On a promisingly sunny and clear afternoon, my tram rattled along its track, edging closer to AAMI Park. The ever increasing swell of people outside the ground was encouraging, would this be the day we drew another 10,000 + crowd?

I waited for a mate to purchase his ticket and quickly scanned the many wandering faces. The colourful contrast of red and white grabbed my attention, displayed by many who proudly wear their home shirts, scarves and caps.

The away support was also vivid, with the yellow and black of the Phoenix being well represented and in good voice.

Once seated and with kickoff looming, a loud cheer ran through the ground, confirming that John Aloisi and Josip Skoko would both be bringing their experience to the starting eleven.  

The 5,698 in attendance delivered a fantastic atmosphere, particularly the Heart's active support group; Yarraside, who are confidently building a strong following and becoming their club's 12th man.

Moments later and the match had swung into action with both clubs showcasing a fast paced and pressing nature. Nineteen minutes into the match and further defensive concern was heaped onto John van't Schip's shoulders as Brendan Hamill was forced off with a knee complaint.

This allowed JVS to execute a master stroke, bringing on winger Rutger Worm and moving Matt Thompson into defence where he built confidence after a shaky start to the season.

The tactical ploy not only replaced an injured Hamill but highlighted the value of multi talented Thompson who has been capped by the Socceroos on four occasions. It also underlined the meticulous planning by the club's football department which allowed for such an impressively adaptable squad to be formed in such a short period of time.

The first half ended with a tough chance narrowly missed by Worm; his shot swinging agonisingly wide of Danny Vukovic's left post.

Whilst the first half failed to produce any goals, the second half was a completely different story with both clubs entertaining their fans and raising the match's intensity.

Five minutes after the restart, fan favourite Aloisi stretched to tap in Gerald Sibon's low cross, resulting in a jubilant bellow from the home fans who had just witnessed the Australian hero scoring his first goal for his final club.

The excitement doubled sixteen minutes later when the much loved Alex Terra also scored his first goal for the Heart, his wickedly placed shot curled past the airborne Vukovic who was left fuming at Nick Ward's defensive error.

For the second week in a row, poor defending at the back post allowed the opposition to score. This time, Dean Heffernan (who had been solid throughout the game) was guilty of failing to deal with a routine cross allowing Tim Brown to tap home from close range.

We were able to hold on for the final nineteen excruciatingly slow minutes and record our second consecutive home win. While the tag of 'fortress' is still a long, long way away, home wins are crucial in a 27 round season and if the trend continues, perhaps on the way to a derby day victory?