Be there to show your support as incoming coach Jim Magilton launches an exciting new era for Victory at AAMI Park.
Be there to show your support as incoming coach Jim Magilton launches an exciting new era for Victory at AAMI Park!
Two fierce rivals with plenty in common do battle under the lights on Friday night, and what a crucial clash this one is set to be. With United giving coach Rini Coolen the elbow last month and Victory finally losing patience with Mehmet Durakovic last week, this match-up represents the coming together of two teams that clearly believe, despite slow starts they are still in with a shout at success this season.
Making the necessary changes at the top underlines such ambition and shows that these clubs wouldn’t have been content remaining at the wrong end of the ladder for the remainder of the campaign. Rather, they know they have the talent and wherewithal to achieve something good, so get along to AAMI Park and show that you also have faith in them.
Melbourne Victory certainly showed new coach Jim Magilton that they are up for the challenge of climbing the ladder, as they picked up their fourth win of the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season against Newcastle Jets last week. The triumph saw incredible performances from Carlos Hernandez, Archie Thompson and Danny Allsopp, which bodes well for this weekend.
United, meanwhile, will be looking to reprise their visit to AAMI Park a week ago, when they pulled off a major shock in beating high-flying Melbourne Heart 3-1.
Continuing their surge of form under new coach John Kosmina, a brace from Sergio van Dijk and a calm finish from Dario Vidosic ended Heart’s five-match winning streak. The confidence and belief with which this side approached what was a tricky away encounter shows a major transformation from just a few weeks ago. The weekend’s hard-earned draw against Brisbane means that they remain unbeaten under their new boss.
This is the third meeting between Victory and United in the Hyundai A-League 2011/12 season. When Victory made the trip to Adelaide, they came away on the wrong end of a 1-0 loss, after Sergio Van Dijk pounced on a misplaced pass from Fabio to send a sell-out crowd at Hindmarsh Stadium wild.
More hope, however, can be taken from the return fixture at Etihad Stadium. Although they conceded a late equaliser to Fabian Barbiero, the quality of their play was excellent and, after Archie Thompson’s fantastic header in the 59th minute, should perhaps should have taken all three points.
It seems a long time since Victory dominated over United for so long. Indeed, the tables have turned to such an extent that the Reds haven’t lost a game in Melbourne in over 400 days, so it’s up to Victory fans to really try to make the difference.
Get along to AAMI Park in numbers and crank up the volume! Sing your side to a vital Victory and show your new coach that you are right behind him.
