IGA NPL NSW Mens 1 Round 14 Preview
The race to the finals series continues to heat up with Round 14 fixtures to come this weekend…
Central Coast Mariners Academy v Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Saturday 15th of June, 6:30 pm Pluim Park
Last Week:
Central Coast Mariners Academy 1 APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 3
Blacktown Spartans 2 Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1
First meets last when Bonnyrigg White Eagles meet Central Coast Mariners Academy on Saturday evening this weekend at Pluim Park.
Both sides come off defeats in Round 13, with the home side left to lament some poor finishing against the Tigers last weekend before losing captain Jamie Lobb to a straight red card.
The visiting White Eagles too come off a loss, one that was certainly not expected going into the side’s clash with Blacktown Spartans. Bonnyrigg appeared to be in control at the interval, one goal up – and an additional man up from the 31’ minute – though the relentless Spartans dug deep to cause the upset.
White Eagles coach Brian Brown was far from pleased with his side’s second-half showing, and the expectation is that we see Bonnyrigg put in a fabulous performance at Pluim Park on Saturday.
The Mariners will be without Brad McDonald for the match though the addition of Adriano Pellegrino appears already to have added an extra dimension to the side, something the Mariners players will be looking to exploit.
With the Mariners aiming to move away from the foot of the table, the home clash against Bonnyrigg could well be a massive chance to boost confidence amongst the group with a win, thought the side had better beware with the White Eagles very rarely losing two matches on the trot.
Sutherland Sharks v APIA-Leichhardt Tigers, Saturday 15th of June, 7:00 pm Seymour Shaw
Last Week:
Sydney Olympic 0 Sutherland Sharks 0
Central Coast Mariners Academy 1 APIA-Leichhardt Tigers 3
APIA-Leichhardt Tigers will enter the Seymour Shaw encounter full of confidence after securing its first win of the season against Central Coast Mariners Academy last weekend. The Tigers, who have a testing second part of the season with each remaining match to be played away from home, looked the goods in a dominant second-half display that was capped off with a fabulous strike by returning veteran Michael Hawrysiuk.
The Tigers’ performances this season have not been bad, though the team has failed to remain compact for the entire 90’ minutes. Billy McColl has returned to the coaching ranks, looking to better his fabulous results obtained in similar circumstances over the past few seasons, and the start he has made has certainly been impressive.
The task at hand for the Tigers will be a tough one on Saturday as they face the in-form Sutherland Sharks. Robbie Stanton’s Sharks have confirmed their fine run of form with a sole-hold on second-spot on the League ladder. The side was held at Sydney Olympic last weekend – failing to take full advantage of League leader Bonnyrigg White Eagles’ slip-up at the Spartans – and will be without number 10 Jamie McMaster after he picked up two yellow cards at Belmore.
The Sharks organisation across the park has been most impressive this season, with the side looking more than comfortable in any situation that has been thrown to them.
The previous encounter between these two sides saw Sutherland grab a late, and somewhat fortuitous, equaliser at Lambert Park for the 1-1 draw, though the Seymour Shaw side will be looking to utilise the perfect playing surface in its favour to secure maximum points this weekend.
Blacktown Spartans v Manly United FC, Saturday 15th of June, 7:00 pm Blacktown Football Park
Last Week:
Blacktown Spartans 2 Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1
Manly United FC 0 Marconi Stallions 2
Ben De Haan’s Blacktown Spartans will be full of confidence ahead of its home clash with Manly United FC this Saturday, following the side’s fine showing in the 2-1 defeat of Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend.
The Spartans, who have been a massive obstacle for adversaries at Blacktown Football Park, have a very positive feel around the club at the moment, and the recent results, and current placing on the ladder, further strengthen this argument.
Luka Dukic was the hero with a fabulous last-ditch goal against the White Eagles, and the experienced defender will be called upon to keep the defensive line in order against Manly United, ahead of the brilliant Carlos Saliadarre in goal – the shot-stopper has been a vital part of any success obtained by the Spartans this season.
The visiting Manly United FC has been on a bit of a downer in-terms of luck this season and the side is certainly due a change in fortunes.
Craig Midgley’s men have played some great football, falling short only in the front-third where the goals have not been forthcoming.
Against the Spartans, Midgley will be hoping to unleash Brendan Cholakian with the likes of Matt Sim and Colin Iley to cause the Spartans’ defenders some headaches.
