SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 Round 21 Preview

The SUPA IGA NPL NSW Mens 2 may be winding down, but the stakes are speeding up. Central Coast Mariners Academy, Mounties Wanderers, Sydney University and Bankstown City are battling it out for the right to play finals football, while five teams remain in contention for the wooden spoon.
Parramatta FC, Northern Tigers, Mariners and Rams are scrapping it out for promotion, while the relegation fight is even closer as Fraser Park look to keep Hills at bay. Plenty on the line right across Sydney on Saturday.
Match of the round
Central Coast Mariners Academy v Macarthur Rams – Saturday 6.30pm, Lynwood Park
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Macarthur 1-1 Mariners Academy
Form guide:
Mariners Academy – WLDWW 4th
Rams – LWDWL 3rd
The tension is palpable. The boys in yellow fended off one finals rival with a narrow victory over Bankstown City at the weekend and moved a step closer to a top five finish. 
As it stands, Mariners Academy have their destiny in their own hands, but that could all change with defeat this weekend. Jason van Blerk’s men have coped well under pressure in recent weeks, dropping just two points from their last three games.
Academy will be looking to bounce back from a midweek 4-1 loss to the Mariners’ A-League side, with promotion still in sight.
Rams’ slim hopes of claiming the Club Championship were all but swept away on Saturday as they surrendered a 2-0 half-time lead to go down 4-2 to Spirit FC.
It’s provided coach Claudio Canosa’s men with another hiccup heading into the finals and they will be desperate to confirm their place in post-season football, which should realistically have been sealed long ago.
Rams will be without Simon Valastro, who was sent off against Spirit, but have the benefit of the match being moved to Lynwood Park, with Pluim Park occupied on Saturday.
Bankstown Berries v Spirit FC – Saturday 7.30pm, The Crest Athletic Centre
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Spirit 1-2 Berries
Form guide:
Bankstown Berries – LLLDW 10th
Spirit – LWDLW 8th
Spirit just won’t relent. The prospect of finals football has been and gone but Tony Walmsley’s men are going down fighting. The five-game losing streak in the middle of the season can now be highlighted as the catalyst for their current position, but they will take every confidence into next season given recent results.
A remarkable comeback win against Macarthur on Sunday was testament to the determination at the club, particularly with a number of players having assuredly graduated from Under 20s to first grade.
They could finish as high as seventh, but could also finish in the wooden spoon position, something that will drive them when they visit The Crest on Saturday.
The stakes are identical for Berries, who picked up their first win in six weeks with a 3-2 win over Hills on the weekend. Wally Savor’s charges have found it tough going as far as results are concerned recently, but will be looking to set themselves nicely up for 2015. 
Bankstown City v Parramatta FC – Saturday 7.30pm, Jensen Park
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Parramatta 3-1 Bankstown City
Form guide:
Bankstown City – DLDDL 7th
Parramatta FC – WWDDW 1st
There would have been a few sore heads when Parramatta resumed training on Tuesday night after some well-earned celebrations following their Premiership win on Saturday.
But Franco Cosentino will have all eyes firmly focused on the road ahead. The job isn’t over yet. With the Eagles now untouchable in first place, the next objective is to seal promotion.
They hold just a ten point lead over Northern Tigers, with a first grade win worth 12 points. So there is plenty weighing on Cossie’s lads continuing their sizzling form.
Bankstown City won’t be content with anything less than three points either. They will likely wave goodbye to the top five should they drop points at home, having extended their winless streak to eight against the Mariners Academy.
Fraser Park v Northern Tigers – Saturday 7.30pm, Lambert Park
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Tigers 2-1 Fraser Park
Form guide:
Fraser Park – WWDDD 12th
Northern Tigers – WWDDW 2nd
Two teams in a rich vein of form meet at a fresh-faced Lambert Park in a match with perhaps the most significant ramifications across the board.
Despite being unbeaten in seven, Fraser Park remain at the bottom of the ladder, albeit just three points behind eighth-placed Spirit. But they will be playing for survival here, having been handed lifelines by a faltering Hills outfit in recent weeks.
They’re just five points clear of the drop and must pull out their biggest result of the season here, knowing they may even have the chance to guarantee their NPL Mens 2 status for another year.
Northern Tigers look assured of finals football courtesy of brilliantly consistent form in the back half of the year. The goals have come from right across the front line and the backline has maintained one of the best defensive records in the comp.
The club championship also comes into play for Tigers, who are waiting in the wings should Parramatta stumble.
Hills Brumbies v Mounties Wanderers – Saturday 7.30pm, Lilys Football Centre
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Mounties 3-2 Hills
Form guide:
Hills – DLDLL 9th
Mounties – LLDWD 5th
Just a matter of weeks ago, Hills were well in contention to make the finals and looked to be gradually breaking away from the danger of relegation.
But they’re now in the hot seat to go down, thanks to a major form slump. Now is the perfect time for Brumbies to get themselves out of the rut, with survival and a mid-table first grade finish enough salvation from an up and down season.
Mounties will be scraping into the top five if they can hold onto fifth spot, with two draws and a win from their last three matches putting them back in control of their fate.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Sydney University – Saturday 7.30pm, Popondetta Park
Last time they met: Rd 10 – Sydney Uni 1-0 Mt Druitt
Form guide:
Mt Druitt Town Rangers – LLWLL 11th
Sydney University – WWDDL 6th
They may have gone down but Sydney University put on a fine show against Parramatta on Saturday night. Uni dropped into sixth following the defeat but Raul Blanco wouldn’t be too concerned, well aware that his side are capable of taking maximum points from the final two games.
Uni look a much more complete outfit than they were at the start of the year, with Peter Crevani and Gavin Forbes leading the line well up front.
A loss will make it very difficult for Uni to sneak above the line, but they will be confident of claiming maximum points with a repeat of last weekend’s form.
Mt Druitt’s 3-0 win over Bankstown Berries last month was sandwiched in between consecutive defeats, catapulting them down the ladder.
2014 has been a work in progress, but there will still be plenty of motivation to finish the season on a high.
– By Mitchell Grima