State League Two Round 10 Preview

Prospect were terrific in their 2-1 win over previously undefeated Roosters and will be full of confidence heading into this weekend?s clash, but they face a Hurstville outfit smarting from one of the club?s heaviest defeats, a 6-0 drubbing by Belmore. How the Minotaurs respond will show plenty of their character, while United could impress further with another top-two victim in successive weeks.
League leaders Roosters FC travel to Bathurst ?75 at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday night (7pm) with one thing in mind ? restore their pride. Roosters were lopped by Prospect last week and will want to reaffirm their top-position with a solid win against Bathurst. ?75, however, are clinging onto the top-five tail following a win-less May, and another loss could spell disaster for their season aspirations. A telling factor could be the attacks of both sides, with Roosters the only team to have scored in each fixture, while Bathurst have been held scoreless in four of their nine games so far. 
Belmore Hercules received a boost in their playing ranks with the arrival of Nigerian-born striker Nwaogazi Chimaobi from the NSW Premier League and his double-goal effort helped enthuse a 6-0 annihilation of Hurstville last week. But Hercules won?t want to get too far ahead of themselves against Hawkesbury City at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm kick-off) as City are bouncing off their first win of the season, a 3-1 defeat of Hakaoh. Then again, another performance like last week could see Belmore rack up double-figures if Hawkesbury are lacking in defence, they are the only team not to have recorded a clean-sheet this season.
Hakoah is a club glowing in tradition and its proud history would be reflecting with sadness on a current cellar-dwelling residence. But coach Paul Watkins knew it was going to be a tough first half of the season and Hakoah face another stern test in Gazy Lansvale at Wentworth Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). The south-west Sydney club flying high on the back of two outstanding wins, including a 4-1 demolition of Springwood last week. After dropping four games on the run in April, Gazy have gone three games undefeated to sit a handful of points from a top-five position.
Title-holders Fairfield Wanderers take on Luddenham United at Knight Field on Sunday afternoon (3pm) in a game for the ages. Luddenham is another club to have woken from their early-autumn slumber and bear claws against the heavyweights, winning five of their last six outings to be a point behind second place. The Wanderers also seem to be finding their feet, although they were ambushed 2-0 by neighbours Fairfield Bulls last week and will be keen to return to the winners circle with a good result against a quality side like Luddenham.
Springwood United tackle Fairfield Bulls at Knight Field on Sunday afternoon (3pm) in an interesting match-up. Springwood have toppled from the championship?s top-three following back-to-back losses and face a Fairfield outfit that has lost just once in seven weeks. The teams boast two of the competition?s best defences, claiming seven clean-sheets between them, but they are also both a little shy in front of goal, racking up lower-half tallies. United won?t want a third loss on their ledger and the Bulls will be bucking for a home success that will draw them closer to a possible finals berth.
–By Daniel De Nardi