Melbourne Heart FC’s Clint Bolton says the playing group will draw on the emotion of the Melbourne Derby when it takes on Brisbane Roar at Skilled Park on Saturday.
Melbourne Heart FC-s Clint Bolton says the playing group will draw on the emotion of the Melbourne Derby when it takes on Brisbane Roar at Skilled Park on Saturday.
The third instalment of the Melbourne footballing showcase provided clear evidence of its rapid rise in the local sporting landscape, with the match and its subsequent aftermath capturing the attention of the entire city.
And following the injury sustained by young winger Adrian Zahra, Bolton said Heart would use the events of the night as a motivating factor when the side takes on the league leading Roar.
“Obviously games are fast running out for us, so it-s pretty much three from three we need now to win. We will take that frustration, that anger and channel it towards Brisbane on Saturday,” he said.
“Hopefully we can finish off the season in style as we-ve been playing some good football as of late and it looks like it-s out of hands now, which is disappointing, but all we can do is win our last three matches.”
Falling two goals behind within half an hour of the contest, Heart-s comeback result against Victory further reinforced the stern resolve of John van ‘t Schip-s side, which has proven repeatedly throughout its inaugural season that it possesses a dogged determination and self belief.
Bolton said Heart-s Melbourne Derby performance can lay the platform for the philosophies and values the Club will hold well into the future.
“I think we did enough to obviously win the other night but we couldn-t get the final goal,” he said.
“We started off a little bit slow, but again we-ve shown signs that when we-ve gone down, we can fight back, which shows good character and is the basis of which this Club should be built on.”
The former Socceroo glovesman believes that in the space of merely four months, the Derby has developed into undoubtedly one of the biggest matches of the Hyundai A-League season.
“(The way the Derby has developed) doesn-t really surprise me. You just look at the derbies around the world and they are all pretty much fought out the same way. Form goes out the window in these sort of games and it-s just a matter of who wants it the most,” he said.
“We have to congratulate the Melbourne fans for getting out and supporting the Derby which has just become already within the first season, a real institution within the Hyundai A-League.”
