Heidelberg United and Hume City will kick-off the 2024 NPLM Finals Series when they do battle at Olympic Village on Friday night, for a place in the semi-finals.
Unable to be separated in either of their two regular season match-ups, and with just one point between them on the final table, this fixture promises to be an evenly-matched, tough-fought contest.
The home side Heidelberg, have to go back to their 2018 Championship year to find the last time they were victorious in the NPL finals series, falling to the Oakleigh Cannons in an elimination final in 2022 and Bentleigh Greens in the 2019 semi-final.
One of the players that the Bergers will be relying on to buck that trend is 24-year-old defender Ben Collins. The towering centre-back has been a rock in defense, featuring seven times in the NPLM Team of the Week awards – more than any other player in the elimination finals.
Heidelberg are coming into the Finals series with good form, winning four of their last five in the league to earn the home ground advantage in the first week, the only blemish on that record the draw against this week’s opponents.
Yaren Sozer in goals has also been immense. Leading the way, Collins and Sozer along with the rest of Heidelberg’s resilient backline has seen them concede just 21 goals in the regular season, one short of the best defensive record in the league.
To keep that pristine record intact, they’ll have to find a way to stop Hume City’s Amar Abdallah, who’s lit the way for his team, scoring 14 goals this season in the league and featuring four times in the NPL Team of the Week.
Abdallah is also in good form against the Bergers, scoring Hume’s goal the last time these two sides met in Round 24.
Former English Championship winger Lloyd Isgrove has been a revelation for the Broadmeadows-based outfit, also scoring 14 goals from the wing, with several Goal of the Year contenders the highlight of an eye-catching return.
As a team, Hume suffered a 3-1 loss to 3rd-placed Oakleigh in the final round, but before that, were undefeated in their last seven – including a win over table-toppers South Melbourne which should give them plenty of confidence.
This is Hume’s first finals appearance since the 2019 season, when they were eliminated at the same stage.
Sitting in 4th and 5th respectively, the eventual winner will have to wait for the result of the following Elimination final between Oakleigh Cannons and Dandenong City before they learn their opponent in the next round.
A Cannons win would mean the winner of this fixture takes on Premiers, South Melbourne. If Dandenong City advances, it would be a date with the reigning Champions, Avondale.
Elimination Final in detail
Elimination Final 2: Heidelberg United vs Hume City
Venue: Olympic Village, Heidelberg West
Date/Time: Friday 23 August 2024, 7:30PM
All-time Head-to-Head
Played: 37
Heidelberg United: 13
Hume City: 16
Draws: 8
2024 Season Head-to-Head
Played: 2
Heidelberg United: 0
Hume City: 0
Draws: 2
2024 Match Summaries
Round 11, Saturday April 27, 2024, 7:00pm @ Hume City Stadium, Westmeadows.
Hume City 2 (Bingham 65, Gulevski 90);
Heidelberg United 2 (Collins 45+4, Yokokawa 84).
Referee: Adam Bavcar.
Hume City: Jacson Riley (Eren Arslan 48), Lachlan Weier, Lloyd Isgrove, Mickel Platt (Joshua Gulevski 81), Josh Bingham, Mark Ochieng, Harry Ascroft, Tomas Maricic, Joshua Okane, Oskar Karlsson, Aamir Abdallah; Coach: David Chick; Cautions: Ascroft 61.
Heidelberg United: Yaren Sozer, Benjamin Collins, Jamal Ali, Ajdin Fetahagic, Anthony Lesiotis (Asahi Yokokawa 81), Leo Mazis (Sean Ellis 74), Deion Nikolaidis (Adrian Zahra 74), Kaine Sheppard, Joshua Pin, Mohamed Aidara, Nicholas Olsen; Coach: John Anastasiadis; Cautions: Mazis 43, Nikolaidis 58, Fetahagic 86.
Round 24, Friday July 26, 2024, 7:45pm @ Olympic Village, Heidelberg West.
