Michelle Heyman delighted to be back in Green

Michelle Heyman says she is delighted to be staying in Canberra for Season 10 of the Westfield W-League, following the announcement of her re-signing on Tuesday.

The superstar forward was the first player announced under the tenure of new Head Coach Heather Garriock, and said it was never a hard decision to return.

“This is my home, I love Canberra,” Heyman said on Wednesday.

“I love the people, and I think we’ve got the best supporters in the W-League by far.

“I love just being able to come out and play the game I love in front of them.”

Heyman is in the final stages of recovery from a serious ankle injury sustained in December against Melbourne Victory and after an ‘experimental’ injection last week said that she is almost there.

“It’s being the worst eight months of my life,” she said.

“I’m really looking forward to this season, I have been working really hard off the field to get back so it should be an exciting year.

“Feeling a lot better now, I’ve had a few injections in the last couple of months and just trying my hardest to get back on the pitch.”

Heyman will be a leader in what is shaping up to be a young side, but admitted her first goal is to be fit and ready for the beginning of the season in late October.

In Season nine United went almost all the way, winning the Premiership before succumbing at home to Melbourne City in extra-time, and Heyman admits that watching from the sidelines was hard.

“It was hard [not coming away with Championship], but it was hard to watch it from the stands too,” she said.

“Being injured is one of the toughest things I’ve learnt as a player, so for me to be able to just show my support by standing on the sideline was very, very tough and I would go to training every day and watch them put in so much effort.”

“And to then not come away with the win is heartbreaking, and hopefully that fire they have inside is ready to come back out this year.”

United will begin pre-season in late September with a host of player announcements still to come, and with the season set to begin in late October, it’s looking like a big year for the team in Green.