SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 Round 17 Preview

The SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 ladder is tighter than it has been all season. Parramatta continue to play the role of Road Runner, but the rest of the top five remains up for grabs with just three points separating second-placed Northern Tigers from seventh-placed Sydney University.

Plenty up for grabs in what will be another hotly contested weekend of football.

Match of the Round

Bankstown City v Northern Tigers – Saturday 7.30pm, Jensen Park

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Northern Tigers 2-2 Bankstown City

Form guide:

Bankstown City – WDDLD 4^th

Northern Tigers – WLWLW 2^nd

This week’s match of the round takes us to Jensen Park for an important clash between second-placed Northern Tigers and fourth-placed Bankstown City.

Tigers knocked Macarthur out of the best man spot with a 3-1 win over Mounties Wanderers on Saturday as their win-loss sequence continued.

Jason Eagar’s men proved their scoring depth goes beyond prolific duo Matthew West and Liam McConaghy, with Mitch Smith (2) and Shervin Adeli getting their names on the scoresheet in the win.

All teams in contention will be treading with caution over the next few weeks. Should Tigers lose, they can drop out of the top five, but win and they’ll move a step closer to cementing their place for football in September.

Bankstown City sit just two points behind Tigers so will have their eyes firmly on stealing second spot form their opponents and picking up some breathing space of their own.

Confidence will be high for the hosts, too, with the hosts having lost just one of their last seven matches.

Sydney University v Mounties Wanderers – Saturday 7.30pm, Hensley Athletic Field

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Mounties 1-2 Sydney Uni

Form guide:

Sydney University – WLWWW 7^th

Mounties Wanderers – LDWDL 6^th

Blink and you still would’ve seen them coming. Signs have been ominous for Sydney University over the last two months and their rise up the Mens 2 ladder comes as no surprise.

A talented core that required some moulding by the experienced Raul Blanco experienced a few teething problems earlier in the season, but they are finally where they feel they deserve to be.

Sitting in 7^th, equal on points with fifth-placed Mariners Academy, they’ve gone from dark horses to finals contenders with a run of 17 points from a possible 24.

A win here and dropped points from any of the four teams above them (one of which is Mounties) will hoist Uni into the top five for the first time this season.

It won’t be easy, though, against a Mounties team on a mission after slipping into sixth.

Despite winning five of their last nine, Wanderers became a victim of the close knit top half of the ladder after being undone by Northern Tigers over the weekend.

Hills Brumbies v Spirit FC – Saturday 7.30pm, Lilys Football Centre

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Spirit 3-0 Hills

Form guide:

Hills Brumbies – DLDDD 8^th

Spirit FC – LLDWL 11^th

After building up some momentum with points in consecutive matches, Spirit were cut back down by Fraser Park last weekend, meaning they now sit just two points from the bottom.

But things are just as close down the bottom as they are at the top of the ladder. So morale isn’t the only thing on offer here and if Spirit can translate their impressive play into points, they could propel themselves up a couple of positions.

Hills haven’t tasted victory in any of their last five matches but will be buoyed by a vast improvement in their away fortunes. Having struggled to muster anything on the road in the first half of the season, Brumbies have taken points from each of their hosts over the last three weeks.

They return to the comfort of Lilys Football Centre this weekend and will be hopeful of bringing themselves back in touch with the finals hopefuls.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Macarthur Rams – Saturday 7.30pm, Popondetta Park

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Macarthur 4-1 Mt Druitt

Form guide:

Mt Druitt – LWWLL 9^th

Macarthur – LDLLL 3^rd

The time has come. Macarthur’s sizzling start to the season had helped them maintain second place throughout their steady drop in results but Rams were shafted into third and now face the real possibility of dropping as low as sixth after this round’s matches.

Hard to believe considering the fact Macarthur haven’t really suffered a major drop in performance. Although they have a midweek fixture against Sydney FC to contend with, Rams will be confident of getting their title charge back on track.

Mt Druitt looked lively but largely flat as they were beaten by Central Coast Mariners Academy. Despite not having any concrete chances to score, they did seem to carve out some good football in the final third and will place particular emphasis on creating a better final option to avoid a repeat of the 4-1 defeat to Rams in round six.

Fraser Park v Central Coast Mariners Academy – Saturday 7.30pm, The Crest Athletic Centre

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Mariners Academy 1-1 Fraser Park

Form guide:

Fraser Park – LLDDW 12^th

Central Coast Mariners Academy – WWWLW 5^th

At long last some deserved joy for Fraser Park. A 2-0 win over Spirit provided a much-needed boost for Mile Todorovski’s men.

While the finals race appears implausible, there is plenty of motivation for victory at Fraser Park. They currently sit bottom of the Club Championship, 20 points behind Hills in what looks like a race in two to avoid relegation to State League One.

The weight of first grade victories will make any points this team can pick up invaluable to their survival chances.

Central Coast Mariners Academy will be happy to ruin the party, though, as they look to build on Saturday’s win over Mt Druitt.

It was Mariners’ fourth win from their last five matches and with only two of the other top five teams remaining  in their run home, they’ll see clashes like this as a must win.

Parramatta FC v Bankstown Berries – Sunday 3pm, Melita Stadium

Last time they met: Rd 6 – Berries 1-3 Parramatta

Form guide:

Parramatta – DDWDW 1^st

Berries – WLLWL 10^th

The Parramatta train seems to be gathering speed every week. A 1-0 win over Macarthur extended their unbeaten streak to 11 matches as they now sit seven points clear at the top of the Mens 2 ladder and 12 clear atop the Club Championship.

The Eagles’ fate is now in their own hands. Four more wins and they’ll have first place in the bag.

The league’s strongest attack meets the league’s weakest defence at Melita Stadium, although Berries’ recent record is no indication of their potential.

Wally Savor’s charges have lost three from four but have been good value at each time of asking. With only six games remaining in the season, Berries are desperate for their form to be translated into results and will be confident of pushing Parramatta closer than the 3-1 loss they suffered earlier in the season.

-By Mitchell Grima