Heidelberg United coach George Katsakis admitted the club will wait to the eleventh hour regarding squad selection following a costly recent run that culminated in Chris Theodoridis being sent off in Friday night’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Oakleigh Cannons.
Having already gone into the game without the likes of Kenny Athiu, Kaine Sheppard, Reuben Way and Sean Ellis, with Tasmanian recruit Emmanual Tsakiris on bench following a long-term injury, Katsakis had to deploy a front-line of Andrew Cartanos and Kosta Kanakaris with Harry Noon also playing out wide.
“It was always going to be tough. We knew that them coming off a 5-0 result in terms of a loss they had to bounce back,” Katsakis said.
“Knowing the fact that we were minus four from last week … in our offensive third who are scoring goals for us, it was always going to be very hard. We had to change our shape, make massive changes.
Despite admitting being second best early, “I thought we came out really well and took the game to them [in the second half].”
The flashpoint came in the 57th minute when Theodoridis was adjudged to have gone in with a leg raised on Dimi Hatzimouratis when leaping for an aerial ball, with a subsequent penalty and red card called against the custodian – his second of the season.
Even though substitute and new recruit Pasquale Gioffre saved Dusan Bosnjak’s penalty with his first touch of the ball, he couldn’t then deny Bosnjak’s redeeming powerful effort later in the contest to prevent Oakleigh from taking the three points against the 10-man Bergers.
That was despite a late resurgence from the visitors, who poked and prodded and almost nabbed the late equaliser when Kanakaris’ header struck the woodwork in stoppage time.
“It galvanised the group, you’re always going to lift after something like that and the boys responded,” Katsakis said.
“To their credit they dug deep and wanted to get something out of the game, [Andreas] Govas had a chance, we hit the post in the last 30 seconds, which could’ve gone in. It shows the character of the team.”
Katsakis however was left livid by the contentious call, arguing that referees wave away such incidents most times.
“Unfortunately for the decision of the referee in terms of the red card, that’s the turning point of the game – it changed the whole dimension. Straight after that we struggled,” he said.
“The worst decision I’ve seen in my coaching career.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it. Not on a goalkeeper who’s protecting himself. I know the boy’s run into him as well, but you just can’t send a keeper off for that. I’ve never seen it in my life.”
With the added hurdle of Gioffre being cup-tied due to his involvement in the FFA Cup with Olympia FC, it’s left the club without a recognised senior keeper in the side for tonight’s Round 6 clash against Green Gully.
Furthermore, with many of the squad’s other injured players still touch-and-go, Katsakis admits a depleted Bergers outfit will have their backs to the wall in such a short turnaround against an in-form Gully side enjoying a rise up the ladder.
“It really makes things difficult for Tuesday night for us now, because leading up to the FFA Cup game, we’re left without a keeper,” he said.
“We’re going to have to go the drawing board, speak to the FFV and see what we’re going to do about it.”
Image: Smile for Peter