State League 1 – Round 19 Preview

Rescheduled Midweek Match
Dulwich Hill     – Inter Lions     2-0
Dulwich Hill moved ominously to the top of the State League One competition on Wednesday night, overcoming Inter Lions 2-0 at Garside Park in a rescheduled Round Nine encounter.
Inter’s goalkeeper, Roberto Maiorana, kept the Lions in the match early on with a couple of great saves, the first from an Anthony Musumeci strike, and the second from an Aaron Cordova crack after Frank Calcagno had threaded through a cut back from the by line.
Inter came into the match more so either side of half time, with Nicky Ruoco and Miguel Martinez influential, but Dully kept their focus and worked hard towards the three points.
On 63 minutes, Dully’s Chris Pinto whipped over a free kick awarded near the corner flag and central defender, Marcus Frost, found space at the far post to head past Maiorana to give Dulwich Hill the lead.
The game was wrapped up in the 83^rd minute, when Anthony Musumeci slipped a ball into space for Stephen Hrysanthos to run onto, and the U/20s striker slotted home to give Dully the points.
 
Round Nineteen Preview
Things are really becoming very interesting indeed in the State League One competition as we tentatively approach Round 19 this weekend, with the race for a semi-final berth fast becoming a monster tug of war between a number of teams.
Only four clubs have completed their full quota of 18 matches, meaning they have the four scheduled games to go, with 12 points at stake. The other eight clubs have an additional one or two catch up games yet to play, so how they handle the additional workload – not to mention the pressure that comes with a couple of ‘six pointers’ – could well determine how the final ladder positions, and semi-final spots, look come 5-00pm, September 1, the completion of the final Round 22.
With two points separating the top three, you would bet that Dulwich Hill, Northbridge and Balmain should occupy similar positions come semi-final time, barring an unprecedented run of poor form. That would leave six teams all vying for the remaining two spots, and given they are separated by a mere four points, saddle up and hold on for what promises to be a roller coaster finish to the season.
Round Nineteen is split between three games on both Saturday and Sunday, and we start proceedings with the clash between Prospect United and Northbridge at William Lawson Park on Saturday afternoon.
Prospect have only themselves to blame for not being higher up on the ladder, inconsistency proving detrimental in their quest for a finals berth. No wins in their last four matches sees United in 8^th spot on 23 points, and given they have played their full quota of (18) matches to date, Gus Orcajo and co are fast running out of time to resurrect their year.
The ‘Bridge’ on the other hand, are going from strength to strength, with a blimp against Balmain a couple of weeks ago an aberration in a run of matches that has seen them win 7 out of their last 8 games. Now that Michael Cole has returned to the fray and is back amongst the goals, aided by the pocket dynamo, Ry Hardy, it is a brave man to bet against Northbridge continuing their run on Saturday.
A derby of sorts is on the cards at Cook Park, St Marys, where Nepean welcome the visit of Hawkesbury City for a 7-00pm kick off.
Adam Malouf’s Nepean haven’t been able to take a trick lately, unable to convert draws to wins, as injuries and suspensions have taken their toll and seen them drop to 9^th on the ladder. But they are on 23 points, just three points behind the Hawks who sit in 5^th spot, and if there is a time to go the extra mile and keep their season alive, I suspect this Saturday’s match is when it needs to happen.
The Hawks coach, Dean Bertenshaw, must be pulling his hair out with his team’s unpredictable performances, with two 3-1 losses over the past two weeks seeing Hawkesbury hanging on to 5^th position by a thread. Andrew Stevenson’s red card against the Rage means he’ll be out for this clash, with the Hawks no doubt hoping Ethan Simone and Paul Cooper can continue to find the net so they can avoid a third defeat on the trot.
Granville Rage were the biggest shakers last weekend, their 3-1 win over Hawkesbury seeing them catapult into 4^th position on the ladder on 27 points. Veteran Dave Harding got on the scoresheet for the Rage, with Zac Watters netting a brace off the bench in a satisfying performance.
The Rage make the long trek to Mudgee this Saturday to tackle bottom placed Western NSW Mariners, where another three points will put them in a commanding position on the run home to finals football.
Ron Dine Reserve will host the match between Camden Tigers and Hakoah Sydney City East on Sunday afternoon, the two teams coming off losses last weekend.
Camden has worked hard to restore some respectability in their performances, although their pride took a hit in a 1-5 reverse against Northbridge last Sunday.
Hakoah were disappointed not to have obtained something from their 1-2 defeat against Dully last Sunday night, given they played solid for the last hour or so. With eight wins and eight losses this season, they will have to regroup very quickly and aim for nothing less than three points if they are to climb back into finals contention.
Balmain have a tricky clash on Sunday at Wentworth Park, entertaining Inter Lions in what looks like a straightforward result on paper.
Inter have proven a stern test for anyone since their elevation off the bottom of the ladder, and have proven game winners in Tony Panuccio and Nicky Ruoco in midfield, although the team’s legs could be weary after a midweek clash against Dully.
Balmain suffered only their second loss of the season last week against Magic, and is now third on the ladder as a result, hoping to return to winning ways and replicate their first round 4-2 victory over Inter in a match where Rosario Occhipinti grabbed a brace for the Tigers.
Dulwich Hill are the new league leaders following their midweek triumph over Inter Lions, but are up for a real test when they face Gladesville Ryde Magic on Sunday at Arlington Oval.
Dully have well and truly overcome a mid-season dry patch to surge to the top of the ladder on the back of five wins from their last six matches, despite having their resources strained through injuries.
But the Magic have been on a resurgence of sorts since they started playing for pride, and find themselves just three points from 5^th place as they look to defend their 2012 crown. Gladesville have already beaten Dully this season, 1-0 back in May with a Mitchell Smith goal, so they will draw confidence from that result as they look to topple the league’s frontrunners.
Please click on the following link to access all the details of the full round of Round 19 fixtures (all matches may be subject to late changes so please refer to the Football NSW website prior to kick off to confirm match details)
http://www.sportingpulse.com/comp_info.cgi?a=ROUND&round=19&client=0-9353-0-253810-0&pool=1
 
