Men’s State League 2 Round 12 Preview
Round 12 promises jam-packed action across the grounds after last week was disrupted with washouts.
Three games will be played on Saturday, while the remaining two matches will kick-off across Western Sydney at 3pm.
We begin with our Match of the Round that sees two teams firmly positioned in the middle of the table, despite being in outstanding form of late.
University of NSW vs Camden Tigers, 3pm Saturday 27 June, David Phillips Fields (Match of the Round)
University of NSW host the Camden Tigers for this weeks Match of the Round after their Round 11 clash against Prospect United was postponed by a washout.
They have been in good form over the last month and are undefeated in their last four matches played. Of these matches they have won two and drawn two.
The Camden Tigers also find themselves in a purple patch of consistency and will look to pick up their fourth consecutive win after they too had the weekend off due to a washout.
University of NSW stand only two spots behind fourth-placed Camden, so they will be looking to take full advantage at home come Saturday.
Wagga City Wanderers vs Southern Districts SFA, 3pm Saturday 27 June, Gissing Oval
The Wagga City Wanderers will host Southern Districts SFA after their loss 4-1 loss to Dunbar last week.
Despite yet another loss, the Wanderers have showed a noticeable improvement since the beginning of the year.
Each opposition coach that has come up against the Wanderers have all provided positive feedback and all agree that they are doing remarkable things in their debut season.
The Wanderers have a crux of five to six regular first grade players who are between the ages of 16 and 19, which makes their plans for the future very exciting.
Southern Districts also welcome new players to their club especially mid-season transfer, Matt Mayora who has scored three goals in his first three games.
His combination with Mitchell Mclintock and Milan Atlagic has been a big contributor to their success of late.
They will be looking to continue this in order to pick up their fourth consecutive win, however, it is never an easy task to pick up three points in Wagga Wagga.
Southern Districts are the only team so far to make the five hour trek inland, for the second time this season.
Prospect United vs Hurstville FC, 5pm Saturday 27 June, William Lawson Park
Hurstville FC will be looking at this match as a ‘must win’ now that they find themselves just outside of the top four.
Prospect United on the other hand are in superb form and have won every match played since Round Five.
Their strike weapons in Wiltar Jajaw and David Mavisa have played integral roles in Prospect’s Success.
Hurstville FC have been up and down of late, but find themselves back in the winning circle after a 2-1 grind-out victory against the Western Condors away last week.
The previous two weeks they both drew one and lost one so they will be looking to put together another win because consistency is especially important, being the second half of the season.
Hurstville FC are one of the best counter-attacking teams led by Denis Cutura and Henry Kamleitner so Prospect must ensure they do not turn the ball over in bad areas.
Western Condors FC vs Hurstville City Minotaurs, 3pm Sunday 28th June, Calabria Sports Ground
The Western Condors will be looking to bounce back after their 2-1 loss to Hurstville FC last week.
Cristian Leiva Martinez and Mauricio Navarrete have been in outstanding goal-scoring form for the Condors. The two combine for a total of 14 goals scored in just 17 games played.
Defence has been an issue for the Hurstville City Minotaurs this season and despite showing remarkable improvement against competition leaders, Dunbar in Round 10, they did not perform to their potential last week against Southern Districts who won comfortably by six goals to nil.
The General, Peter Sarikakis has stressed the importance of keeping their opposition to low scores in order to achieve success.
If they are to do this, the Minotaurs will need to keep out the many attacking threats the Condors posses, so they will definitely have their work cut out for them this Sunday.
FC Gazy Lansvale vs Dunbar Rovers, 3pm Sunday 28 June, Progress Park
FC Gazy Lansvale will square off with the Dunbar Rovers for the second time this season after they were defeated back in Round Three 6-1 at Hensley Atheltics Field.
Despite the five-goal difference, FC Gazy and Dunbar had a relatively even first half as both teams went to the sheds at half time with the score of 1-1.
Ozcan Cetinay’s 18th minute red card was a game-changer for FC Gazy, not only because they were down to 10 men for the remainder of the match, but because they lost their best attacking playmaker.
Since then, FC Gazy have improved extensively especially with their discipline and as a result they have put together strong performances on the field.
The Dunbar Rovers continue to display exceptional depth as a club. Of their first eleven, only five have played over the last few weeks due to injuries.
However, those who have been given the opportunity have embraced it with open arms and as a result, they find themselves in the remarkable position of winning every game played this season.
-By Lars Roy, Men’s State League 2 Reporter
