Nick Kalmar is thriving on the opportunity afforded to him by Head Coach John Aloisi, but the Melbourne Heart FC midfielder has also expressed gratitude to a player competing to displace him.
Nick Kalmar is thriving on the opportunity afforded to him by Head Coach John Aloisi, but the Melbourne Heart FC midfielder has also expressed gratitude to a player competing to displace him.
Kalmar, 25, has featured in the starting line-up for Heart in its past three matches and with a return of two goals, he has repaid Aloisi-s faith to include him in the Red and White’s starting XI.
But with Heart skipper Fred breathing down Kalmar’s neck to reclaim his spot, Kalmar is feeling support, rather than pressure, from the Club’s inspirational leader as competition hots up for a spot in Heart’s midfield.
“John-s given me some confidence by playing me and I-m just excited to be back in the team and be a part of it,” Kalmar said.
“Fred has been really supportive… he-s had a few chats with me and told me to keep going which has been really good for me.
“It feels good and my fitness base keeps rising each week.
“I-m just trying to repay the coaching staff and obviously my teammates.
With a second consecutive finals appearance on the line, the in-form Kalmar opened the Red and White’s account against the Sky Blues on their way to a fifth straight win on home soil.
“We knew to how important it was to get the win, obviously with the teams around us pushing for a spot in the finals so we-re very happy,” Kalmar said.
Having secured maximum points in Heart-s last five games at AAMI Park, the side-s attention turns to their away clash against Wellington this Sunday in Dunedin.
While Kalmar admitted the team was well aware of their record away from home this season, the midfielder still believes Heart can bring home the three points against the Phoenix.
“Obviously that-s been a bit of an issue for us throughout the season,” Kalmar said.
“Again, we-re full of confidence and we-re going to have to rectify that problem away from home and try and play with that same intensity and get a win.
“We-re coming to the end of the season and points are vital.
“We-re travelling a day earlier so we have a full day to train and get used to the conditions up there, which will be good I suppose – a bit of team bonding as well and a good rest up there and we’ll be ready for the match.”
