SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 Round 13 Preview

Many eyes will be on St George Stadium on Sunday when the top two in Mens 2 clash in the match of the round.
St George v Macarthur Rams Sunday 3pm St George Stadium, Kyeemagh
There is plenty on the line when leaders St George and second placed Macarthur Rams meet on Sunday. A win for the Saints would see them draw five points clear of the Rams while a victory for Macarthur would result in them claiming top position. An intriguing game looms as a result.
St George were a little off colour last Saturday after a hectic period but they will have appreciated the week’s rest leading into this one.  They have ex Ram Matt Sadler back for this after injury while Sam Messam, also formerly with Macarthur, will also enjoy playing against his old club. A goal or two won’t go astray for the strong front man who is one goal off double figures this season.
Macarthur had a good win against Bankstown City last weekend though only by the single goal. They aren’t renowned as high scorers, but neither do they concede many, the best defence in the league in fact with less than a goal a game conceded, while after some early season leakage, St George have tightened up at the back. They shouldn’t be too many goals in this one.
Sydney University v Bankstown Berries Saturday 7pm Hensley Field, Pagewood
A glance at the table would suggest a win for the Berries here, if standings were to be taken into account, but Sydney University are never a pushover. They have played some attractive football this season without quite getting the results their play may have warranted but on any given day, they are capable of a win. They came away from Cook Park last Saturday with a draw, but like their Mounties opposition that day, they have had trouble scoring from open play. They did equalise from the spot last weekend, and against a strong Berries defence, set pieces may be the best way to goal this weekend too. 
The Berries have drawn too many for their liking and John Calleja, returning to the club he coached for the past two seasons, won’t be giving any favours to Uni here. They will need to make a change to their backline after central defender Gary Hill was sent off last weekend, but with Alex Becerra in strong form, they should have no trouble in compensating for that loss. 
Fraser Park v Northern Tigers Saturday 7pm Fraser Park, Sydenham
Of all the clubs you would want to face at the moment, Fraser Park is probably the least desired.
They have been in a rich vein of form recently although their loss to Mount Druitt Town Rangers on Wednesday evening would have been a shock to the Fraser faithful. They had looked the goods at 1-0 up, but conceded three in ten minutes to drop three valuable points. It keeps Fraser Park in fifth spot nonetheless.
Northern Tigers won’t relish the trip to Sydenham, a difficult ground to take three points at the best of times. They suffered a surprise loss at home to Spirit last Sunday, and a lack of goals, or goal opportunities, is a cause for concern. They had plenty of possession against Spirit but just couldn’t break down the backline, which held firm throughout. Liam McConaghy is back at last and he will make a difference once he gets his "eye" in.
Bankstown City v Mount Druitt Town Rangers Saturday 7pm Jensen Park, Sefton
It has not been the best of seasons for either of these two clubs. Bankstown were one of the favourites heading into the year but have struggled to gather any consistency while Mount Druitt Town fancied a strong return to this level but have not come anywhere near what they expected to achieve. There has been some discontent in both camps which surely hasn’t helped and Daniel Fogarty’s departure from Rangers has removed one of their main attacking forces. But Mount Druitt Town recognise that they now need to think about next season and in the young King brothers, they have some good potential for the future.
Bankstown on the other hand have plenty of time to turn around their fortunes, and a win here will put them right back into it. But following the Rangers’ victory on Wednesday, it might now have become just that little bit tougher.
Spirit FC V Mounties Wanderers Saturday 7pm Christie Park, Marsfield
Spirit had a great win at Mills Park last round and this will have given them a real impetus and boost in confidence for the games ahead. They are very strong in defence going on their display last Sunday, and though they have rued some of the cheap goals they have given away this season, that side of their game seems to have disappeared now. Scoring goals remains a problem, as it does for quite a few clubs, but if they get that solved, easier said than done of course, they have a good chance to rise up the table.
Mounties have similar difficulties. Strong at the back but having trouble scoring. Last weekend, it was again from the spot that they gained their goal, Daniel Severino with his sixth of the season.
