Friday, 29 May 2009 10:23 AM
In what is shaping up to be a mouth watering derby contest, South Melbourne will take on old foe Heidelberg United at Olympic Village on Sunday.
Both teams come into the game in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively, with the Warriors sitting 2 points behind South after 12 rounds of the season.
The Blues will come into the game with a ten game unbeaten streak after a remarkable comeback last Saturday to draw with Dandenong. The last team to beat South were in fact Heidelberg, who managed to pinch a winner in Round 2 after an innocuous cross by striker Osagie Ederaro somehow found the back of the net.
Heidelberg come into the contest in quite opposite form, having thrown away the chance to move into second position by losing their last two games to Dandenong and Oakleigh in convincing fashion. However what will instil confidence for the Warriors will be that they have won the last 3 league contests against South.
In the non-league game played against both teams this year, South ran rampant in pre-season to convincingly defeat Heidelberg by 3 goals to 0 in the final of the Hellenic Cup.In team news, South will welcome the return of inspirationalleader and club legend Vaughan Coveny who will return after a three week absence. His inclusion will add another option back into the South front third to accompany the in-form Gianni De Nittis and Goran Zoric.
Sitting behind these two will be Fernando De Moraes who will look to dominate the contest against the Begers just like he did in the Hellenic Cup Final.
For Heidelberg, the main danger man will be striker Osagie Ederaro who has been in breathtaking form so far in season 2009. Since coming from NSW, Ederaro has scored 10 goals so far, contributing half of Heidelberg’s 20 goals this season.
If South are to take home all three points, it is imperative to shut Ederaro down from the outset.
Kick-off for the big derby is at 4pm.
South Melbourne vs. Heidelberg United – An Overview
First VPL match:
Round 2, 1964
South Melbourne 2-1 Heidelberg United
(SMFC Goals: George Papadopoulos x2)
Venue: Middle Park
First NSL match:
Round 2, 1977
South Melbourne 1-1 Heidelberg United
(SMFC Goal: Duncan Cummings)
Venue: Middle Park
Last NSL match:
Round 15, 1994/95
Heidelberg United 1-3 South Melbourne
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Paul Trimboli)
Venue: Olympic Village
Last VPL match:
Round 2, 2009
South Melbourne 0-1 Heidelberg United
(Goal: Osagie Ederaro)
Venue: Bob Jane Stadium
Total Games (League): 68
South Melbourne Wins: 35
Heidelberg United Wins: 17
Draws: 16
Highest Aggregate Score:
Round 2, 1967 VPL
South Melbourne 7-3 Heidelberg United
(SMFC Goals: Boulis Kambouropoulos x2, Ulysses Kokkinos x2, Leo Damianakos x2, Jim Pyrgolios)
Venue: Middle Park
SMFC Biggest Win:
Round 7, 1991/92 NSL
South Melbourne 5-0 Heidelberg United
(SMFC Goals: Con Boutsianis x2, Mike Petersen, Paul Trimboli, Kimon Taliadoros)
Venue: Middle Park