State League 2 round 5 Preview

Southern Bulls welcome long-time rivals Stanmore Hawks to Ernie Smith Reserve for a good old-fashioned Saturday afternoon stoush (3pm kickoff).
The two clubs were Super League regulars a decade ago before being separated and reunited in the 2011 division one competition, and haven’t they had some fantastic battles over the years – six of their past eight games have been decided by a solitary goal (three matches were five-goal epics) and it’s interesting to note the Hawks beat Bulls 2-0 at Ernie Smith last June. Expect the same fireworks this time round too!
Fairfield City Lions host Hurstville City Minotaurs at Rydalmere Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm) and although both clubs have been around since the land that time forgot (ie, pre-internet days) they’ve managed to avoid each other in state league for more than a decade. Fairfield started their season with a 2-2 home draw with Condors and a blistering 10-1 win over Schofields while Hurstville have struggled to hit the net since an opening 3-1 win against Stanmore – two draws and a tight loss to neighbours FC underlining their inconsistent start. It’s the Lions pride up against a labyrinth-bound Minotaurs.
Enfield Rovers travel down the freeway to take on fellow state league newcomers Southern Branch at Ison Park on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Plenty of water has travelled under the bridge since both clubs made their league debuts a month ago, but their fortunes couldn’t be more contrasting – Branch remain unbeaten and Rovers have lost all three games so far. Perhaps the defence is the most disproportionate between the two sides, Enfield leaking eight goals and the southerners just twice in three outings (two clean sheets). There’s lots to play for in this intriguing match-up.
Winning Western Condors face struggling Schofields Scorpions in a stinging Sunday afternoon match-up (3pm) at Calabria Sports Ground. Following an opening round loss and draw to start the year Condors moved up the leaderboard with a tense 1-0 victory over Belmore on the weekend. They now face a shell-shocked Schofields side smashed 10-0 and 10-1 and on the ropes less than a month into the season. How distant must the memory be of the Scorpions winning both 2009 division one clashes against Condors (as Wanderers), the last time these two clubs met.
What a time for league leaders Hurstville FC to meet their bogey side University of NSW at Hurstville Oval on Sunday afternoon (3pm). Hurstville made it three successive wins with a 3-1 round-four victory over Enfield to claim pole position on the ladder, while Uni have won their only match to date, 2-1 against previously unbeaten Southern Bulls. But Hurstville’s hunt for a Uni scalp has proved somewhat elusive – FC couldn’t beat UNSW in eight consecutive division one games going back to 2009 (three draws, five losses), including a 6-1 shellacking in 2009 and 4-0 loss last July. The last encounter at Hurstville Oval wasn’t any prettier with Uni winning 4-2 to really set this exciting clash.
Belmore United have the bye.
-By Dan De Nardi