Melbourne derby
Encyclopedia
The Melbourne Derby is currently the only intra-city local derby
in Australia's premier Association football competition, the A-League
, between the two Melbourne teams in the competition, Melbourne Victory
and Melbourne Heart. It is the A-League's first intra-city derby, and although only one season old, is said to be climbing to be the league's biggest rivalry. Already in just four games there have been two red cards, twenty-six yellows and eleven goals.
season, the inaugural season of the Heart. Melbourne Victory have been in the league since its beginning.
The inaugural Melbourne Derby was scheduled to be held at AAMI Park
on 2 October 2010, the Saturday after the 2010 AFL Grand Final
in order to maximise promotion of the game. But because AFL Grand Final was drawn (in a very unlikely event), a replay was needed, which forced the derby to be postponed to October 8.
Melbourne Heart won the inaugural derby 2–1 at AAMI Park, thanks to goals from Alex Terra and John Aloisi
. Robbie Kruse
scored for Victory. Aziz Behich was sent off late in the second half, but Heart were able to hold on and secure the win. Although the game was an official sell out, only 25,897 fans turned up, well short of AAMI Park's official capacity of 30,050.
The second derby on 11 December 2010, attracted 23,059 fans to AAMI Park, and saw the Victory gain their first derby win. Robbie Kruse
scored a brace and the Victory finished 3–1 winners.
The Victory had their first home derby on January 22 at Docklands Stadium. Victory went up 2-0 in the first half due to goals from Danny Allsopp and Carlos Hernandez, but Heart fought back, scoring a goal in the last minute of the first half, and another just after half time, both from John Aloisi
. The match ended a 2-2 draw. This derby was marred by an unacceptable tackle by Kevin Muscat
on Adrian Zahra
, which earned the Victory captain his second straight red card, and a subsequent eight-match ban, ending not only his season, but his A-League career.
In the third round of the seventh season, 2011–12
, the two sides met once again, but were locked for the first time to a scoreless draw.
Players in bold are still active at their Melbourne club.
(Victory to Heart via Hume City) (2010) Kristian Sarkies
(Victory to Heart via Adelaide United) (2010) Mate Dugandžić
(Victory to Heart) (2011) Fred
(Victory to Heart via D.C. United
, Wellington Phoenix (on loan) and Philadelphia Union) (2011) Sebastian Mattei
(Victory to Heart) (2011) (Youth Team)
Local derby
In many countries the term local derby, or simply just derby means a sporting fixture between two, generally local, rivals, particularly in association football...
in Australia's premier Association football competition, the A-League
A-League
The A-League is the top Australasian professional football league. Run by Australian governing body Football Federation Australia , it was founded in 2004 following the folding of the National Soccer League and staged its inaugural season in 2005–06. It is sponsored by Hyundai Motor Company...
, between the two Melbourne teams in the competition, Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory
Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League....
and Melbourne Heart. It is the A-League's first intra-city derby, and although only one season old, is said to be climbing to be the league's biggest rivalry. Already in just four games there have been two red cards, twenty-six yellows and eleven goals.
History
The Melbourne Derby began in the sixth season of the A-League, the 2010–112010–11 A-League
The 2010–11 A-League season is the sixth season of the Australian football championship since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 February 2011. The addition of brought the total number of teams to 11...
season, the inaugural season of the Heart. Melbourne Victory have been in the league since its beginning.
The inaugural Melbourne Derby was scheduled to be held at AAMI Park
Melbourne Rectangular Stadium
The Melbourne Rectangular Stadium is an outdoor sports stadium on the site of Edwin Flack Field on Olympic Boulevard in the Sports and Entertainment Precinct, in inner Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
on 2 October 2010, the Saturday after the 2010 AFL Grand Final
2010 AFL Grand Final
The 2010 AFL Grand Final is either of two Australian rules football contests between the Collingwood Football Club and the St Kilda Football Club. Together they are considered the 114th annual Grand Final of the Victorian Football League/Australian Football League, and were staged to determine the...
in order to maximise promotion of the game. But because AFL Grand Final was drawn (in a very unlikely event), a replay was needed, which forced the derby to be postponed to October 8.
