State League One -Round 15 Preview
State League One
Round Fifteen Preview
Round Fifteen of the State League One competition is heavily tilted towards Saturday this weekend, with four matches spread over three timeslots, whilst the remaining two matches are scheduled for 3-00pm kick offs on Sunday.
Granville Rage and Gladesville Ryde Magic both had refreshing victories last weekend, and will hope to continue that momentum with another three points when they meet at Garside Park on Saturday, the match due to commence at the earlier-than-usual time of 3-00pm.
The Rage were without a host of players against Hakoah, but managed to sneak a 1-0 win through a first half Daniel Vukovic strike, an impressive triumph against a side who were previously riding a crest of a wave.
The first round clash ended in a 2-2 draw at Magdala, and a draw may again be on the cards this weekend in what promises to be a tense battle.
Two sides within the top five but smarting from losses last weekend battle it out at 5-00pm at Bensons Lane, with 5th placed Hawkesbury City welcoming the visit of 4th placed Hakoah Sydney City East.
The Hawks came back to earth with a bump at Northbridge Oval, copping seven goals in a game they will be keen to forget. Their goal difference has taken a battering as a result, but in the end it was only three points that slipped away, and they will be out to restore pride and maintain a semi final place in front of their vocal home fans.
One loss last weekend and Hakoah dropped to fourth, that’s how close this league is at the moment, so they will be looking to bounce back immediately and repeat their first round 1-0 win over the Hawks where Dean Ginsberg netted the winner.
Nepean FC meet Inter Lions on Saturday night at 7-00pm, hoping to address the recent poor run of results. Including the wet weather postponements, Nepean haven’t won since June 1st, and have dropped to 8th place on the congested ladder as a result.
Neither side, in fact, can take a trick at the moment, with Inter losing 3-2 and two players to red cards in last week’s encounter with the Magic, and will need to regroup quickly and approach this clash collectively if they are to take anything home from Cook Park.
Two clubs traveling in opposite directions in recent weeks do battle at Proctor Park, Bathurst, on Saturday night as Western NSW Mariners meet Northbridge FC.
The Mariners haven’t won since Round 6 away against the Magic, and are desperate to pick up three points and give themselves some chance of finals football in 2013.
But Northbridge have been going from strength to strength under the astute tutelage of coach Joe Hayward, and are proudly sitting at the top of the league, also boasting the best attack in the competition with 31 goals in their 13 matches.
Four wins from their last four outings is impressive in a league where consistency has been absent and every team seemingly can beat the other on their day, so their momentum will be very difficult to stop for the Mariners.
It’ll be the second time this season that Northbridge have had to travel to play the Mariners, and they’ll be hopeful of more than the point they acquired back in Round 4 when they drew 2-2 at Glen Willow Stadium.
Camden Tigers have had a rebirth of sorts since coach Ian Lloyd took over the reins a number of weeks back, bringing back some Camden favourites and finding their feet with some impressive results.
Despite this, they still remain bottom on 11 points, and will have their work cut out when they travel to Arlington Oval to meet an in form Dulwich Hill.
Dully are the entertainers of the league with coach, Wally Savor, encouraging their free flowing flambuoyant style of play, and 31 goals in 12 games is testament to their positive approach on the park.
The match also pits together the competition’s best attack against the worst defence, but something tells me both sides will ignore the stats in their quest for three points.
The first round clash back in April at Ron Dine Reserve ended in a resounding 6-1 victory for Dully, but things are different this time around, and the Tigers will be out to erase that memory quick smart.
Prospect United have probably picked a good time to take on Balmain Tigers, the match scheduled for a 3-00pm kick off at Wentworth Park on Sunday afternoon.
From their own point of view, United have had a couple of wins on the bounce as they look to fulfil their early season promise, with skipper, Gus Orcajo, leading from the front with seven goals this season.
Balmain, on the other hand, have been a little underdone of late, with the wet weather causing a number of postponements and meaning they could just be short of a gallop. Additionally, they have dropped from top spot to third, albeit with three games in hand on some teams.
An interesting clash this one, with an opportunity for Prospect to show they are the real deal and close that four point gap between the sides.
Click here for complete round 15 details
(all matches may be subjected to late changes, so please refer to the Football NSW website prior to the match to confirm kick off times)
State League One – Top Goalscorers
Round Fourteen
Dully’s skilful striker, Carlos Villazon, scored again in last week’s 4-1 win over Nepean to join Balmain’s Rosario Occhipinti and Scott Tonkin of Gladesville Ryde at the top of the scorer’s charts on 8 goals for the campaign.
Other movers include Prospect skipper, Gus Orcajo, who climbed to 7 goals following a his strike in last week’s 4-0 win over WNSW, whilst Villazon’s Dully team mate, Anthony Musumeci, grabbed goal number six for the season in that same win over Nepean.
8 – Rosario OCCHIPINTI (Balmain Tigers), Scott TONKIN (Glades Ryde Magic), Carlos VILLAZON (Dulwich Hill)
7 – Justin KOSMINA (Hakoah Syd City East), Gustavo ORCAJO (Prospect Utd)
6 – Terry PANNOWITZ (Nepean), Kachi ENYI (Inter), Ethan SIMONE (Hawkesbury City), Evan DAGLIS (Hawkesbury City), Anthony MUSUMECI (Dulwich Hill)
5 – James CHRISTIE (West NSW Mariners), Will DONATO (Balmain Tigers), Nick RUTHERFORD (West NSW Mariners), Chris CAMILLERI (Prospect Utd), Paul ORGAD (Northbridge FC), Lee JONES (Northbridge FC), Miguel MARTINEZ (Inter), Michael McCRORY (Hawkesbury City).
4 – Michael COLE (Northbridge FC), Mitchell SMITH (Glades Ryde Magic), Joel COOK (Balmain Tigers), Blake ARMSTRONG (Camden Tigers), Zachary WATTERS (Granville Rage), Johnny MARTINEZ (Glades Ryde Magic), Aaron CIMITILE (Inter), Ry HARDY (Northbridge FC), Paul COOPER (Hawkesbury City), Samir ESHANI (Glades Ryde Magic).
