Heffernan wants Glory A-League success

When Dean Heffernan missed the 2007/08 A-League grand final with a broken leg, then-Mariners assistant coach Ian Ferguson assured the speedy defender he would get another crack.

If all goes to plan over the next eight weeks, Heffernan and Ferguson will realise that dream together – at Perth Glory.

The Glory are becoming increasingly bullish about their season, with a run of six wins and a draw from their past eight games catapulting them to third on the table.

A win over second-placed Brisbane on Saturday night will thrust Glory to within a single point of the Roar.

Heffernan was part of the Central Coast side that made it all the way through to the grand final in 2005/06 and said there was a similarly confident feeling brewing at Perth.

Glory goalkeeper Danny Vukovic was also part of that Mariners side and declared his team ready to win the championship this season.

Heffernan agrees and says if will be all the more special given Vukovic and Glory coach Ferguson can share in the joy.

“After I broke my leg, I do remember Fergie saying to me ‘not to worry, you’ll get another chance to play in a grand final’,” Heffernan said.

“I think about those days all the time, It’s hard to get out of my head.

“There’s just a similar sort of feeling to what it was like at the Mariners.

“Everyone wants to win and we know what’s at stake.

“Our first aim is to get into the top six, but we want more than that.”

While bad luck robbed Heffernan of the chance to appear in the 07/08 decider, the 31-year-old has timed his run perfectly this season.

After a delayed return from his loan deal in China and a knee injury on his arrival in Perth, Heffernan is finally fit and firing.

But the former Mariner and Heart defender admits he faces a tough fight to keep his spot ahead of Todd Howarth, who returned from injury off the bench in last week’s 2-0 win over Newcastle.

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