Defender Simon Colosimo has been called up to Melbourne Heart FC’s match day squad after recovering from a knee injury which forced him out for a fortnight.
Defender Simon Colosimo has been called up to Melbourne Heart FC-s match day squad after recovering from a knee injury which forced him out for a fortnight.
The former Socceroo has been sidelined since Heart-s 1-3 loss to Adelaide United, where he was substituted in the shadow of half time after colliding with the Reds bullocking forward Bruce Djite.
Colosimo-s return is a timely boost for Heart, which has struggled with defensive cover since the departure of Adrian Madaschi, forcing head coach John van ‘t Schip to field Matt Thompson at the back last week.
However, this development is likely to see Thompson resume his place in the midfield, with Colosimo joining the Young Socceroo pair of Curtis Good and Brendan Hamill in defence.
After enduring an interrupted pre-season, Colosimo-s fortunes failed to turn for the better during the season, as suspension and a series of injuries conspired to force him out of action for extended periods.
But after overcoming his most recent setback, the 33-year-old is confident the worst of it is behind him as he looks to play a pivotal role in Heart-s quest for a debut Hyundai A-League Finals Series berth.
Joining Colosimo as an inclusion in the 15-man match day squad includes Eli Babalj, who was rested midweek after the Club-s high performance staff, ruled he would be unable to play back-to-back matches after a short three-day turnaround.
Babalj is another who suffered a compromised pre-season, but the 19-year-old has benefitted from the conservative approach taken by Heart in reintroducing him to first team football, resulting in a break out campaign which has netted him four goals in eight starts.
Olyroo Jason Hoffman and Brazilian striker Maycon are the two players who make way to accommodate Babalj and Colosimo-s inclusion for tonight-s match.
Squad v Brisbane Roar
1. Clint Bolton (GK), 2. Michael Marrone, 3. Brendan Hamill, 4. Simon Colosimo, 6. Matt Thompson ©, 7. Rutger Worm, 8. Kristian Sarkies, 11. Alex Terra, 13. Jonatan Germano, 15. David Williams, 16. Aziz Behich, 18. Curtis Good, 19. Eli Babalj, 23. Mate Dugandzic, 30. Sebastian Mattei (GK)
