Coach: George Katsakis
Pre-Season: LWW (Port Melbourne 1-3, Goulburn Valley Suns 8-1, North Geelong 3-1)
Upcoming Fixtures: South Springvale (Sunday 8th Feb), Richmond (Sunday 10th Feb), Clifton Hill (Sunday 15th Feb)
2014 finish: 3rd The Bergers were one of the teams to beat in the inaugural NPL Victoria season, enjoying a strong season which ultimately ended in third place, behind only Oakleigh and champions South Melbourne. Everything seemed to happen in threes, with Heidelberg conceding the equal third least goals (33), whilst also scoring the third most (55). Following opening back-to-back losses against South and Oakleigh, the Warriors found their rhythm, amassing 21 of an available 24 points from their next eight matches. After four rounds without a win, they then enjoyed another eight games undefeated, before being undone by Northcote City 1-0 in round 22 with a steady finish to the campaign thereafter.
Despite strong league form, Heidelberg endured a short Dockerty Cup campaign, suffering defeat in the fourth round 3-1 to fellow NPL outfit Dandenong Thunder.
New Signings: This off-season has seen Heidelberg bring in a number of new faces, with the aim to build on the encouraging third place last season. Perhaps the biggest signing is Canadian international and ex-Crawley Town and PS Kemi (Finland) midfielder Jon Dollery. Joining him at the club is exciting 22-year-old Kenny Athiu, who signs after starring at NPL1 outfit Box Hill United. Athiu was one of the most exciting players in the lower division last season, and should relish his chance at the top. Heidelberg have looked interstate for talent as well, with attacking midfielder Reuben Way moving south from NPL QLD side Olympic FC.
The Warriors have also raided NPL rivals Oakleigh and Bentleigh Greens, signing midfielder Andreas Govas and defender Jamie Cumming respectively, with the latter helping fill the hole left by the departure of centre-back Paul Miller.
Players to watch: Need we look further than Daniel Heffernan and Kaine Sheppard? The duo contributed 28 of Heidelberg’s 55 goals last season. Both certainly know how to find the back of the net, and will likely cause defences problems again this season. New signing Dollery shapes as a key player, with the ability to play centrally as well as on the wing, and can be a dominant force if he combines with the forwards.
Season Expectations: There is no doubt that United will be a team to watch in 2015, with a solid defence and some of the most prolific strikers in NPL Victoria. They have made crucial signings all over the park, and if the new faces can gel with the existing players a top four finish is most certainly on the cards again. If Heidelberg are able to further tighten their defence, and turn draws into three points – having earned eight last year – they’ll go a long way towards challenging the top dogs. Home final beckons.