With an impressive start to the season, Johno Clemente and his senior women’s team will shift their focus to the Nike F.C. Cup where they meet Preston Lions in a big derby game.
The ‘Bergers have two wins and a loss so far, and now get their first taste of cup action in 2022. The round 4 tie against Geelong Rangers was won on forfeit meaning an automatic passage through to Round 5.
Preston themselves went through on a forfeit against Monbulk Rangers SC, but played an extra game when they beat Melbourne University SC 9-2 in Round 3.
Clemente looked back on his recent league win over FV Emerging as a good platform to move forward with.
“In the first half we showed some great signs of the football we want to play this season and was very pleased with genuine joy at times,” he said.
“We should have killed the game off in the first half with the chances we created and in the league if you don’t take your chances any team can come back to hurt you.
“The second half showed the fight and character of the team to dig deep on a hot day in Knox, where we kept a clean sheet and took the three points.”
Clemente is excited to see the Heidelberg faithful come along and support the women’s team who are building their own identity in the game style they want to adopt.
“We showed great promise in our style of play in the first half which all fans would’ve been thrilled to watch,” he said.
“It’s that Heidelberg DNA of working hard, sticking by each other and digging deep when we needed to, where we got the three points in the end.
“We have two more challenging games this week in a derby versus Preston in the cup which I encourage everyone to get down.
“It will be a great game for the neutral and for a fan of women’s football in the state!”
Match details:
What: Nike F.C. Cup Round 5
Who: Heidelberg United FC vs Preston Lions FC
Where: City Vista Pavilion & Sports Field – 46 City Vista Ct, Plumpton VIC 3336
When: Wednesday April 20 – Kick-off at 7:30pm