With the conclusion of the regular season fast approaching, the time is now for both these sides to get results if finals football is to become a realisation this season.
Marconi Stallions v Rockdale City Suns, Sunday 16th of June, 2013, 3:00 pm Marconi Stallions
Last Week:
Manly United FC 0 Marconi Stallions 2
Rockdale City Suns 2 Sydney United 58 FC 3
At Marconi Stadium, the Stallions face Rockdale City Suns in what promises to be a highly entertaining 90’ minutes of football on Sunday afternoon.
The Stallions returned to winning ways with a fine showing in the 2-0 defeat of Manly United FC at Cromer Park, meanwhile the Suns, who have been enjoying a wonderful run in the competition, saw their incredible run brought to a halt by Sydney United 58 FC.
Marconi has added Elsid Barkhousir to its playing roster, the striker already giving the side more options in the front-third, with experienced campaigners Milorad Simonovic and captain Nahuel Arrarte continuing to lead the side with some very polished performances.
The Stallions currently sit one win outside of the top-five, and Jean-Paul De Marigny will be looking for his men to make home ground advantage count this weekend.
Out of the Suns camp, the side has been very impressive to-date, with Branko Culina implementing his football philosophy to perfection. The impressive run in the competition however, did hit a wall last weekend against the Reds, and one of the most interesting situations this weekend will be to see how the side bounces back following the last-ditch loss.
The talent at Culina’s disposal is unquestionable, especially the youngsters in the group who have settled in exceptionally well alongside the likes of Paul Reid, Askin Oygur and top goal scorer, Richard Cardozo.
With both sides close to finals football, an intriguing battle awaits us this weekend.
Blacktown City FC v Sydney Olympic, Sunday 16th of June, 3:00 pm Lily Homes Stadium
Last Week:
South Coast Wolves 0 Blacktown City FC 1
Sydney Olympic 0 Sutherland Sharks 0
The Blacktown City FC v Sydney Olympic encounter on Sunday promises to be a beauty with fourth playing host to third on the League ladder. Both sides have shown signs of the tremendous football they can play this season though an inconsistent run of results over the first fourteen weeks have seen the sides go through some ‘ups and downs’ along the way.
Mark Crittenden’s side will need to make the most of home ground advantage this weekend, where a win will see his side leapfrog the Blues on the ladder.
Harris Gaitatzis and Sean Rooney proved the killer blow in the win on the South Coast last weekend, and the two will again need to be at their best to trouble a Blues defence that has been impressive in recent weeks.
The arrival of coach Grant Lee appears to have brought the stability that had somewhat gone missing – at least in-terms of results – and the side has turned around its season over the course of the past month.
Lee will be looking at the pace, and skill, of William Angel on the left to cause the Blacktown City rear guard some problems, meanwhile the youthful exuberance of the likes of Zak Elrich and Troy Danaskos have seen both players grow from strength-to-strength over the course of the season.
Much to play for on Sunday between two serious title contenders – action aplenty is expected.
Sydney United 58 FC v South Coast Wolves, Sunday 16th June, 3:00 pm Sydney United Sports Centre
Last Week:
Rockdale City Suns 2 Sydney United 58 FC 3
South Coast Wolves 0 Blacktown City FC 1
Sydney United 58 FC’s season may well have kick-started last weekend with a dramatic late win against the in-form Rockdale City Suns. The Reds had somewhat gone off the boil over the past month, though the win courtesy of Glen Trifiro has leased new life into the Reds season.
With coach Mark Rudan absent, still seeing out his four-match suspension, the players have come together and dug very deep to steady the ship. Trifiro’s involvement has been brilliant, as has Chris Triantis and Yuichi Yamauchi who have overcome some difficulties to get their game in top mode.
The Reds task this weekend comes in the form of South Coast Wolves, and the home side will be best advised not to underestimate Richard Lloyd’s men.
The Wolves have scored some important wins at Sydney United Sports Centre in recent seasons, and the side could really do with three-points on Sunday.
Key, once more, for the Wolves will be Ricky Zucco. The burly striker, who possesses a very powerful left peg, will be the target man to get into some key areas for the visitors, and with some already impressive performances and goals to-date, Liam Reddy will need to be at his best in goal for the home side.
Both sides in need of points, for varying reasons, promises to provide a lot of entertainment on Sunday afternoon.
-By Joseph Carlucci
