State League Two Round 10 Preview
-By Daniel De Nardi
The two sides are grouped near enough to each other on the table to offer up a tight contest but City will probably receive extra motivation from its home fans who are yet to see them taste victory in three tries at Bensons Lane this year. Chopin Park and Hawkesbury both boast pretty good defences and this will be a great tactical battle between coaches Radek Czerwinski and Gary Lewis.
Northbridge can look forward to a great game of football against Hurstville City Minotaurs at Valentine Sports Park on Saturday night (7pm). The newcomers have the jump on last year?s division two powerhouse but Hurstville have a game up their sleeve that could come in handy later on. Northbridge has more than showed it has what its takes to compete in state league. They are unbeaten as hosts this year, while Hurstville have a respectable win and draw from its four road games. The Minotaurs will be hungry for the points, so this should be a beauty.
Bathurst ?75 meet Belmore Hercules under lights at Alec Lamberton Field on Saturday night (7pm) in what has the makings for a close contest. Belmore will be buoyed by its 2-2 draw with Hakoah on the weekend in which it led twice and had a potential match-winner disallowed. They face a talented Bathurst outfit that has lost three of its six home matches this season. Bathurst held on for a close 2-1 win over Belmore at Alec Lamberton last year after a 1-1 draw earlier in the season, so there?s nothing between them historically either. A similar goal difference and desperation for points should make this an interesting spectacle.
Highflying Roosters FC face-off with top-five side Prospect United in a fire-and-brimstone clash at Hills Sports High on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Both sides have begun 2011 at a blistering pace yet behind quite contrasting results. Roosters have scored a quick-fire 24 goals in eight games (second best in the league), beating Gazy in its last outing 8-1, while Prospect have built a brick wall around the reservoir, leaking just four goals in seven games to boast the best defensive record and then some (Chopin Park next best with nine). United are riding a four-game winning streak over Roosters? but the margin has only ever been one goal.
Gazy Lansvale can turn their woes around when they meet Hakoah FC at Cherrybrook Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Gazy are tip-toeing on the precipice as they try to get their shaky 2011 campaign going again after seven consecutive losses. They have conceded 30 goals in those defeats so it?s not hard to see where Lansvale need to do the most work. Unfortunately for them, Hakoah won?t let them treat this game as a training run and can rejoin the top-five with a good result on Sunday. Gazy thrashed Hakoah 5-1 at Cherrybrook last year after being embarrassed by the eventual wooden-spooners 5-0 at Wentworth Park earlier in the season.
Fairfield Wanderers welcome Springwood United to Knight Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm) in a match with plenty on offer for both sides. Wanderers are second behind Luddenham on the ladder and have already collected the most home points of any home team to make Knight Park a daunting prospect for any visitors. To make it worse for Springwood, they haven?t won on the road this year, but they can help improve their mid-table position with a good showing at Fairfield. Wanderers have the edge historically having won two of the last three encounters with Springwood, followed by a 0-0 draw last August.
League leaders Luddenham United and new boys Nepean square up in a battle for Sydney?s fringe at Luddenham Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Luddenham are in irrepressible form having won six of its campaign games (including the last four straight) to sit a point ahead of Wanderers. They have scored a healthy 21 goals, however, they have also leaked 16 goals in the eight outings. Whatever the numbers, Nepean will need to lift its own game in front of goal, they have the league?s worst offensive output of seven goals, remarkably to seven different players. But they are improving and should prove more than a handful for United.
Round 2 of the Waratah Cup knockout also starts this week with a record seven division two clubs still in the running. On Wednesday night (May 4), Hawkesbury City hosts Northern Beaches association team Collaroy Cromer at Bensons Lane Field (6.30pm kickoff), Bathurst ?75 faces State League 1 strugglers Schofields Scorpions at Penrith?s CSI Sports Ground (7.15pm), Gazy Lansvale meets classy Illawarra Premier League side Picton Rangers at Cherrybrook Park (7.15pm), and Chopin Park Rams tackle Gladesville-Hornsby association representatives Eastwood-St Andrews at Bensons Lane Field (8.15pm).
Hakoah welcomes Illawarra Premier League heavyweight Dandaloo FC to Hensley Athletic Field on Thursday night, May 5 (7.15pm kickoff), and two more round-two games featuring division two outfits are scheduled for next week (Wednesday, May 11), Northbridge FC battling fellow northern districts club, Super League leaders Spirit FC in a Christie Park blockbuster (7.15pm), while Fairfield Wanderers also meet a northern traveller in unbeaten Super League outfit Northern Tigers at Knight Park (7.15pm).
