.gif "Sack Attack: An A-League Webcomic")
A late goal from Melbourne Heart debutant Golgol Mebrahtu was enough to secure all three points for the hosts over Perth Glory in the Hyundai A-League.
Players welcomed a cool change in warm Melbourne just before kick off however it seemed all players were stunned cold with both sides failing to capitalise on a number of opportunities throughout the game.
Josip Tadic had the opportunity to get the ball rolling for the hosts within the first 4 minutes of the game however his shot hit the side netting, much to the disappointment of the faithful at the Yarraside.
Goalkeepers Danny Vukovic and Clint Bolton were kept on their toes during the first half with Heart's Nick Kalmar and Glory's Shane Smeltz doing their best to trouble the defence. Kalmar took the opportunity of the space he found between Glory defenders however his long range shot at the 20th minute mark was palmed away by Vukovic. He had a second shot to try and redeem himself at the half time mark however his powerful kick was easily caught by the Glory goalkeeper.
Shane Smeltz was left wondering what else he had to do to get the ball into the back of the net after consecutive misses just before half time. Smeltz latched onto a Travis Dodd cross and Glory fans were certain the striker had scored, however the ball sailed just wide of the upright. A minute later Smeltz somehow found space between the Heart defenders, his shot sailing to the left of the posts this time.
The 4,505 fans in attendance were clearly restless after a scoreless first half, urging players to shoot at every opportunity - the Yarraside even bringing out a "Just Shoot!" sign to show the players what they wanted.
Jacob Burns, returning from a one game suspension after receiving 5 yellow cards throughout the season, was once again cautioned for an off the ball incident on Tadic. Heart coach John Aloisi later labelled the Glory captain as "disrespectful" after Burns interfered in a discussion between the coach and the 4th official at full time. It was clear the Heart were not going to be bullied by the Glory and their mindset showed in the second half.
Heart captain Fred had the best opportunities of the latter half without any success. A beautiful pass by David Williams saw the captain in yards of space, his shot sailing wide of the goals. He was clearly disappointed with his half-hearted attempt and tried to reconcile 10 minutes later with a diving header, once again missing the net.
He then made way for super-sub Golgol Mebrahtu at the 77th minute mark and it didn't take long for the former Gold Coast United player to steal all three points from the Glory. The substitute latched onto a wonderful through ball from Josip Tadic and rolled the ball past Vukovic. John Aloisi later praised his players for keeping consecutive clean sheets, stating the team now has the belief that they can match it with the tougher opposition.
Melbourne Heart travel to ladder leaders Central Coast next week while Perth Glory host the Newcastle Jets.