A place in the semi-finals of the historic Dockerty Cup awaits for the victor of tonight’s playoff tie between Green Gully and Heidelberg United at the Valley Park Events Centre.
The competition is in its 113th season and in that time Gully have seen themselves crowned champions five times, while the Bergers have etched their name on the on the prestigious trophy twice.
Both sides have enjoyed stellar cup form in the the Australia Cup, which has led them both to this game. Between the teams, they have only conceded one goal across four rounds as they head into the national phase. The hall mark of a top side is to be competing across multiple fronts and the Dockerty Cup provides both with an opportunity to do just that.
Heidelberg’s victory away at Altona on Saturday night saw their unbeaten run in all competitions extend to nine matches. The streak has skyrocketed them up the table after a slow start to the year and they now sit sixth in the NPL Victoria table, having also defeated Dandenong Thunder SC 2-0 to earn a spot in the Round of 32 of the Australia Cup.
The last team to inflict defeat on the Bergers, however: Green Gully.
The home side ran riot at Green Gully Reserve back in late April, putting four past Heidelberg with no reply.
Gully’s form of late has been somewhat inconsistent with two wins, two losses and two draws in their last six games. Stephen Downes will take confidence from the team's defensive fortitude of late though, conceding just one goal across two matches against high scoring Avondale and league leaders South Melbourne.
Despite Heidelberg’ impressive run, Gully still sit a point above the Bergers in the NPL Victoria table, and their cup form has been scintillating to say the least. In four cup games, the men in green and white have netted 17 times and are yet to concede a goal. They will hope their proficiency for knock out football continues tonight.
Downes' side have proven they can share the scoring load too, with Nahuel Bonada, Mamadi Kamara and Luc Jeggo the pick of the bunch in 2022. The trio have 10, seven and six goals to their names respectively.
As for the Bergers, the defeat to their opponents back in Round 11 may very well have been the catalyst for George Katsakis’ side to turn their season around.
Kane Sheppard has been prolific so far this campaign with 18 goals in all competitions and rarely needs a second chance to find the back of the net. Interestingly, forward Joshua Pin’s return to the Heidelberg squad back in Round 13 almost perfectly lines up with their impressive return to form.
The neutral venue for tonight’s clash should see both sets of fans in full voice to make for a atmosphere reminiscent of a cup final with the Gully faithful having a slightly shorter trip to Broadmeadows. We will have to wait and see if that makes a difference in the noise levels tonight.
It’s win or go home in what is shaping up to be another cup classic.