Heidelberg United hosts Ballarat City at another neutral venue in its Round 6 Australia Cup match – this time at the home of Kingston City – the Grange Reserve on Tuesday night (May 10).
After a meritorious 3-1 win at Avondale at the weekend, the Bergers take on the NPL 3 eighth placed Ballarat side smarting from a 6-0 defeat to Melbourne Victory on Saturday.
The Bergers will host at a venue which has seen it venture to with mixed results, but should enjoy healthy local and vocal support, with many of its supporters living in the surrounding suburbs. Coach George Katsakis spent some time early in his coaching career down at the Grange. For Ballarat striker Michael Trigger, it will be his first appearance against the club he had a stint at during 2018.
To get to RRound 6, Heidelberg has had two comfortable wins – 4-0 over Geelong SC in Round 4, and a 5-0 win over Altona East SC last round. Ballarat defeated South Springvale 3-0 in Round 4, backing it up with a 4-1 win over fellow NPL 3 side Springvale White Eagles in Round 5.
One again, the form guide would suggest Heidelberg United favourite to advance through to Round 7. However, the old adage is repeated ad nauseam that Cup football is filled with shock results. The Bergers would be well aware that they’ll not have an easy game, For its part, Ballarat will hope to emulate its 2015 performance against the Bergers in Ballarat – a game which produced 10 goals in an action packed thrilling 5-5 draw.
Fixture Details:
Football Australia Preliminary Round 6 Match
Heidelberg United FC v Ballarat City FC
7:30pm AEST kick-off on Tuesday May 10, 2022
Grange Reserve, Osborne Ave, Clayton South