Melbourne Heart coach John van ‘t Schip has paid tribute to his side’s composure after a decisive 2-0 win over North Queensland Fury at AAMI Park.
Second-half goals from John Aloisi and Gerald Sibon ensured the league’s new boys took a major step towards making the finals in their inaugural season, much to the Dutch coach’s delight.
“We needed to win that game and there was some tension in the team, but we did very well and deserved the win,” van ‘t Schip said.
“We kept disciplined and organised in the way of playing, that was the big advantage. Once we got that first goal we got more belief and a little bit more space to play.”
The win was the Heart’s third in succession and entrenches them in sixth place on the Hyundai A-League table with 30 points from 24 matches, four points clear of seventh-placed Wellington.
But the Phoenix do have two games in hand on the Melbourne club, illustrating just how important the three points against strugglers Fury was for their season.
Following an even first half, the Heart dictated terms throughout the second period after breaking the deadlock on 58 minutes thanks to Aloisi’s fifth goal in Heart colours.
Right-back Michael Marrone unlocked the North Queensland defence and after beating Fury defender Andre Kilian, played a wonderful cross to Aloisi.
And the former Qantas Socceroo showed why he’s played at the top level in England, Italy and Spain, taking the ball first-time on his non-preferred right foot to beat Fury goalkeeper Justin Pasfield.
Dutchman Sibon put the icing on the cake seven minutes from time when he towered over the Fury defence to head home a pinpoint cross from Heart defender Matt Thompson.
It capped a fine second game back from a hamstring injury for the popular Sibon, who now has six goals for the season.
He and fellow substitute Alex Terra offered Heart the necessary attacking edge in the second-half, having been blunted by a resolute Fury during the first.
Heart were also well-served by their trio of 30-something former Qantas Socceroos in Aloisi, midfield general Josip Skoko and skipper Simon Colosimo.
Aloisi worked tirelessly as a lone striker in the first-half before benefiting from the presence of Terra and Sibon in the second ahead of earning an early mark from coach John van ‘t Schip in the 76th minute.
Skoko bossed the midfield alongside Wayne Srhoj, winning the battle of the trenches against Fury pair Ufuk Talay and Gareth Edds, while Colosimo and his partner in clean sheets Thompson were rock-solid at the back.
Heart were also well-served by Adrian Zahra, who justified why he was handed a two-year deal a few days earlier with a hard-running display at right midfield.
Heart now enjoy a 13-day break before a trip across the Nullabor to play Perth Glory and van ‘t Schip has given his troops a week off to freshen-up before their finals tilt.
“It’s the program, the schedule, we have to use it for what it is,” van ‘t Schip said.
“We’ll have a good rest, making sure that up here (head) the players are fresh when they come back and physically they come back for the last few weeks.”
While it was all good news for the Heart, the same couldn’t be said for the Fury, who remain second-last on the ladder following the loss, though prior to Aloisi’s opener, the visitors held their shape well.
None more typified this than English defender Mark Hughes, but as has often been the case this campaign, once the first goal went in, Fury’s structure unravelled and the Heart took full advantage.
Their second through Sibon was deserved and the Heart were unlucky not to have added more with Terra in particular coming close on a couple of occasions, while Pasfield pulled out a couple of top-draw saves earlier in the match.
Fury rarely offered much in attack, with their best chance coming after just 15 minutes from striker Chris Payne.
Having won the ball off Thompson, Payne elected to pass to strike partner David Williams, when a shot on goal would have been the better option.
North Queensland coach Franz Straka admitted Heart were the better team, but lamented the fact his side were again profligate in front of goal, labelling Payne’s chance as pivotal in the final wash-up.
“All season the same problem is with finishing, every game we have a lot of chances, but we don’t score,” Straka said.
“(It was a) big chance from Chris Payne, it was the critical moment of the game. But we have to respect the Heart, they had better experience on the field and took their chances when it mattered.”
Melbourne Heart 2 (Aloisi 58, Sibon 83)
North Queensland Fury 0
AAMI Park, Melbourne
