FourFourTwo: Did Victory make Heart feel inferior?

Adrian Leijer: It’s quite evident Victory are the biggest team in Melbourne, have the biggest supporter base and arguably have the best fans in the league.

I don’t think we ever wanted to make the opposition feel inferior, we always felt we owed it to our fans to try and perform against Heart/City. There are always games where we failed to do that, but it’s the ones that you do that you really remember and they’re the ones the fans enjoy.

FFT: Who was your toughest opponent?

AL: Fred. I was very close with him at Victory. He’s such a good guy and when he went to Melbourne Heart, I didn’t like it very much. He scored in the 2012 Derby, it’s just that I saw him as a Victory man and that’s what made it difficult to play against him.

I always had a chat to him and we remain in touch now. I didn’t like seeing him in other colours. You just respect each other’s situation, you just get on with what you have to do and focus on the game. It’s only afterwards where you remember it’s just a game of football and also remember the good times you shared together.

FFT: Wayne Srhoj scored an own goal to put Victory 3-1 up in the 2010 Christmas Derby, did you try to sneakily claim it as your goal?

AL: Put it this way, if he didn’t touch the ball, I think I would’ve managed to get in the back of the net! I ran off celebrating. If you go back and watch the replay you’ll see me screaming ‘I didn’t touch it! I didn’t even touch it!’, I think at that point you don’t care, you’re just happy because that moment ensured we won that game. Who knows, if Wayne didn’t touch it, I might’ve missed, so we’ll take what we can get.

FFT: How important was a second Melbourne team for the A-League?

AL: It was good for us as a club, it made us all lift our standards. They got a couple of games over us earlier on, but we managed to get a few back. For me as a player, the Christmas Derby was probably the most special. If you won, you got to enjoy Christmas, but if you lost, you didn’t enjoy it at all. It was important for both the fans and the players.

FFT: Which Derby was your favourite?

AL: The 2012 Christmas Derby when Archie scored in the 90th minute is the one that stands out the most. I think just the way we won the game in the dying seconds, the fans afterwards singing and hanging around for a long time. That was a pretty special night and it was those ones around that important time of the year which probably meant the most.

Leijer's friendship with Fred made Derbies difficult...

FFT: Which Derby broke your heart?

AL: The 2014 Christmas Derby when Erik Paartalu scored in the 90th minute. From memory we started the game really well and had some chances throughout the match to score. So late in the game, he’s popped up with a header and he’s taken the Christmas Derby to that side of town. That’s probably one you remember and one that hurts the most.

FFT: What do you miss most about the Melbourne Derby now?

AL: The roar of the crowd when I walk out of the tunnel. I loved that. Derbies are special to the players, but even better for the fans. A lot of fans in football have friends that support the opposition, so you want to be able to rub it in going to work or visiting family and friends.

The Victory boys so far have had a rough season at home, so hopefully they can get a win in this one.