State League Two Round 7 Preview

Springwood are riding high having found early feet in an evenly balanced competition but perhaps face their biggest test of the season in trying to see off an under-performing but seriously unlucky Hawkesbury outfit.
City have suffered four agonising one-goal defeats (including to league leaders Roosters and Hurstville in the past two weeks) in a winless season to date, and will be even more determined to break their duck against United this weekend.
On Sunday afternoon it?s the red-hot Roosters against struggling Hakoah at Lidcombe Oval (3pm kick-off), and their contrasting seasons so far could not be more defining. The Roosters have the league?s best offensive record with 15 goals scored by nine different players, while Hakoah have the worst with just six goals in six games scored by three players. Hakoah?s woes will only be compounded by a Roosters? rock-solid defence that has leaked just five goals this year. It will be tough for the visitors.
In what is shaping up as a top-versus-bottom round, second-placed Hurstville City Minotaurs take on bottom-three side Gazy Lansvale at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Gazy are on a four-game losing streak and will be keen to break their run of ruts against a quality side in Hurstville. But they are battling a Minotaurs team that has just come out of their own mini-slump, so the pickings could be far and few between. Lansvale will be hungry for the win, and desperate for any points.
Prospect United travel to Knight Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm) for an interesting match-up against Fairfield Bulls. Prospect are fourth but are yet to accrue back-to-back wins this season, while Fairfield have also shown their own inconsistent start to the campaign to languish in eighth place. However, a close competition has the Bulls peaking in at a top-five spot and that could be all the motivation Michael Mamoo?s players need to overcome a solid United side and win their first home game in four tries.
Look out Belmore Hercules, here comes Luddenham United and they will be ready and waiting for you at Luddenham Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm). United can become the first div-2 team of 2010 to win four in a row if they bring down Hercules this weekend, but Belmore aren?t sitting in the top-five on looks alone. In fact, they have the second highest number of goalscorers, with seven players finding the back of the net this year, and Luddenham don?t have an impressive defensive record having conceded a league-worst 14 goals.
Wanderers welcome Bathurst ?75 to Knight Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm) in a high-stakes game for both clubs. With the top-five just a whisker ahead, a victory either way this weekend could see a new face smiling on the leaderboard. Bathurst haven?t scored a lot of goals (eight, in fact), but they meet a Wanderers defence that has seen 13 goals banged in against them. The Wanderers will always have the personnel to score and they could kill off the contest with a few early goals on Sunday.
-By Daniel De Nardi