Melbourne Heart’s Hyundai A-League season appears to be beating stronger than ever.
A 2-0 home win over North Queensland Fury was the club’s third consecutive victory and means the Heart are right in the hunt for a finals spot in their inaugural season.
They currently have a grip on sixth spot with 30 points from 24 games, but Wellington Phoenix and Newcastle Jets are looming ominously.
Phoenix have four points less than the Heart, but do possess two games in hand, the first of them against Melbourne Victory at home on Wednesday night.
The Jets look more of a threat, having four games in hand over Heart as they sit five points behind the Melbourne club.
The Heart also have the luxury of a 13-day break before a trip across the Nullarbor to play Perth Glory.
Coach John van’ t Schip has elected to give his squad a week’s break to recharge their batteries ahead of heading west, knowing the Perth game marks the start of a season-defining period for the league’s new boys.
“It’s the program, we have to use it for what it is, we’ll have a good rest, making sure that up here (head) the players are fresh when they come back,” van’ t Schip said.
“The first week back we’ve got Perth, Gold Coast midweek and Victory again, we have to be prepared well and mentally sharp. That’s what we have to do.”
It is no surprise that the Heart’s recent form revival has coincided with an almost full squad for the Dutch coach to choose from, with imports Gerald Sibon and Alex Terra coming off the bench in the win against Fury.
“The depth in the squad is very strong. When you bring a player in off the bench like Alex, Gerald or Michael Beauchamp at the right time it helps us,” van’ t Schip said.
“We need all the players until the end of the season, hopefully we can keep everybody fit.”
As for his thoughts on what is going to be a high-pressure chase for a top six spot, van’ t Schip offered:
“The luck’s turning for us and that gives us a confidence, but we’ve still got a long way to go with Victory winning their game, Phoenix right there and Newcastle has games to catch up.”
“We’ll be there having a big chance, it’s going to be very close.”
Also important in the Heart’s recent run has been the form of right midfielder Adrian Zahra, who showed why he signed a new two-year deal with the club by producing a standout performance on the right flank against Fury.
