Eye on prize: Mate Dugandzic believes Heart can make the finals. Credit:Getty Images When offered the chance, he became the first player to leave Victory for cross-town rival Heart, where he became a regular from the first season, as well as picking up Australian under-23 caps. But Dugandzic's world came crashing down around him when in early November 2012 he sustained ligament damage and a broken right foot in an A-League game against Adelaide United. At first it was thought that the youngster, who was being mentioned as a Socceroo candidate, might miss just part of that season. But the injury was worse than feared, and Dugandzic missed the best part of a year. He did not return to A-League action until the start of this season. It was that time on the sidelines that gave the forward a chance to reflect on what the game meant to him, and how he had to seize his chance when he finally came good.

''Mentally it does take time to get over it. Some players do it quicker than others, it's taken a bit longer than I would have liked,'' Dugandzic said on Thursday as he and his Heart teammates prepared for Saturday night's derby clash. ''Whenever you spend an extended period of time off the park you [see how you] take it for granted. I missed it immensely when I was out … you cherish the time more so when you return. ''I feel like I am getting better. I had four operations, which is difficult on the body. It takes time to get back into it. ''I have to admit that I started slowly this season. I hadn't played a competitive game for 11 months. My self-confidence was a little bit low. You have to learn to know your body again, what to do in certain situations, try to remember how you used to play.'' Dugandzic will always occupy a footnote in any history of the Melbourne derby because of his status as the first player to choose to move between the two clubs.

Heart's inaugural coach, John van 't Schip, set his side up with two wide men, and Dugandzic rightly reckoned he might get more opportunity with a move. Dugandzic and Iain Ramsay currently occupy those roles, and the pair often switch sides although the former generally starts on the right. It was his cheeky touch last Sunday - when he nutmegged Brisbane midfielder Luke Brattan in the Roar penalty area before delivering a cross to Orlando Engelaar - that set up Heart's winning goal. Like all players on Saturday night, Dugandzic is aware of the stakes involved and how much these games mean to fans. ''You try to approach things as normally as you possibly can, try to keep things the same as any other sort of game,'' he said. ''But everyone knows that it's not a normal game, it's a derby and everyone is looking forward to testing ourselves, especially with the run we have been going on.''

He believes that Heart is a chance to make the finals, something that would have been laughable two months ago. ''There are still seven games to go, we definitely think we are a chance,'' he said. ''We are only six points behind and we have won five out of the last six, we are fairly confident that we can make it if we keep the results going. ''The last six weeks have been fantastic. We could have won six out of six if it hadn't been for [Ryan] Griffiths scoring in the last minute in Adelaide.'' Dugandzic suggests there are some slight differences in van 't Schip's approach compared with his initial spell at the club. ''I'd say he has changed slightly, every coach evolves through time,'' he said. ''He has grown from his experience in Mexico. We don't play exactly the same as we used to. He understands the way other teams play and knows that you can't always persist with the same system of your own if you don't believe it's the best for that single game.'' Dugandzic would certainly like Manchester City to show faith in van 't Schip and leave him in charge, now that it owns Heart.

''I think everyone would love him to stay, but it's not our decision,'' he said. ''We are in the dark with what's going to be going on in the future.''