With a potentially season defining Derby clash looming on the horizon, Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip has issued a ‘wake up’ call to his side following a 1-3 loss to Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.
With a potentially season defining Derby clash looming on the horizon, Melbourne Heart FC Head Coach John van ‘t Schip has issued a ‘wake up- call to his side following a 1-3 loss to Wellington Phoenix on Sunday.
Entering the half-time break all square following a stellar team goal rounded off by Alex Terra, Heart succumbed to a more experienced Phoenix outfit in the second stanza, as Chris Greenacre and Paul Ifill, who scored twice, put the Red and White to the sword and snared second spot on the table.
With the result consigning Heart to fifth place for the moment, van ‘t Schip stated his team needs to awaken from the stupor which has seen the side struggle for consistency since the New Year.
“The last six games and only two points it’s something we should wake up to,” he said. “It’s time to wake up because having had that big lead, it’s not there anymore, if we’re going into the playoffs.”
Having seen its points advantage over the majority of the competition eroded over the last few weeks, van ‘t Schip has warned his side to be prepared for a scrap as the race for a place in the Hyundai A-League Finals Series heats up.
Preaching vigilance, van ‘t Schip says his team cannot afford to rest on its laurels as the closing pack approaches.
“It’s going to a fight now every game to get there. I don’t know if a lot of the players are aware of that. Maybe that’s the message for the week, to have a good talk about that,” he said.
