Tuesday Teabag: Heart need to make an impact on A-League

Coming back from a 2-0 deficit to grab a point isn't something to snub your nose at and on the surface, Melbourne Heart's 3-3 comeback against Adelaide United at home is a positive result.

However, when you brush aside the glitter, fairies, drool and other bodily fluids left in the wake of Heart midfielder Andrea Migliorini's two stunning goals, the game should have brought more than just a point for a side that currently resembles an upturned turtle.

The Heart showed plenty of resolve to come back from two goals down but having converted a dubious penalty to go 3-2 up, you would be inclined to think that they should have claimed more than just the solitary point at home, despite having only led one other game previously this season, a 2-0 lead at home to Central Coast that resulted in a 2-2 draw.

Eight games in with no wins and only three points to show, the Heart sit at the cellar of the competition having played all teams but Wellington. With a goal difference of -9, five worse than the next worst in Adelaide, the Heart are a copybook example of a struggling, shambolic team: consistently not scoring enough and conceding too many.

Despite hosting a number of potential scorers - Maltese striker Michael Mifsud has missed more shots than a Stormtrooper - the Heart have only found the back of the net three times this season before netting three against Adelaide. Although Harry Kewell is on the verge of a return from injury and is sure to create plenty of chances, he is not going to fix their problems in defence.

Ignoring the pressure that manager John Aloisi is under from the media and select fans, the squad simply makes too many mistakes and wastes too many chances and as a result, must claw up the table the hard way.

The positive news for the Heart is that it can be turned around, as shown by Sydney with its run of four consecutive wins, having started the season with only three points from four games.

Crowd numbers are relatively healthy in a time when it would be quite easy for fans to pack it in - another 6,000 showing up to support their club against Adelaide - which is a sign that the majority of supporters are confident that the Heart can come through the other end of this rut.

However, it needs to be said how large of a rut this is for a club that is still yet to make any significant impact on the competition in its fourth season of existence. As a team that is yet to win a final and in a position where it is not looking like making another finals appearance this season, the last thing Australian football needs is for any club, especially one involved in a major rivalry, to have its validity questioned.

With away trips against Western Sydney and Sydney as well as the Melbourne derby making up their next three fixtures, a significant change must be made going into these important clashes or the Heart could remain in a winless position in three weeks time.

Although there is plenty of time for the Heart to make up for previous blunders, continuing to underachieve will only dig the club deeper into its own self-dug hole, and there's only a limited amount of time a club can dig before it's in too deep.