Midfielder Nick Kalmar is the surprise inclusion in Melbourne Heart FC’s squad to face Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Sunday after impressing the Club’s coaching staff with his output at training.
Midfielder Nick Kalmar is the surprise inclusion in Melbourne Heart FC-s squad to face Perth Glory at nib Stadium on Sunday after impressing the Club-s coaching staff with his output at training.
Kalmar, 24, has been out of the first team reckoning since October, when a severe back injury forced him to the sidelines for nearly three months.
While the Melbourne Knights junior was able to rebuild his fitness through a series of impressive outings in the National Youth League, it seemed Kalmar had run out of opportunities to force his way back into the match day squad before the end of the season.
But with side-s able to field an extend five-match bench during the Finals Series, and defender Simon Colosimo unavailable through injury, Kalmar will take his place on the plane to Perth on Saturday.
Head Coach John van ‘t Schip said Kalmar-s form in training proved the catalyst for his selection, with his scoring prowess a significant factor in his elevation to the match day squad.
“With Simon dropping out, we had a spot left, and Nick has done very well in training, and he could be a player however the game goes that you could put in,” he said.
“He-s showed in the past that he can score a goal, he-s good with his head, he has that sense in front of goal.
“Depending on what we need, he-s available. Nick has a good finish, a good free kick, a good penalty, so they are some of the reasons why he-s been called up, but the main one is he has trained well.”
Kalmar was a revelation during Heart-s debut Hyundai A-League campaign, netting four goals during a stellar season, as he easily made the transition from the Victorian Premier League to Australia-s top flight competition.
