which is always pleasing. I thought we also looked really solid. Keeping clean sheets is just as pleasing as some of the goals. We're not long away from our first Premiership game and it's important we use these games properly. We're getting more confidence and fitness and all in all it was a good night's work.”

Hearts’ Norwegian full-back Christian Borchgrevink was taken off near the end with an injury and replaced by Oisin McEntee, but McInnes confirmed it was nothing untoward. “Nothing wrong with him. Nieuwenhof, nothing wrong with him,” said the head coach. “He was looking over and he managed to play another 10 minutes. Just a wee bit of cramp and sometimes you just need to get through that. That was the danger of putting the four subs on, leaves you with just the one. And it wasn't the sub I was going to put on. But Oisin gives you that benefit of doing a couple of roles.”

Hearts transfer latest with more new signings to come

Hearts are now firm favourites to progress from Group E after two wins as they gain some early momentum under McInnes, albeit against lower-division opponents. “Yeah, we spoke about that. The League Cup does provide that for teams like ourselves,” commented McInnes.

“Sometimes League Cup games can come a bit too early and it can catch you out a wee bit, particularly with the Premiership club. We've got nothing to gain really, score-wise, with this. There's a lot of pressure on these types of games in terms of what's expected. You're just expected to blow these teams away. But in pre-season, it can't always be that way. You see that with Premiership teams, some teams struggle.

“For us, it was just always about trying to use the League Cup to get that competitive edge, and that's the difference between pre-season friendlies. Use the competitive edge to our benefit. Keep scoring goals, keep winning games, keep feeling good about ourselves, and work towards something when the bigger challenges are clearly ahead for us.”

Hearts are still working on transfer business as they aim to finalise two incoming players. Club officials are hopeful at least one new signing will be completed before Saturday’s trip to Stirling Albion. Deals for Albanian winger Sabah Kerjota and Burkinabe forward Pierre Landry Kabore are close, with immigration paperwork still being processed. “One of them is here watching the game,” said McInnes in reference to Kabore.

“The other boy is just trying to get through the various stuff that we need to get done. So, we are hopeful one can get done, but I’m just a wee bit reluctant to comment too much until everything's signed off. The fact that the boys are here would suggest that we're still close. We'll see how they are come the weekend.”

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