State League Round 2 Preview

Chopin Park wrestled their first competition point in a pulsating 1-1 draw with Springwood in last weekend?s opening round and can add to their tally with another good showing in round two. Nepean also drew 1-1 in their first-up clash against a nine-man Gazy Lansvale but showed glimpses of the free-flowing football coach Carlos Camacho wants his team to play this season. This should be a thoroughly entertaining affair.
Hawkesbury City tackles Belmore Hercules at Bensons Lane Field on Saturday evening (5pm kick-off) in a game between two first-up victors. City impressively held out league heavyweights Hurstville 1-0 last weekend while Hercules beat Roosters 2-1 via a final minute penalty to set up this week?s tantalising meeting. History adds to the flavour with Hawkesbury and Belmore playing out two tight 1-1 draws in season 2010, both games interestingly held at the same venue as this weekend?s encounter. In fact, Belmore plays their first five matches of the season on the road, so more away points would be thoroughly welcomed.
Springwood United faces Prospect United in a Saturday night match-up at Summerhayes Park (7pm kick-off) with plenty to play for. Both sides registered 1-1 draws in the opening round, against Chopin Park and Hakoah respectively, so victory would be the ultimate prize to stay near the top of the leaderboard. The two sides traded blows last season, Prospect winning 2-1 at home before crashing to a 2-0 defeat at Summerhayes Park later in the year, but Springwood would also remember being annihilated twice by Prospect, 6-0 and 4-0, in 2009. Could revenge be on the cards?
First round losers Bathurst ?75 and Roosters FC meet at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday night (7pm) but if history is anything to go by, this will be an absolute goal feast for the crowd. Bathurst went down 3-0 to Fairfield Wanderers last weekend while Roosters fell 2-1 to Belmore, but 21 goals produced in the last four meetings between the two combatants ? 4-1, 3-1 and 5-3 victories to Roosters and a 2-2 draw to break it up in Bathurst last year ? adds a certain anticipation to this weekend?s fixture. It is also the start of a five-match home sequence for the ?75 boys.
On Sunday afternoon (March 20), Gazy Lansvale welcomes Hurstville City to Cherrybrook Park (3pm kick-off) in what is shaping up to be the match of the round. Lansvale were unlucky in their 1-1 draw with Nepean last week, playing out the entire second half with nine men on the field, while Hurstville will be smarting from their one-goal loss to Hawkesbury, placing extra emphasis on this weekend?s match. Gazy hold onto bragging rights following a 2-0 win over the Minotaurs in their last meeting at Cherrybrook Park last July, but a 1-1 draw (at Belmore) and 3-1 loss to Hurstville (at Cherrybrook) in 2009 shows that this match-up is always fiercely contested.
Division two league leaders Fairfield Wanderers won?t be taking first-round losers Northbridge FC lightly when they meet at Knight Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). The Wanderers were delicious in their three-goal defeat of Bathurst last weekend and Northbridge failed to get going in a 2-0 loss to Luddenham, so the visitors will be out to up the ante in round two. Fairfield will also want to make the most of four straight home games to start the 2011 campaign while, at the other end, Northbridge play their opening three fixtures away from their northern districts home.
Hakoah is scheduled to play Luddenham United under lights at Hensley Athletic Field on Sunday night (7pm) in another game that will entertain fans. For a side that finished last in 2010 Hakoah has become quite the bogey team for Luddenham, pushing them all the way in a 3-2 loss at home before holding United to a 0-0 draw at the Oval in the return fixture. The two sides also battled out a 2-2 draw at Luddenham in 2009 just months after Hakoah had delivered a 3-0 knockout blow to Luddenham in their Waratah Cup preliminary round clash. With a new-look side and an opening round 1-1 draw against Prospect under their belts, expect Mark Robertson?s Hakoah to trouble Andrew Montgomery?s men again.

-By Daniel De Nardi