Melbourne Heart FC midfielder Kristian Sarkies says the side needs to move on from the disappointment of January and focus on the challenge of Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.
Melbourne Heart FC midfielder Kristian Sarkies says the side needs to move on from the disappointment of January and focus on the challenge of Melbourne Victory on Saturday night.
A winless and arguably luckless month of football yielded only a pair of points for Heart, triggering a stumble down the table from equal second to fifth place.
With cross town rivals Victory looming on the horizon as Heart-s next assignment, Sarkies says the time for navel gazing is over, remarking the Red and White must bounce back with a vengeance on the Hyundai A-League regular season-s grandest stage.
“That-s what you have to do in the game we play, the league we-re in,” Sarkies said.
“You need to obviously forget about the last game and obviously learn from our mistakes, and look towards the next game, which is probably the one we look for on the calendar.”
With the fixture playing havoc for both sides, Sarkies says neither Heart nor Victory can cite the playing schedule as a disadvantage, stating its simple a vagary of the competition.
“We-ve obviously played three games in a week last week. They played midweek and have to back up on Saturday, so I guess, we all have to deal with the (schedule),” he said.
Having failed to feature in the Hyundai A-League until January, Sarkies emerged as a leading light throughout a time of gloom, rediscovering the touch of old as he reminded the Australian football public of the quality which saw him earn two Socceroo caps and a trip to Germany as part of the Socceroos train-on squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup.
Commenting on his physical condition, Sarkes says he is coping well with the increased intensity of Hyundai A-League action, and believes continued application in training will enable him to maintain his level of performance.
“It-s feeling good, very good. Hopefully I hold out. If I keep doing the right things on the park, I should be alright,” he said.
Facing his former side, a goal is obviously on the agenda for the 25-year old, but Sarkies says he has targets set on a higher aim: three points.
“I think the three points would be better than a goal, but it would be the icing on the cake,” he said.
“We spoke about it as a team last week, that every game from now on is a final for us. With eight games to go, maximum points are what we are after.”
