State League One Round 10 Preview
It?s a case of ?David vs Goliath? at Cook Park with runaway leaders, Mounties Wanderers taking on Inter Lions.
What can you say about Mounties that hasn?t already been said?
Nine matches for as many wins, 33 goals for and just 5 against, and into the last 16 of the Waratah Cup to boot. Playing at home gives them the additional boost of their own supporters, who have become used to some scintillating football and plenty of goalmouth action.
They also boast four of the top ten goalscorers in the competition, so it?s anyone?s guess who will be on song on Saturday ? Squillacioti, Baldock, Jeremiah, Willoughby – then again, they could all be lining up for some easy pickings.
On the other hand, Inter Lions are experiencing contrasting fortunes, with just one victory so far in 2011, and sit uncomfortably on the bottom rung of the competition ladder.
Inter have been playing some nice-to-watch football, and have not been short of goalscoring opportunities – just short of goals and goalscorers! They do boast a number of big name players with impressive CV?s, so surely it is a matter of time before they start to produce the desired results.
Is an upset on the cards? Stranger things have happened in football, so get down to Cook Park on Saturday to see how it all unravels.
Schofields Scorpions play host to Fairfield City Lions on Saturday night at CSI Sport Ground in what could easily be a banana-skin clash for the visitors.
The Scorpions have struggled to get away from the bottom rungs of the ladder, and have only the solitary win this year to show for their efforts.
Schofields? knowledge of their compact home ground will definitely provide them with an advantage, and recognizing the fact that three points can possibly move them up at least a couple of spots, they?ll be all out for a win in front of their fans.
Fairfield City Lions are well placed on the ladder, especially having played a game or two short compared to some, and will prove a difficult obstacle to overcome for the Scorpions, particularly given the form of their young striker, Ben Cronk.
Balmain SC will have their work cut out at Hensley Athletic Field on Saturday when they entertain the in form UNSW.
With two wins from eight starts to their name, Balmain has lacked any real consistency this season, and will find it tough going against ?the students?, who have catapulted themselves into outright third position on the back of some solid team performances.
Hurstville ZFC will be looking to get their season back on track on Sunday when they come up against Gladesville Ryde Magic at Hurstville Oval.
The home side have hit a real snag of late, and dropped to 8th on the ladder after a number of successive reverses, including last week?s 1-3 loss against UNSW.
The Magic are holding their own in fifth spot, and will push for three points that will keep them abreast of a trio of clubs breathing down their neck, just a point behind.
In fact, Gladesville Ryde Magic, and Fairfield Bulls, have got a big few days ahead, with two matches and a potential six points providing both clubs with an opportunity to be propelled into second spot.
On Wednesday evening, the two clubs play a rescheduled match from way back in Round One, at Cherrybrook Park, kicking off at 8-15pm.
In addition to the midweek clash, the Bulls then entertain Camden Tigers at Hajduk Stadium on Sunday, and they could very well be in striking distance from the Tigers come the weekend if they manage to pick up a win versus Magic.
The Bulls rode their luck against Inter Lions last week, and the late win would have done wonders for their confidence coming into this week?s ?double header?.
The final match of Round 10 is at Arlington Oval, and sees two teams come together after a somewhat drop in form of late.
Stanmore Hawks and Mt Druitt Town Rangers find themselves in ?mid table? following a couple of win-less weeks, but both have young strikers in form ? Nick Paradisis of Stanmore, and Hosyar Cakal of Mt Druitt ? and will no doubt look to their sharpshooters to drive them to victory.
Division One
Top Goalscorers
Round Nine
There have been some movers and shakers of late on the goalscoring charts, with Stanmore?s Nick Paradisis leading the charge on a better than a ?goal-a-game? average, 10 goals in 9 games.
Sebastian Bendall hit a hatrick last week for UNSW against Hurstville, which has propelled him to second on the list with 8 goals.
Mounties Wanderers players make up four of the next eight on the list, with early season pacesetter, Greg Baldock, now joined by Eli Squillacioti on 6 goals, and Daniel Willoughby and Friday Jeremiah just one goal behind on 5 each.
Other movers were Hosyar Cakal of Mt Druiit and Ben Cronk of Fairfield City Lions, who both scored a brace in a 2-2 draw between their respective clubs, and Adam Smutek, whose goals gave Camden a 2-0 win over Balmain.
10 : Nick PARADISIS (Stanmore Hawks)
8 : Sebastian BENDALL (UNSW)
6 : Greg BALDOCK (Mounties), Eli SQUILLACIOTI (Mounties),
Hosyar CAKAL (Mt Druitt)
5 : Matthew CROSS (Camden Tigers), Daniel WILLOUGHBY (Mounties),
Friday JEREMIAH (Mounties), Ben CRONK (Fairfield City Lions),
Adam SMUTEK (Camden Tigers)
4 : Mark SYMINGTON (Mounties), Paul GAGRO (Hurstville ZFC),
Uri KAYE (Balmain SC)
3 : Chris SULTAN (Fairfield City Lions), Nathan RALPH (Mt Druitt),
Neil PHILIPPOU (Stanmore Hawks), Daniel McCANN (Mounties),
Justin KIRBY (Schofields), Sargon GEORGES (Fairfield Bulls)
-By Frank Speranza
