Men’s State League 1 Round 7 Preview
It is a bumper round seven in Men’s State League 1 with a festival of football on Saturday afternoon including our match of the round with a single Sunday match to round us out on Mother’s Day.
Balmain Tigers FC vs Hawkesbury City SC, Saturday 9th May, 3pm, Arlington Oval
Hawkesbury City are riding high after a hard earned point against Dully followed up this week with a game against a frustrated Balmain that failed to build on their famous Westfield FFA cup win over PS4 Men’s 2 outfit Bankstown City FC in their 2-1 loss to North Shore Mariners.
Joe Di Giulo wants a response from his charges against a distracted Hawkesbury with FFA duties in mid-week. David Bertenshaw will want a repeat of the second half against Dully to triple their points total.
Granville Rage vs Hills Brumbies, Saturday 9th May, 3pm, Garside Park (Match of the Round)
The Rage were the only fixture washed out after a good few weeks, unbeaten in their last three, taking on a Hills team sat top after hitting Nepean FC for six last week.
Hills are the league’s entertainers thus far boasting a goal difference of eleven led by top marksman Daniel Morsillo (6 goals) that has delighted coach Mark Giovenali, has his squad gelling every week and hoping to continue their run with a performance over a stubborn Rage.
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Rydalmere Lions, Saturday 9th May, 5pm, Magdala Park
There is double delight for the Magic, hoping for six points in their home stand against the Lions after their seven goal thriller against Western NSW. Lions coach Tony Basha will be glad to get his troops back on the park from being idle the last fortnight.
He will want them to focus on maintaining their unbeaten record and shackle a Magic attack that has shared their goals. The likes of Magic’s Johnny Martinez, Nick Paradisis, Stephen Lloyd and Chris Gaitatzis will certainly be the ones to look out for in what will be an entertaining match.
Club captain and stalwart Kiriakos Tohouroglou has once again been the rock in the Magic’s back-line with the experienced goalkeeper proving that he continues to rise as one of the best shotstoppers ever to play in the competition.
Expect an open affair for two teams looking to continue their momentum.
Western NSW Mariners FC vs Dulwich Hill FC, Saturday 9th May, 6pm, Glen Willow Stadium
The Mariners will look for a less heart stopping fixture after their 4-3 win last week while Dully were disappointing against bottom Hawkesbury.
Norm Tome’s men face a tough task in Mudgee against a Mariners team ending their home stretch wanting to keep touch with the top two.
Dully present a threat through Adam Johnston and Stephen Hrysanthos (four goals each) in what shapes up to be a high quality affair.
Nepean FC vs Stanmore Hawks, Saturday 9th May 7:30pm, Cook Park, St Marys
It has been a tough stretch for Nepean unable to train on Cook Park due to the weather the last two weeks. They return home after a mid-week trip looking to atone while Stanmore are riding high after seeing off Inter Lions.
The Hawks have started to click after their stuttering start to the season with the older heads in Angelo Petratos and Yorgi Mavrou leading around the side. Nepean will look to Japanese attacker Kodai Hayashi and their midfield to launch them up the ladder.
Inter Lions vs North Shore Mariners, Sunday 10th May, 3pm, The Crest Athletic Centre
This week represents a big challenge for North Shore Mariners sitting comfortably in second after beating Balmain. Firstly they travel to the west for a Westfield FFA cup tie with glamour PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 side Sydney United 58 before this fixture against Inter on Sunday.
Coach Joe Haywood will rotate his squad again after the mid-week duties offering Inter a chance to dent their rivals.
Ace marksman Rosario Occhipinti will provide a spark upfront for Inter with three goals in recent weeks in a fixture that will provide intrigue and goals.
Mid-week fixtures: Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Inter Lions and Granville Rage vs Nepean FC both on Wednesday 6th May.
-By Justin Davies, Men’s State League 1 reporter
