SUPA IGA NPL NSW Men’s 2 Round 3 Preview

The door to the SUPA IGA Men’s 2 competition is slowly being creaked open, with round two exposing further teething problems for some clubs and bright sparks for others.
Round three could see the competition begin to take shape as Macarthur look to stretch their lead at the top and five teams vie to end their winless opening to the campaign.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Hills Brumbies Saturday 7.30 pm Popondetta Park, Emerton
This week’s match of the round takes us to Popondetta Park as Hills Brumbies travel to face Mt Druitt Town.
Rangers will be hoping it’s third time lucky as they are still yet to get their season underway following the postponement of their opening fixtures due to lighting and bad weather, respectively.
The hosts can be expected to come out firing and will be hoping to set the tempo early on.
Brumbies have plenty of reason to fire up for this one on the back of last week’s 2-0 defeat to Parramatta FC.
A second half lapse saw Hills fail to be rewarded for some positive early play and coach Meneses will be closely watching the response from his charges.
Mounties Wanderers v Bankstown Berries Saturday 7.30pm Cook Park (Mt Prichard)
If the first two rounds have made one thing clear, it’s that Mounties are once again a force to be reckoned with in 2014.
A gritty win on the opening day was followed up by the narrowest of defeats to Macarthur last week, with Glenn Lockhart’s men threatening the Rams goal on a number of occasions.
Despite conceding a sloppy goal, Lockhart was pleased with Mounties’ overall performance and they will be determined to steady the ship.
That may seem like an easy task on paper, with their opponents Bankstown Berries languishing at the bottom of the ladder having failed to register a single point from their opening two matches.
Last week’s 5-2 defeat to local rivals Bankstown will have left Berries quite demoralised, with two goals from the penalty spot providing mere consolation in a match the Lions dominated.
But Mounties won’t be underestimating their visitors, with Berries a far more clinical side than recent results suggest.
Sydney University v Central Coast Mariners Academy Saturday 7.30pm, Hensley Athletic Field
Central Coast Mariners Academy coach Jason van Blerk will be quietly confident with his side’s potential this season, if not for the results then definitely for the performance from the opening two rounds.
A first up defeat to Mounties was followed by a come from behind 2-2 draw against a steady Northern Tigers outfit last week. Mariners recovered from a 2-0 half time deficit and proved why their pacy attack will prove dangerous for many sides in this competition.
The challenge for Van Blerk’s youngsters now is to go one step further and claim their first win of the season. They will have a good chance to do just that against as Sydney University side which is yet to click into gear.
Raul Blanco’s men sit in 9th spot following last week’s 3-1 defeat to Spirit and the Argentinean is likely to change a few things around and further mould Uni’s playing style.
Performance will be just as important as a result this weekend for both sides, with three points likely to provide a much needed injection of optimism.
Bankstown City v Fraser Park Saturday 7.30 pm, Jensen Park
Bankstown city kicked off their 2014 assault in style on Saturday night, putting in a convincing display to dispose of the Berries 5-2, with five different scorers (Grant Lynch, Billy Darwich, Shane Webb, Adam Biddle, Brad Boardman) nonetheless.
The Lions proved dominant in both halves and are sure to provide good value when they host Fraser Park this weekend.
The visitors will get a true indication of their credentials having only played one game thus far after last week’s clash with Mt Druitt was washed out.
They sit in sixth place courtesy of an early win against Parramatta and will give a good picture of their potential to challenge for a finals berth if they can keep a solid City outfit at bay.
Parramatta FC v Spirit FC, Sunday 3pm Melita stadium
Two teams high on confidence and momentum meet at Melita Stadium on Sunday with Parramatta fresh off a 2-0 win over Hills and Spirit getting the goods over Sydney Uni last round.
Eagles coach Franco Cosentino would have been pleased with his side’s efforts as they built on the positive round one display against Fraser Park.
Victory in this one will be a good sign that Parramatta’s blend of experience and youth has the potential to build a solid foundation for the club in 2014.
They have their work cut out for them, though, with Robert de Ceglie’s Spirit commanding Sydney Uni in round 2 and claiming their first points of the season. It was just reward for the team in yellow, who were unfortunate to lose in round one with a depleted squad.
Spirit will be keen to nab their first clean sheet of the opening rounds and prove their back line can provide enough stability to take pressure off the forwards.
Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams, Sunday 3pm, Mills Park
It will be first versus second when Macarthur travel to Mills Park on Sunday. The Rams are clear at the top with two wins from two, while Northern Tigers have picked up four points from their opening two matches.
With Macarthur expected to be a force this season, Tigers have a great opportunity to test themselves against one of the most enterprising sides in the competition.
Jason Eager’s men have looked in good knick thus far but were left to the a second half collapse against the Mariners, who scored two goals to salvage a 2-2 draw.
They can afford no such lapses in concentration against Rams, who could have Neftali Gonzalez return to the first team after playing 20s last week.
This one will be a great test for both sides with a great shot of building some breathing space at the top early on.
-By Mitch Grima