State League Two Round 7 Preview
Northbridge have made no attempt to disguise the fact they want to be higher up in State League and part of that long-term goal is to offer a modern facility for its thousands of registered association players to aspire to. They couldn?t ask for a more enticing first-game promotion than to host unbeaten competition leaders Prospect. This is a great chance for football fans to get along to and rejoice in another fine development of our grassroots game
Undefeated Chopin Park Rams tackle Luddenham United in a top-four showdown at Chopin Park on Saturday afternoon (3pm kickoff). Luddenham are second on the ladder, two places above the Rams who start a testing three-week run against top-six sides Wanderers, Roosters and Hawkesbury. United face highflyers Prospect in Tuesday?s round eight and the team is pumped ahead of its early season defining games. Luddenham have won two of its away fixtures while Chopin Park have won just once in four home games, so this should be an interesting affair to untangle.
Hawkesbury City meet Roosters FC in a crunch game at Benson Lane Field on Saturday evening (5pm kickoff). Both sides are at the top of the leaderboard and will be keen to establish themselves as title contenders with another good showing this weekend. Roosters have won two of their last three meetings against Hawkesbury but City finished on top in their last encounter, a 3-0 shellacking at Lidcombe Oval last July. Whoever wins this round-seven rumble will go a long way to confirming their division two championship credentials in 2011.
Springwood United take on Bathurst ?75 in a mid-table scrap at Summerhayes Park on Saturday evening (5pm). The battle between eighth and ninth on the table will help keep one team in touch with the leaders but history shows nothing to aid either side. Springwood won both meetings last year after Bathurst won both league encounters in 2009, United taking a knockout victory over ?75 that year as well; the only stickler being a 1-0 Bathurst win in their last encounter at Summerhayes. This will be a game that must whet the lips of both coaches after such promising starts to the year.
Belmore Hercules play Nepean FC at Blick Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm kickoff) in a match that can help both sides kickstart their 2011 campaign. Nepean is the only division two side without a win this year and Belmore are a point above them on the table after a wonky start to the year but neither side has impressed in front of goal, combining for a measly 12 goals in 10 matches. Belmore have only found three goalscorers in their five games so far and neither side has kept a clean sheet, so this could be a game decided by which defence chooses to step up.
A struggling Gazy Lansvale host highflying neighbours Fairfield Wanderers at Cherrybrook Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Gazy have been out of sorts of the past fortnight and have no respite in sight ahead of their gruelling cross-town derby with Wanderers. The Lansvale defence have leaked a league-worst 22 goals and play teams in the top half of the table for the next seven rounds, but they might not get a sterner test than a fleet-footed Fairfield outfit renowned for their slick ball movement. Interestingly, the teams swapped 3-2 home victories last year and 1-0 home successes the year before, so expect a tight, tense, terrific tussle.
Oh what a difference a year makes. Last year?s wooden-spooners Hakoah finished a clear bottom of the ladder and Hurstville City Minotaurs booted three goals against them in both of their victorious encounters along the way to an unsuccessful grand final appearance. A few months later and Hurstville are a point from the bottom while a new-look Hakoah enjoys a steady start to the year. That the Minotaurs have won their last three against Hakoah makes this Sunday night?s clash at Hensley Athletic Field all the mouth-watering (7pm kickoff).
It will be an exhausting long-weekend for all division two outfits with round eight games taking place on Tuesday afternoon/evening.
– Dan de Nardi
