Not all Cupsets are created equal. Heidelberg United’s 3-1 defeat of the Central Coast Mariners last Wednesday was the fourth time a state-league side have knocked off the reigning A-League Champions in the Australia Cup, although none of the previous three occasions have seen a side with the aura of the treble-winning Mariners slain.
It capped a remarkable hat-trick of NPL Victoria Cupsets along with Oakleigh and South Melbourne’s defeats of Sydney FC and Wellington, respectively; all five Victorian state-level representatives have advanced to the Round of 16, with the Bergers drawn to meet the Cannons in Bundoora on August 28.
Nobody knows the Victorian scene like manager John Anastasiadis, who’s returned to his boyhood club over thirty years since he departed for Greece, before spending years on the touchlines of Oakleigh and Bentleigh. He took particular delight in Wednesday’s third goal, Sean Ellis’ knockout blow deep in extra time a marker of their attacking intent despite tiring legs.
‘It was a great night for the club. A lot of out players have aspirations to make it to the top league at some point, or some have had a taste but never got that right opportunity, so this was a good chance for them to show what they’re about, and I thought the boys, from go to woe, were very good’, Anastasiadis told Box2Box.
‘I could tell from the start they were on song and weren’t going to let this opportunity go by to beat not only the national champions, but the Asian [AFC Cup] Champions as well. It was great to see, and very fitting that a guy like Sean Ellis – who for me if he was ten years younger would be in the A-League with his eyes closed – scored the great third goal.’
The parallel between the shifting of the competition to earlier in the calendar year and the spike in Cupsets is undeniable; on seven occasions semi-professional sides have defeated A-League opposition since the change was made ahead of 2022, a sharp incline from the eight Cupsets in six pre-Covid seasons. Sydney United 58 also became the first state-league side to reach a final, in 2022.
Anastasiadis didn’t deny that moving the competition almost entirely into the A-League pre-season had been a factor, but was emphatic that the level between professional and state-league competition has reduced, and is only likely to continue in this manner as the A-League downsizes financially, after a string of administrative setbacks.
“You’re never going to make everyone happy, but what can you do, outside of aligning the competitions? I think the way it is at the moment is probably the best way. The next round gets even harder for NPL teams, then after that it’s extremely difficult with A-League clubs primed for the start of their season.
‘We’ll take it as it is, but is the gap getting smaller? Yes, absolutely. The A-League is having some issues at the moment and a lot of young boys will be coming in, so NPL clubs will match up to them [more] easily.
‘That’s not to disrespect young players, but they’re inexperienced compared to [senior] NPL teams, so the gap is getting smaller.
Heidelberg will play finals in their first season under Anastasiadis, safely entrenched in the top six ahead of their final regular season match against Dandenong City this Sunday. Although an outside chance to go all the way this season, Anastasiadis makes no secret of his ambition to lead the club back to the national stage on which he represented them as a player in the late-80s.
‘Heidelberg was the club I grew up supporting, my dad was part of it, and they I played here before I went overseas and always kept an eye on them. When I came back in 1997 I was really disappointed they weren’t in the biggest league, the old NSL, because the derby with South Melbourne was the biggest in Australia. To not have a team in there was heartbreaking.
‘I didn’t want to leave the A-League (departing Western United after four seasons as an assistant in May 2023), and was initially going to go to South Melbourne. But then Heidelberg showed some interest… I had no hesitation in coming here and the warmth and happiness from everyone has been so nice to see.
‘That someone like me is back here, the club I played for and supported as a kid… it’s made me feel so welcome. There’s some big ambitions for a boutique stadium, and you just hope at some stage we get the opportunity to play in a bigger league, and that if there’s a ‘B-League’ we’ll be in that when it comes to fruition.’