Heidelberg United has snapped up discarded Northcote City coach Alex Gymnopoulos , appointing him as the new Senior Technical Director of Football at the club.

His appointment sees him return to the club of his youth where he played in the eighties. It also reunites him with former teammates George Katsakis and Jeff Olver.

“I’m ecstatic. Alex and I have grown up together,” Heidelberg Senior coach George Katsakis said of Gymnopoulos’s appointment.

“We’re cousins and obviously I don’t want that to get in the middle of it. But I think it’s a great appointment. His footballing ability in identifying especially young and raw talent, is exceptional and that’s going to contribute to much of his role in terms of directing the U 18’s and onwards.”

“Heidelberg is a big club with a lot of pressures. Game pressures where we need to be winning games. Probably, the emphasis for myself and Jeff is put into getting a results driven club. So I think by having someone like Alex, it’s going to help us in the development of some good young talent, that we don’t have to go out looking for and bring from interstate and overseas, but we can have them in our own back yard,” said Katsakis.

Whilst Heidelberg has welcomed one former player back to the club, it’s believed that moves are underfoot to secure the services of another in the form of former ace striker Dan Heffernan after A-League club Central Coast Mariners announced last week that his contract would not be renewed beyond the season which has just finished.

Heffernan made seven league appearances for the Mariners in 2015/16 season after signing from Heidelberg at the end of last season. So what are the chances of him returning to the village?

Coach Katsakis was only willing to say, “We’ve had a chat. I can’t say anymore, and certainly the chances are very high.”