With Melbourne Heart marooned to the bottom of the A-League standings with no win from eight games, Michael Mifsud has endured a difficult start to life in Australian football.

His own goal drought has not made things any easier but that has done nothing to dampen the Malta captain’s confidence in his scoring ability as well as that of Melbourne Heart to turn their fortunes around.

An automatic choice for coach John Aloisi since joining Melbourne Heart on a one-year deal in September, Mifsud has been lifted by his team’s determined reaction in coming back from two goals down in Sunday’s 3-3 draw with Adelaide United at the AAMI Park.

Andrea Migliorini inspired the fightback with two superb strikes and David Williams converted a penalty for Heart’s third goal.

“We were 2-0 down but the team showed great character to recover from a difficult situation,” Mifsud told Times of Malta from Melbourne.

“At one point, we were leading 3-2 but luck was not on our side as they scored a late equaliser from a deflected free-kick.

“Nevertheless, I believe that our performance should give us confidence to kick on. We have been very unlucky this season. We deserve to have more points than we actually have but that’s football.

“It’s important that these results don’t put us down... we must remain positive.”

Although Mifsud has not taken long to force his way into Melbourne Heart’s first XI, his foremost objective when he signed for the club, he admitted that he’s still adapting to the rigours of Australian football.

“It’s not easy to play here,” Mifsud said. “Certainly, the football is a lot tougher than some might think.”

Mifsud’s assertion might come as a surprise to many, given that the 32-year-old striker is no stranger to tough championships after playing for Coventry City and Barnsley in the English Championship and Lillestrom in Norway’s top league.

Yet, he has been struck by the physical nature of the A-League.

“It’s very physical,” Mifsud said.

“Is the level similar to that of the Championship?” I asked.

“It’s harder because you have to do a lot of running off the ball,” Mifsud replied.

The coach gives me a lot of encouragement, telling me that he would be more worried if I’m not creating scoring opportunities

“Now everyone knows that I’ve never lacked speed or stamina but sometimes I also find it difficult to cope.”

Goals are also a big part of Mifsud’s armoury but Malta’s record scorer is still seeking his first goal in a Melbourne Heart shirt.

Mifsud is naturally determined to get off the mark but his overall contribution to the team has not gone unnoticed by Aloisi.

“I get angry and frustrated when I miss chances but the coach has been very supportive,” Mifsud said.

“He gives me a lot of encouragement, telling me that he would be more worried if I’m not creating opportunities.”

Mifsud has also been helped by the warm welcome he received from his team-mates.

“I felt settled from the first day,” he said.

“I’ve made many friends. Our squad is united. My team-mates showed me great respect, they made me feel welcome straightaway.

“The team spirit is excellent at Melbourne Heart. The players spend a lot of time together, even away from the football field.

“I’m happy here.”

Melbourne Heart’s draw with Adelaide United was only their third point this season after eight games.

They remain bottom of the 10-strong championship, one point behind Wellington Phoenix, but Mifsud is convinced that Heart have what it takes to climb up the table.

“I’m a very positive person,” Mifsud said. “We are in a difficult situation and our main objective at the moment is to move off the bottom of the table.

“Once we do that, I believe that we can move into the top six.

“I’m optimistic because our performances have been generally good. Last month, we played Western Sydney Wanderers, one of the best teams in the division.

“They beat us 1-0 but only had one shot on target whereas we hit the post three times.

“In our team, there is a determination and desire to get things right.”

At Melbourne Heart, Mifsud can bank not only on the backing of his team-mates, coach and fans but also of the large Maltese community in the Australian city.

News of his switch to Heart triggered a surge of excitement among the Maltese-Australians living in Melbourne as Mifsud is widely regarded as the star of Maltese football, “an icon” according to national coach Pietro Ghedin.

“I receive a lot of emails and invitations from Maltese people in Melbourne,” Mifsud said.

“Because of club commitments and all the travelling I’ve done in the last two months, I haven’t had time to meet them but they’ve given me a great reception.

“They even wait for me outside the stadium after games. I really appreciate their affection.”

Locally, few expected Mifsud to fly all the way from Down Under in order to play in Malta’s friendly match against Faroe Islands last month but he surprised many by heeding Ghedin’s call to be part of the squad.

His effort was rewarded as Mifsud crowned his 102nd appearance with a well-taken goal, his 39th for the national team, as Malta beat Faroe Islands 3-2.

“I’ve always said that it’s an honour to play for my country,” Mifsud said.

“It was difficult for me to come for the last game... the journey lasted 28 hours. I was in Malta for 48 hours and that meant that I spent more time in the air than on the ground.

“On the whole, it was a positive experience as we beat Faroe Islands to end the year on a good note.”