Melbourne Heart won the inaugural derby 2–1 at AAMI Park, thanks to goals from Alex Terra and John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....
. Robbie Kruse
Robbie Kruse
Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team...
scored for Victory. Aziz Behich was sent off late in the second half, but Heart were able to hold on and secure the win. Although the game was an official sell out, only 25,897 fans turned up, well short of AAMI Park's official capacity of 30,050.
The second derby on 11 December 2010, attracted 23,059 fans to AAMI Park, and saw the Victory gain their first derby win. Robbie Kruse
Robbie Kruse
Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team...
scored a brace and the Victory finished 3–1 winners.
The Victory had their first home derby on January 22 at Docklands Stadium. Victory went up 2-0 in the first half due to goals from Danny Allsopp and Carlos Hernandez, but Heart fought back, scoring a goal in the last minute of the first half, and another just after half time, both from John Aloisi
John Aloisi
John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart....
. The match ended a 2-2 draw. This derby was marred by an unacceptable tackle by Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat
Kevin Muscat is an Australian football player who currently plays for Victorian State League Division 1 side Sunshine George Cross and is assistant coach of Melbourne Victory...
on Adrian Zahra
Adrian Zahra
Adrian Zahra is an Australian football player who plays for Melbourne Heart in the A-League. He started his senior career with Melbourne Knights in the Victorian Premier League, before signing with the Heart in 2010 – one of many Heart players to come through the Victorian leagues up to the top...
, which earned the Victory captain his second straight red card, and a subsequent eight-match ban, ending not only his season, but his A-League career.
In the third round of the seventh season, 2011–12
2011–12 A-League
The A-League's 2011–12 season is the seventh season of the Australasian A-League football competition since its establishment in 2004. At the end of the previous season, the North Queensland Fury were cut from the competition by the governing body, Football Federation Australia, due to financial...
, the two sides met once again, but were locked for the first time to a scoreless draw.
League matches
| Season | Derby | |Date | |Home team | Score | |Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–11 2010–11 A-League The 2010–11 A-League season is the sixth season of the Australian football championship since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 February 2011. The addition of brought the total number of teams to 11... |
I | 8 October 2010 | Melbourne Heart | center>2–1 | Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... |
Aloisi John Aloisi John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart.... (10), Terra (56) |
Kruse Robbie Kruse Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team... (35) |
AAMI Park | 25,897 |
| II | 11 December 2010 | Melbourne Heart | center>1–3 | Melbourne Victory | Sibon Gerald Sibon Gerald Sibon is a Dutch football player who plays for Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen.-Europe:He featured for FC Twente in the 1993–94 season as a substitute but could only string together three games before deciding to sign for VVV-Venlo of the Eerste Divisie in the following season... (17) |
Kruse Robbie Kruse Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team... (12, 28), Leijer Adrian Leijer Adrian Leijer is an Australian football player who currently plays as a centre back for A-League team Melbourne Victory and is also the Captain of the side.-Early years:... (54) |
AAMI Park | 23,059 | |
| III | 22 January 2011 | Melbourne Victory | center>2–2 | Melbourne Heart | Allsopp (11), Hernández (30) | Aloisi John Aloisi John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart.... (45+2, 51) |
Etihad Stadium | 32,231 | |
| 2011-12 2010–11 A-League The 2010–11 A-League season is the sixth season of the Australian football championship since its establishment in 2004. The home and away season began on 5 August 2010 and concluded on 13 February 2011. The addition of brought the total number of teams to 11... |
IV | 22 October 2011 | Melbourne Victory | center>0–0 | Melbourne Heart | - | - | Etihad Stadium | 39,309 |
| V | 23 December 2011 | Melbourne Heart | Melbourne Victory | TBA | TBA | AAMI Park | |||
| VI | 4 February 2012 | Melbourne Heart | Melbourne Victory | TBA | TBA | AAMI Park |
Head to head
| Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | ||
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 6 | ||
Leading scorers
| Player | Club | Total |
|---|---|---|
 Robbie KruseRobbie Kruse Robbie Thomas Kruse is an Australian football player who currently plays as a forward for German side Fortuna Düsseldorf in the 2. Bundesliga and the Australian national team... |
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... |
3 |
| John Aloisi John Aloisi John Aloisi is a retired Australian football player who played as a striker, and the current youth team manager at Melbourne Heart.... |
Melbourne Heart | 3 |
| Danny Allsopp |
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... |
1 |
 Carlos Hernández |
Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... |
1 |
| Gerald Sibon Gerald Sibon Gerald Sibon is a Dutch football player who plays for Eredivisie club SC Heerenveen.-Europe:He featured for FC Twente in the 1993–94 season as a substitute but could only string together three games before deciding to sign for VVV-Venlo of the Eerste Divisie in the following season... |
Melbourne Heart | 1 |
 Alex Terra |
Melbourne Heart | 1 |
| Wayne Srhoj |
Melbourne Heart | 1 OG Own goal An own net occurs in goal-scoring games when a player scores a goal that is registered against his or her own team. It is usually accidental, and may be a result of an attempt at defensive play that failed or was spoiled by opponents.... |
Players in bold are still active at their Melbourne club.
