The mantra for Bill Mihaloudis all season has been “we need to compete against the best to improve as a team.”
What better way to demonstrate your credentials as a finals aspirant than to face the benchmark team of 2019. The ‘Bergers travel to Calder United this Saturday to meet the enormous challenge head on and with little to lose.
As rank outsider in the Round 24 match against the side that has been defeated just twice all season and sits eight points clear at the top of the table, Heidelberg United knows the monumental task ahead of it. But, such is the resolve of this young side, that one thing is for certain – the league leader will have had one hell of a battle on its hands on the day.
The ‘Bergers were brave in their last outing, eventually going down 3-1 to Alamein FC last weekend. Despite taking an early lead, they succumbed to a combination of lapses of defensive concentration, inexperience and more clinical opposition. Such is the way when you’re trying to stay on an upward learning curve – there’s always obstacles preventing a smooth ascent.
Meanwhile, Calder United continued on its merry way with a convincing 4-0 win over Box Hill, effectively ending the latter’s faint hopes of a final four spot and in the process virtually guaranteeing its top spot at season’s end.
The ‘Bergers may have lost both previous meetings between the two sides this season, but a performance akin to the Round 6 effort in the 2-3 defeat will give them some hope of a positive result. To be the best, they will “need to compete against the best to improve as a team.”
The action for the NPLW Round 24 match kicks off at 3:00pm this Saturday (August 3) at 3:00pm at Pitch 4, Keilor Park Recreation Reserve (Under 19s kick off is at 1:00pm).
