HEAT OF BATTLE

A forecast of 41C, a lightning fast Geelong pitch and a white-hot race for a top-two berth. Things are only heating up for Melbourne Victory ahead of tomorrow night’s clash against Central Coast.

THE heat is on at Melbourne Victory and the resurgent A-League force is embracing it.

Three wins on the bounce has Kevin Muscat’s side edging into a white-hot race for a toptwo position, finals advantage and Asian Champions League entry.

And then there’s the actual heat — expected to hit 41C in Geelong for tomorrow’s match with Central Coast.

Victory hopes the summer scorcher — which has meant a shift in kick-off to 6pm — can suit their fast, attacking game.

Midfielder Mark Milligan said the combination of the hot day and a shorter-than-usual turf at Kardinia Park, to accommodate a midweek Big Bash League match, should provide Victory with a perfect platform to perform. The grass was cut to 12mm, about half the length of a typical pitch.

“We’re used to those fast pitches and that’s the way we like it,” he said.

“Our preparations stay the same and we’ll go into the game with the same philosophies that have held us in good stead the last couple of weeks.

“There’s times in Australia where you have to deal with that, playing in summer.”

Victory has found form at the right time. January is the busiest month of the campaign, with a midweek round thrown in on top of regular weekend matches next week. Milligan said the “quite timely” run of wins didn’t impress him as much as the performances.

“It’s important that we’ve won the last three but each week we’ve been improving and building at the way we want to play,” he said.

“Slowly, slowly we’re getting to the place that we want to be as a team, and as individuals. We’ve still got a bit of work to go but it’s nice to be heading in the right direction.”

After Victory’s win over Newcastle on Friday night, the Jets’ 2-2 draw with league leaders Sydney FC on Wednesday night cut the gap between Ernie Merrick’s side and the hosts to eight points.

Milligan said his side wasn’t looking above them in the table for motivation.

“What’s worked for us is we haven’t really been looking at what’s going on around the grounds,” he said.

“We’ve been purely focusing on ourselves.”

Picture: GLENN FERGUSON NICE TO SEA YOU: Melbourne Victory’s Mark Milligan checks out Geelong’s waterfront yesterday.

Pictures: GLENN FERGUSON TOP: Amelia Poole, 5, meets Melbourne Victory players Jai Ingham and Mark Milligan at Steampacket Gardens yesterday. BELOW: Jackson Van Beek, 8, and James Van Beek, 4, from Grovedale, line up for signatures. RIGHT: Jet Amenta, 9, lines up the target; Jasmine McKenzie, 12, strikes, and Lenny Vanheer, 8, loads up.