The two defences look likely to hold sway in this one, maybe a 0-0 a good bet… 
Parramatta FC v Hills Brumbies Sunday 3pm  Melita Stadium, South Granville
Parramatta have found their form at just the right moment as the second half of the season commences. It took some time for the Eagles to find consistency this season, their young age playing a part, but the Fraser Park game aside, they have put together a nice run of results. They sit just outside the five but only two points off third, so more of the same will be Lee Sterrey’s instructions. The main impediment to a higher table position has been their wayward finishing and some valuable points have been lost for this reason. If they can put that albatross behind them, but continue to create the chances they do, Parramatta have a good chance of really having a say in how this season pans out.
Hills Brumbies have slipped a little recently after some excellent results a month ago. They had set themselves up well for a finals push but a couple of losses in a row has badly affected that possibility. It is not for lack of trying and a return to those efforts will be needed quickly before the top teams create too much of a gap.
Fraser Park v Mount Druitt Town Rangers
Rescheduled Round Ten
Three goals in just over ten minutes by Mount Druitt Town Rangers turned the tables on Fraser Park on Wednesday evening, giving the Rangers just their second win of the season and deflating the recent Fraser bubble.
It was a win which didn’t seem likely after Fraser Park had taken the lead just before the hour, a long range strike by Pat Cappuccio slamming into the roof of the net. The lead was somewhat harsh on Mount Druitt Town though, who had shaded Fraser Park in the opening half, some good pressure not getting the reward of a goal.
But it was a more concerted home side in the second half, and the lead could have come even earlier had Hussein Akil brought his shooting boots with him. A glorious chance two minutes after half time should have resulted in a goal, but the chance was skied, amazingly.
But once Fraser Park did hit the lead, it seemed that they would go on with it. That was until twenty minutes to go when a high corner by Rangers fell to the feet of Adam Luzi who snuck the ball home in a crowded area. If that wasn’t enough Mount Druitt then took the lead from almost identical circumstances. After Hosyal Cakal had almost chipped Michael Frost, only for the keeper to tap away, just, the resultant corner was flicked on, and again Luzi scrambled home.
Poor defending at the corners looked to have cost Fraser Park dearly, and while they sought to recover, some good keeping from Jarrod Marsh kept them at bay.
The result was put beyond any doubt when Mount Druitt gained their third with eight minutes to go. Good work from Cakal set up Shayne Ardle, who neatly shot past Frost, much to the delight of the away bench.
Fraser Park 1 (Pat Cappuccio 58’) v Mount Druitt Town Rangers 3 (Adam Luzi 71’, 78’, Shayne Ardle 83’)
Wednesday 12 June 2013
at Fraser Park
Referee: Michael Weiner
Assts: Valerio Bertuccioli and Youael Shamon
Fraser Park: 1. Michael Frost 3. Andrew Vitucci 17. Fabio Da Silva (10. Paulo Oliviera (c) 46’) 19. Nicholas Dimitropoulos 2. Rocci Gabey 11. Carlo Musumeci 13. Pat Cappuccio 15. Sash Tirovski 20. Hussein Akil 18. Mitchell Davidson 14. Ben Vidaic (7. Kevin Oliviera 46’).
Subs not used: 4. Thomas Taylor 8. David Wilson 40. Wayne Estavao.
Yellow Cards: Ni 
Coach: Albin Mikulski
Mount Druitt Town Rangers:  1. Jarrod Marsh 16. James Mawein 2. James Thurtell 14. Chris Prothero 11. Glen McPherson 8. Brendan King (25. Jess Casey 53’) 12. Luke Boyd (c) 9. Christian Cevenini (4. Daniel Wells 68’) 17. Adam Luzi 7. Shayne Ardle 10. Hosyar Cakal (15. Wiltar Jajaw 82’).
Sub not used: 20. Joel Tinker.
Yellow Cards: Nil
-By Peter Rowney