Seven rounds straight we’ve seen South Melbourne, Oakleigh Cannons, Heidelberg United and Bentleigh Greens top the NPL league.

During that time, we’ve seen some mixed results, but for most part the battle for top spot has remained unchanged.

This week, the layout of the ladder could be in for a slight change to the standings. One point differentiates Heidelberg United and Bentleigh Greens, and for the Greens now is their best chance to get ahead.

Heidelberg was held to a draw last week at the hands of a formidable Ballarat Red Devils, but in true Heidelberg style, the match was full of goals.

The match ended with a whopping 5-5 score, both teams mimicking each other on the field.

Heidelberg coach George Katsakis sometimes found it hard to keep up with the frenetic pace of the game.

“It was way too hectic. Everything just happened so quickly,” Katsakis said to the FFV.

“Every time we went ahead we couldn’t retain it, and every time Ballarat went ahead they couldn’t retain it. I guess it added to the spectacle of the game and
made it a tremendous one to watch.”

Heidelberg are one of the NPL’s highest scoring teams thanks to having the league’s best attacking duo in Daniel Heffernan and Kaine Sheppard.

In the past two matches, Heidelberg have managed to score ten goals, keeping fans on the edge of their seats and ruining their opponent’s defence. They
will be hoping to get another three points to grow their lead and keep the Greens at bay for now.

Heidelberg take on fellow Greek sponsored club, Port Melbourne Sharks this week, which might not be as easy as they expect.

The Sharks have just come off a vital 1-0 win against Goulburn Valley Suns, but their whole season has been plagued by mixed results.

In 17 rounds, they’ve only managed five wins, and taking home a win last week from a team at the bottom of the ladder isn’t a big enough test for them.

South Melbourne seems to be back in the groove of things after its record winning streak came to an abrupt end in round 12.

They are definitely making up for it now to the detriment of Oakleigh Cannons, who have been trying to catch up to them since the start.

Six points still separate the two teams, and Oakleigh can only really bank on South Melbourne losing a couple of matches to get a competitive advantage over them.

South managed to grab their third win in a row last week, taking down Hume City 1-0 at Lakeside.

Their next win isn’t as secure, with Dockerty Cup finalists Melbourne Knights hoping to cause another upset.

Sadly, their schedule is against them, playing three games in eight days.

Northcote City has been looking a little more like the team that held the VPL Cup last year, unbeaten in four matches, but still being held in two draws.

Last week, the club opened the scoring but failed to stop the Sun’s goal just five minutes later.

Northcote coach Goran Lozanovski sees the next month as crucial to what his side will be playing for come the end of the season.

They take on Werribee City this week, but Lozanovski will be looking at his impending South Melbourne and Oakleigh matches to make a run for the top.