Players who have played for both clubs
Aziz BehichAziz Behich
Aziz Behich is an Australian football player who currently plays for Melbourne Heart in the A-League and the Australia Under-23 national team. He was the first player to play for both Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart having being transferred in 2010.-Green Gully:Behich played in the junior...
(Victory to Heart via Hume City) (2010) Kristian Sarkies
Kristian Sarkies
Kristian Sarkies is an Australian football player who currently plays for Melbourne Heart...
(Victory to Heart via Adelaide United) (2010) Mate Dugandžić
Mate Dugandžic
Mate Dugandžić is an Australian football player, who currently plays for Melbourne Heart FC in the Hyundai A-League. He was the first player ever to make a direct switch between Melbourne Victory and Melbourne Heart....
(Victory to Heart) (2011) Fred
Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva
Helbert Frederico Carreiro da Silva, commonly known as Fred is a Brazilian footballer who currently plays for A-League club Melbourne Heart, and is also the team captain.-Brazil:...
(Victory to Heart via D.C. United
D.C. United
D.C. United is an American professional soccer club based in Washington, D.C. which competes in Major League Soccer , the top professional soccer league in the United States and Canada. It is one of the ten charter clubs of MLS, having competed in the league since its inception, in 1996.Over the...
, Wellington Phoenix (on loan) and Philadelphia Union) (2011) Sebastian Mattei
Sebastian Mattei
Sebastian Mattei is an Australian football player. Mattei plays as a goalkeeper for Melbourne Heart's National Youth League team in the Hyundai A-League.-Club Career:...
(Victory to Heart) (2011) (Youth Team)
Youth League matches
| Season | Derby | |Date | |Home team | Score | |Away team | Goals (home) | Goals (away) | Venue | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 2011–12 A-League National Youth League -Round 2:-Round 3:-Round 4:-Round 5:-Round 6:-Round 7:-Round 8:-Round 9:-Round 10:-Round 11:-Round 12:-Round 13:-Round 14:-Round 15:-Round 16:... |
I | 23 October 2011 | Melbourne Heart | center>2-0 | Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Melbourne Victory Football Club is an Australian professional football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, that plays in the A-League.... |
Z. Walker, Andrijasevic | - | John Cain Memorial Reserve John Cain Memorial Reserve John Cain Memorial Reserve, is an Australian football stadium in Thornbury, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria.The 5,000 capacity stadium currently serves home to Northcote City SC. John Cain Memorial Reserve was named after John Cain 'Senior' former Victorian Premier and father of John Cain former... |
Approx. 800 |
| II | 5 February 2012 | Melbourne Heart | Melbourne Victory | TBA | TBA | Kingston Heath Soccer Complex Kingston Heath Soccer Complex Kingston Heath Soccer Complex, is an Australian football stadium in Cheltenham, a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria.It is currently the home of the Bentleigh Greens... |
Head to head
| Club | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||