PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 Grade 20s Round 15 Preview
ROUND fifteen of the Grade 20s competition takes place over the weekend, with two matches on Saturday afternoon and four on Sunday.
Bottom-of-the-ladder Bonnyrigg White Eagles travel to Lilys Football Centre on Sunday afternoon to face Blacktown City FC in this week’s Match of the Round, with the home side looking to keep up with Marconi and Sutherland ahead of them.
Match of the Round
Blacktown City FC v Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC, 1pm at Lilys Football Centre
Blacktown City will be hopeful of continuing their surge up the Grade 20s competition ladder with a win over Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Lilys Football Centre on Sunday afternoon, as they look to keep up their pressure on Sutherland Sharks, two points ahead in second place.
Blacktown have been beaten only once at home this season – on the first weekend to Sydney Olympic – and should be confident of overrunning Bonnyrigg on Sunday; the visitors having lost every match they’ve played away from Bonnyrigg Sports Centre in 2015.
While Bonnyrigg travel to Lilys Football Centre on the back of a 5-1 loss to Sydney Olympic, Blacktown City are perhaps the competition’s form team, scoring five goals for the second week running in their 5-0 defeat of Parramatta FC last Sunday.
Saturday
Marconi Stallions FC v Rockdale City Suns FC, 5.30pm at Marconi Stadium
The Stallions return to Marconi Stadium on Saturday afternoon following a routine 2-0 win at APIA Leichhardt last weekend, and will be happy to face 11th-placed Rockdale City Suns as they look to hold off Sutherland Sharks and retain their spot at the top of the ladder – until next round at least.
Rockdale managed only their second win of 2015 at Ilinden Sports Centre last week, a 1-0 win over Manly United; finally moving themselves closer to 10th place than to 12th.
Marconi took out this fixture 2-0 earlier in the season with goals from Ryan Peterson and Marcus Donatiello, and should be confident of a repeat performance on Saturday.
Sutherland Sharks FC v Parramatta FC, 5.30pm at Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks can only attempt to beat Parramatta FC on Saturday afternoon, and hope Marconi drop points against Rockdale, as they aim to take top spot back from the Stallions after two weeks in second place.
The Sharks sit two points adrift of first place, and will welcome the opportunity to play a demoralised Parramatta side at Seymour Shaw on Saturday; the visitors on the wrong end of a 5-0 admonishment at home to Blacktown City last week.
Sutherland, meanwhile, come into this match on the back of a 1-0 win over South Coast Wolves last Sunday; Sharks top goal-scorer Charles Lokolingoy recording his tenth of the season in the narrow win.
Sunday
Sydney Olympic FC v APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, 1pm at Belmore Sports Ground – WASHED OUT
Two sides desperate for points face off at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday afternoon, where sixth-placed Sydney Olympic will host ninth-placed APIA Leichhardt Tigers.
Olympic scored five goals at Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend, while APIA lost 2-0 to league leaders Marconi; only the third match in 14 in which the Tigers have been kept scoreless.
Olympic have lost only once at Belmore Sport Ground this season, to the high-flying Sutherland Sharks, and will be eager to take all three points against APIA as they look to push for a higher position in a congested section of the competition ladder.
Blacktown Spartans FC v Manly United FC, Saturday 5.30pm at Blacktown Football Park
Blacktown Spartan’s quest for form continues this week after a following a 1-0 win over Rockdale in round 13 with a 6-1 loss at Sydney United last Sunday, though their task will not be made easy by the visiting Manly United.
United fell one place down to fifth after a 1-0 loss to Rockdale City Suns last weekend, and will look to rebound with a win at Blacktown Football Park on Sunday afternoon against a side that they beat 2-1 at Cromer Park earlier in the season. The Spartans sit tenth with 13 points, eight adrift of their opponents on Sunday.
South Coast Wolves FC v Sydney United 58 FC, 1pm at Win Stadium
Almost unrecognisable to the side that won five straight matches through April into May, South Coast Wolves play at Win Stadium again this weekend following their fifth loss in as many games last week to Sutherland Sharks last Sunday.
The Wolves registered only four goals across those five matches while conceding 15, and this Sunday afternoon take on a Sydney United that has scored an impressive 19 goals in the same space of time; six coming against Blacktown Spartans last weekend.
Kyle Cimenti scored twice in United’s 6-1 win, with Liam McGing, Jack Stewart, Cristian Gonzalez and Tariq Maia all scoring once each, and the visitors will be hopeful of maintaining their unbeaten run – which extends back to April – against a Wolves side low on form and confidence.
– by Max Grieve, PS4 National Premier Leagues Grade 20s Reporter
