Ramon Falzon will take the helm for the first time at home as Green Gully SC welcome Heidelberg United to Green Gully Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
Falzon was only minutes away from winning his first game in charge of the senior men’s side against Manningham last weekend, but Junya Kada struck in the final moments to secure a 1-1 draw against Gully after Mohamed Adam found the net in the first-half.
It means Gully are still 12 points outside the top six with 10 games to go as they look to put together a big end to the season.
Their next test comes against a formidable Heidelberg outfit who returned to the winner’s list with a 2-0 win at home over Dandenong Thunder.
Ben Collins and Kaine Sheppard found the net in the first-half as the Bergers bounced back after their first loss of the season a week earlier to Oakleigh Cannons.
Gully should regain Jamie Latham from suspension this week, which provides a boost to their midfield stocks.
Meanwhile under new coach John Anastasiadis, Heidelberg have surged up the standings after missing the finals last year, and sit in fourth place, four points behind Oakleigh who are in second.
Sheppard and Josh Pin have been brilliant all season in attack, combining for 16 goals between them, with the former scoring nine of those, while the latter has seven to his name.
Collins, Ajdin Fetahagic, Jamal Ali, Yaren Sozer and the rest of the Bergers defence have also been solid, shipping 13 goals, which is the equal-second best defensive record in the league along with South Melbourne.
Heidelberg won the reverse fixture earlier this year at Olympic Village 3-0, with Pin, Collins and Sean Ellis finding the net, while Gully captain Taylor Schrijvers was sent off early in the game.
Gully, in fact, haven’t beaten Heidelberg since July 2022, losing each of the two meetings against the Bergers last season.
Kick-off is at 1 PM, with the Under 23s taking the field shortly after at 3:30 PM.
The Under 23s returned to the winner’s list with a 3-1 win over Manningham and remain top of the standings, while Heidelberg’s Under 23s were in action against Dandenong Thunder on Monday night.