State League One
Top Goal scorers – Round 18
The race for the Golden Boot is hotting up, even though Rosario Occhipinti (Balmain) and Scott Tonkin (Glades Magic) continue to lead the way with 12 and 10 goals respectively. Carlos Villazon of Dully is on 8 goals even though he has missed the last few weeks through injury, and he has been joined this week by Inter’s powerhouse striker, Kachi Enyi, and Granville speedster, Zac Watters, who both grabbed a brace last weekend to both move to 8 goals.
12         – Rosario OCCHIPINTI (Balmain Tigers)
10         – Scott TONKIN (Gladesville Ryde Magic)

8          – Carlos VILLAZON (Dulwich Hill), Justin KOSMINA (Hakoah), Kachi ENYI (Inter Lions), Gustavo Orcajo (Prospect Utd), Zac WATTERS (Granville Rage)

7          – Ethan SIMONE (Hawkesbury City), Miguel MARTINEZ (Inter Lions), Nick RUTHERFORD (Western NSW), Michael COLE (Northbridge)

6          – Terry PANNOWITZ (Nepean),), Anthony MUSUMECI (Dulwich Hill), Evan DAGLIS (Hawkesbury City), Will DONATO (Balmain Tigers), , Mitchell SMITH (Gladesville Ryde Magic), James CHRISTIE (Western NSW), Frank CALCAGNO (Dulwich Hill), Paul COOPER (Hawkesbury City), Ry HARDY (Northbridge)

5          – Chris CAMILLERI (Prospect Utd), Paul ORGAD (Northbridge), Lee JONES (Northbridge), Michael MCCRORY (Hawkesbury City), Samir ESHANI (Gladesville Ryde Magic), James VILLAZON (Dulwich Hill), Yavuz EKINCI (Gladesville Ryde Magic), Mark McALPINE (Hakoah)