Heidelberg United 1 (James Ngor 8);
Hume City 1 (Abdallah 56).
Referee: Michael Mammis.
Heidelberg United: Yaren Sozer, Benjamin Collins, Jamal Ali, Ajdin Fetahagic, Anthony Lesiotis, Adrian Zahra, Sebit James Ngor (Leo Mazis 70), Asahi Yokokawa, Joshua Pin (Jayden Gorman 79), Cherif Mohamed Aidara, Nicholas Olsen (Sean Ellis 79); Coach: John Anastasiadis; Cautions: Zahra 37, Ali 52, Lesiotis 54, Sozer 57.
Hume City: Michael Weier, Lachlan Weier, Fletcher McFarlane (Mark Ochieng 81), Lloyd Isgrove, Mickel Platt (Joshua Gulevski 83), Josh Bingham, Harry Ascroft, Tomas Maricic, Joshua Okane, Oskar Karlsson, Aamir Abdallah; Coach: David Chick; Cautions: Isgrove 78.
Heidelberg United Season Summary
Finishing Position: 4th (Season Record: P26 W14 D9 L3)
Coach: John Anastasiadis (Season Record: as above)
Players used: 22
Goals scored: 46
Goals conceded: 21
Cautions: 53
Send offs: 4
Clean sheets: 12
Heidelberg United Player Statistics
| Player | Ap | St | Su | Gls | Ye | Re | TOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed Aidara | 25 | 25 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Jamal Ali | 23 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| Johnny Apostolopoulos | 9 | 1 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eoin Ashton | 14 | 2 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Benjamin Collins | 26 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 7 |
| Benjamin Davine | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sean Ellis | 25 | 8 | 17 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Dominic Falla | 19 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Ajdin Fetahagic | 25 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 |
| Jayden Gorman | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Anthony Lesiotis | 15 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Leo Mazis | 25 | 21 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Sebit James Ngor | 7 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Deion Nikolaidis | 19 | 14 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Nicholas Olsen | 26 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Joshua Pin | 21 | 17 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Ethan Sardellis | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kaine Sheppard | 23 | 19 | 4 | 10 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Yaren Sozer (GK) | 26 | 26 | 0 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| Anthony Theodoropoulos | 13 | 4 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Asahi Yokokawa | 22 | 20 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
| Adrian Zahra | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
Hume City Season Summary
Finishing Position: 5th (Season Record: P26 W15 D5 L6)
Coach: Daniel Chick (Season Record: P20 W11 D5 L4)
Previous Coach: Cameron Watson (Season Record: P6 W4 D0 L2)
Players used: 23
Goals scored: 50
Goals conceded: 29
Cautions: 46
Send offs: 2
Clean sheets: 10
Hume City Player Statistics
| Player | Ap | St | Su | Gls | Ye | Re | TOW |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aamir Abdallah | 26 | 26 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Marcus Aiello | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Eren Arslan (GK) | 7 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Harry Ascroft | 25 | 25 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Bingham | 23 | 21 | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
| Umut Bozdugan | 17 | 6 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Obiora Eze | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Giarrizzo | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Joshua Gulevski | 24 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Karl Imanzi | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lloyd Isgrove | 24 | 21 | 3 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Aisen Ishak | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oskar Karlsson | 26 | 22 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tomas Maricic | 17 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Fletcher McFarlane | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Mark Ochieng | 26 | 24 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Joshua Okane | 26 | 25 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Samuel Pisani | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mickel Platt | 23 | 15 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Jacson Riley (GK) | 12 | 11 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Mehmet Uysal | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lachlan Weier | 25 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Weier (GK) | 9 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 |
Statistical summary
Ap: appearances
St: starting appearances
Su: substitute appearances
Gls: goals (for goalkeepers, this is clean sheets)
Ye: cautions
Re: send offs
TOW: Team of the week appearances