Oakleigh Cannons and Heidelberg United are set to battle in front of a packed-out Kingston Heath Soccer Complex on Friday night to determine the 98th winner of the Dockerty Cup.
Henry John Dockerty, better known as Harry was a pioneer of the game in Victoria and arguably the single most influential figure in our footballing history. The cup was first won in 1909 by Carlton United and despite some hiatuses over the last century, the Dockerty Cup has gone on to become one of Victoria's most prestigious tournaments.
Oakleigh is looking to win its first Dockerty Cup, while Heidelberg can claim its second state knockout crown in the last decade, following their 2017 victory.
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Head-to-Head
Over their past five matches head-to-head the teams share two wins each along with a draw, while in 2023 Oakleigh has the bragging rights.
In Round 4, Oakleigh traveled to Olympic Village and romped Heidelberg 5-0 with Chris Lucas the star of the show with a brace.
13 weeks later the match relatively followed the same script with the defending NPLM Champions defeating Heidelberg 5-1.
Stefan Valentini was unstoppable on the night, scoring a hat-trick, while Joe Guest and Alex Salmon also got on the scoresheet.
Despite being smashed by their opponent twice this season, Heidelberg can’t be ruled out of the contest as they have proved they can take it up to anyone this season, taking points off ladder leaders Avondale and South Melbourne.
Oakleigh Cannons
Oakleigh will be raring to go to avenge last season’s 2-1 defeat to Bentleigh Greens in the Final.
This year, they have had a relatively smooth run to the Final, although they were forced to overcome a tough Knights outfit in the Semi-Final, which has taken its toll on the Oakleigh players.
Since the 3-1 victory at Knights Stadium, the Cannons’ have failed to claim a victory in the NPLM with two losses and a draw.
“We felt like we did really well on the day, but it probably took quite a lot out of us the last couple of weeks,” Oakleigh Head Coach Chris Taylor explained.
“We have had losses in our last two games, and I think if we reflect back to the Knights game that was very tough for us and very taxing on a lot of the players, but we are ready to go.”
In Round 24, Oakleigh appeared at their defensive best, playing out a 0-0 draw against the top-of-the-table Avondale, who have averaged four goals a game this season.
The Cannons sit third for goals in the NPLM with Alex Salmon and Stefan Valentini nearly reaching double figures with nine goals to their name. Alex Fiechtner has found the back of the net seven times this year, while in the Dockerty Cup. Joe Guest and Alex Salmon have scored three goals each.
Oakleigh will look to gain the ascendancy through midfield against Heidelberg with Joe Guest, Oliver Kubilay, and Cameron McGilp dominating teams all season.
The road to the Dockerty Cup started in the Australia Cup qualifying rounds.
The Cannons started their journey with a 3-1 victory over a strong Preston Lions outfit, before defeating Dandenong Thunder 4-0 and Dandenong City 2-0. A powerful performance against NPL3 side Geelong SC (5-0) was followed by a hard-fought semi-final against the Melbourne Knights in a match that ended 3-1.
Last 5 Matches:
- Draw 0-0 v Avondale (NPLM Round 24)
- Loss 2-1 v Altona Magic (NPLM Round 23)
- Loss 2-0 v Port Melbourne (NPLM R22)
- Win 3-1 v Melbourne Knights (Dockerty Cup Semi-Final)
- Win 3-1 v Bentleigh Greens (NPLM Round 21)
Heidelberg United
Sitting 10th in the league after 24 rounds, the talented Heidelberg United squad has shown glimpses in all competitions this year, but has struggled for consistency.
A worrying sign for George Katsakis is that his men are winless in their last eight matches away from home and have conceded on average 3.1 goals per game across that period of time, however on neutral turf, can they turn this form around?
Head Coach George Katsakis wants as much support on the night as possible claiming his men need that “12th man”.
“Success is one thing and support is another,” he said.
“Teams all around the world will win through bigger periods of time and then go through a transitional period, that’s when we need that support.
“I think it's really important we continue the success we’ve built at this club and I think success just brings further success into the club and this is an ideal way after an ordinary season to continue that at Heidelberg.”
The Bergers rank 11th for goals this season in the NPLM with Kaine Sheppard and Sean Ellis leading all-comers with four goals. In the Dockerty Cup, Kaine Sheppard has scored six goals, while Balil Habib and Josh Pin (two) have also helped get their side to the Final.
Heidelberg forward Kaine Sheppard has a habit of scoring in big games and has the quality to be a threat all night. The reigning NPLM Gold Medal winner hasn't had his most prolific season, but will undoubtedly be one to watch.
Balil Habib will provide plenty of headaches for Oakleigh’s Connor Hampson on the wing, while Josh Pin will provide another scoring outlet with his pace and technical quality.
The Heidelberg midfield possesses a good mixture of youth and experience, with Adrian Zahra and Mohamed Aidara leading from the front alongside young guns Anthony Lesiotis and Anthony Theodoropoulos.
Jamal Ali has been a revelation for the Bergers in defence in the back half of the season and will be up for the big task this week alongside Deion Nikolaidis and Shunsuke Murakami
Heidelberg’s run to the Cup started with a 5-1 victory over Springvale, which was followed by a 3-1 win on the road to Kingston City.
The Bergers then pulled off an almighty upset, defeating Avondale before beating St Albans 3-2 then cruising past the Goulburn Valley Suns 5-0.
Last 5 Matches:
- Loss 2-1 v Moreland City (NPLM Round 24)
- Draw 0-0 North Geelong Warriors (NPLM Round 23)
- Draw 1-1 v Avondale (NPLM Round 22)
- Win 5-0 v Goulburn Valley Suns (Dockerty Cup Semi-Final)
- Loss 3-2 v Altona Magic (NPLM Round 21)
2023 Dockerty Cup Details
Oakleigh Cannons v Heidelberg United
Date: 4 August 2023
Venue: Kingston Heath Soccer Complex
Kick-off Time: 7:30 pm (AEST)
Broadcast: NPL.TV and FV Facebook and YouTube. Stream to start 45 mins before kick-off with the pre-match show.