Melbourne Heart entered Friday night's A-League derby with a strong intention to shed their perception as the "little brother" of Melbourne soccer. If their subsequent 3-2 win is anything to go by, they are closer than ever to achieving it.

Heart knew they had a long battle ahead of themselves when they entered an established league with a strong local rival, and knew full well that they would have to earn their status as equals. They've done well to come so far so soon. It took years for Fremantle to win an AFL Western Derby, let alone enter one as equals.

For Victory fans, last night's result is a double blow. Not only does it harm their chances of challenging the top two, perhaps even the top four (while simultaneously boosting Heart's), but it also forces them to accept a reality that they were hoping to hold off a little while longer - Heart has arrived.

Heart's emergence posed an existential threat to Victory. Like an ageing empire forced to concede territory, Victory was asked to forfeit its monopoly over Australia's sporting capital, and it wasn't happy about it.

Its response was to simply deny Heart's existence. You will often hear the Blue and White army chant "there's only one team in Melbourne" at the derby. The scoreboard at Victory home derbies reads "Melbourne v Heart." It was as though they were expecting the Heart "experiment" to ultimately fail and everything to return to the good old days.

But while denial is the easiest coping mechanism, it is the least productive. It has led to patronisation and underestimation from the fans (perhaps even from within the club) but remaining blind to an obvious threat only hinders on-field progress. Heart, in the meantime, leads the derby count 2-1, with two draws.

Therein lies the first step to recognition - beating the rival. But beating Victory and failing on a larger scale does not, in itself, shake the "little brother" curse. Last year, Heart split the derbies but finished lower than Victory at the end of the year, and so remained the minor Melbourne side. Having last night overtaken reigning premier Brisbane for second place on the table, Heart is on their way to achieving the second step - league success. Nothing would make the Victory wake up and smell the coffee like a top-two finish for Heart. It's far from cemented yet, but it is more than just a possibility.

They've earned their spot in the top two with skill, determination, and resilience. After week five, they were dead last. Six wins from seven matches later, they're pushing for top spot. Their last three matches have included impressive away wins against Brisbane and Perth. They've only played four matches at home so far this year.

They haven't let pride get in their way, either. They've been happy to accept former Victory players into their squad, and with glowing results. Mate Dugandzic and Fred have been particularly productive this year. I'm speculating here, but I get the feeling Victory fans would not be as welcoming of a recycled Heart player. It's a common phenomenon for fans of soccer teams, but it's irrational. Heart has shown great maturity to overlook it.

And tellingly, they've had ten goal-scorers so far this year - the most of any team.

It's time Victory showed Heart a bit of respect. They're the only team who doesn't.