SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 Round 11 Preview

The season reaches the halfway stage this weekend with two fixtures headlining the round. Second placed Bankstown Berries tackle Bankstown City at home in what is always a battle royale and third placed Mounties Wanderers will have leaders St George travel to Cook Park.  
Bankstown Berries v Bankstown City Saturday 7pm, The Crest, Bass Hill
The still undefeated Berries will have their work cut out when Bankstown City come to visit. Certainly that will be the case if the Lions reproduce their form from last Saturday and while the talk of the league is that Saso Petrovski has played his last game for the Jensen Park club before a move to the Illawarra Premier League, Gosue Sama will expect to revert to his role from last season and lead up front. The Lions though may be a little light on with the probable loss of Petrovski, the suspension of Reuben Lagos and a couple of injury concerns.
Bankstown Berries have had a good season to date and remain a tough nut to crack. Somewhere along the line they could be expected to falter but when that will be remains to be seen. With four wins and six draws from their ten games, they have looked strong so far but this one will be another tough task.  
Mounties Wanderers v St George Saturday 7pm, Cook Park, Mt Pritchard
This is another game which will have little in it. Mounties had a great start to the season, topping the table for five weeks and being in the top two for seven, and while they may now be third on goal difference, a win here can see that change in an instant. They have dropped points recently, with two losses in their past four, but when at home, it is very difficult for any visitor. Like many clubs at the moment, they have players missing for various reasons, and will now be without Eli Squillacioti for this game, after his sending off last weekend.
St George have strung together four wins in a row which has taken them three points clear. It has been somewhat of a surprise, the Saints rarely being mentioned in despatches prior to the season start. But the youthful side, with its experienced frontline, has performed above expectations and are proving difficult to beat, just the one loss back in round two. They will have Jonathan Castano-Acero available for this after he was out with suspension last week.     
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Macarthur Rams Saturday 7pm, Popondetta Park, Emerton
Mount Druitt Town Rangers had an enforced break last weekend so they will be doubly keen to get back on the park this Saturday. They have started to drift away a little now, being five points behind the duo above them, and some points are needed quickly. They still have only the one win, at Spirit, but were very close against the Berries two weeks ago, and could have taken something from that game. With the season reaching the half way point, there is no time to lose.
Macarthur Rams are sitting pretty in fourth spot, four points off top and with a game in hand. Things could look very different within the next fortnight for the Rams with their washed out match against Fraser Park now scheduled for Wednesday 5 June. A couple of three pointers will be on their agenda.
Parramatta FC v Fraser Park Sunday 3pm, Melita Stadium
It is Fraser Park’s misfortune to meet Parramatta just when the Eagles are starting to hit their straps. With their goalscoring worries behind them Parramatta are in a good position to exert some pressure on the top five, and it will be interesting in the next few weeks to see how that unfolds.  Danny Choi and Devante Clut are the ones to watch when it comes to their goals, eleven between them out of Parramatta’s seventeen.
Fraser Park have two matches still to play on most other clubs, and they have the potential to climb the ladder significantly should they get six points from those two home games. But first comes the Eagles, in what will be a busy eight days for Fraser.
Spirit FC V Hills Brumbies Sunday 3pm, Christie Park, Marsfield
After some good results for both these clubs, Spirit and Hills have slipped a little recently and need a return to form to make an impression in the top half of the table. Hills especially, produced some excellent results before slumping to two straight losses but again, injuries have not helped matters. Last week they were without three of their backline in Lord Darkoh, Will Thom and Glen Downey, while giving a debut to 16 year old Anthony Schmidt, who almost scored, but for the woodwork. Some are expected to return this weekend, toughening up for the trip to Spirit.
It hasn’t quite worked out for Spirit so far this season. Two wins from ten, and ninth spot,  is not what was expected following the return of some old hands, and a heavy loss to Parramatta last Sunday would have shocked the home support. An improvement on their goal a game average will be needed if they are to threaten during the second half of the season.
Northern Tigers v Sydney University Sunday 3pm, Mills Park
Northern Tigers have run hot and cold in the past fortnight, defeating Bankstown City after three straight losses, but then falling short against St George last Sunday. It is not at the back which is a cause for concern but the lack of goals must surely be creating headaches. Prior to last weekend, they had scored just the once in each of their past four league games and then were kept scoreless last round. The loss to injury of Liam McConaghy has been a disaster for the Tigers, as McConaghy had scored five in the opening six rounds. Max Glanville’s return to fitness, having gained some game time last Wednesday in the cup and then again on Sunday, seemingly can’t come soon enough.
Sydney University put in a good performance in defeating the Brumbies last weekend and will want to continue that effort at Mills Park. Jamie Watt scored a brace to take him to four for the season, and a repeat of that will give the Tigers something to think about.
-By Peter Rowney