Round 3 Preview – State League Men’s
Round 3 of the Football NSW State League Men’s competition will see the ladder start to take shape, as all clubs look to build momentum.
Gazy Auburn FC vs. Wagga City Wanderers – Saturday 16 April, 3PM at Progress Park
After their opening round victory, Gazy will be disappointed with their performance against Hurstville FC and determined to bounce back strongly in Round 3.
Hot prospect Gabriel Zihori has been the highlight of their season so far, scoring a spectacular winner in Round 1 and netting again against Hurstville. The pacy attacker is very technically talented and can play across the front three.
Wagga City Wanderers will be delighted with their start to the season, where they’ve collected six points from a possible six. They will be expecting nothing less than a victory against Auburn this weekend.
The Wanderers have made a name for themselves with their powerful offensive unit, scoring eight goals in two games. Nevertheless, they have conceded a concerning five goals, with injuries and suspensions playing a role in weakening their back four.
They will be without Captain Sam Manglesdorf, who was sent off in only the eighth minute last weekend. Dunbar and Maccormick are injured, while the squad will also be without Allen and Thomas.
Prospect United vs. SD Raiders FC – Saturday 16 April, 5PM at William Lawson Park
Prospect looked very good in their commanding Round 2 victory against the Hurstville City Minotaurs. Their attacking unit grew strongly into the game, highlighted by an impressive performance from powerful forward Joel Bayubahe.
That being said, it was far from a perfect performance and their midfield struggled to assert a lock hold on the game. They had to endure many periods of pressure from Hurstville due to this, putting their defence to the test.
The Raiders have had an extremely disappointing start to the year, and will be looking to turn things around this weekend. Heralded by many as ‘competition favourites’, the Southern Districts side have yet to register their first win.
They displayed a glimpse of their potential against University of NSW in the FFA Cup last week, winning 5-0, and will be looking to show they can bring that football into the league.
Camden Tigers FC vs. Hurstville City Minotaurs – Saturday 16 April, 7PM at Australian Access Hire Stadium
Second from the bottom and without points is not where Camden will have wanted to be after two rounds of State League football. They will be fired up to claim their first points of the season this weekend.
They have shown a lot of goal scoring potential in the opening rounds, scoring two goals against first placed Hurstville FC and then again against second placed Wagga City. They will be looking to put at least a couple past the Minotaurs on Saturday.
Hurstville will feel like they could have done more against Prospect in Round 2, where they had plenty of chances. Their direct football was fruitless for most of the game, but attacking players Ram and Dominic demonstrated plenty of potential to cause damage with the ball at their feet.
The Minotaurs will see a demoralised Camden as the perfect team to play this weekend. However, they continue to be hampered by injuries, with inspirational midfielder Terry Atsas and Nathan Adams well missed.
Coach, ‘The General’, Petar Sarikakis is wary that Camden will be wounded and hungry for something to smile about, but says that his side are “desperate for [their] first win”.
St. George FA vs. University of NSW – Saturday 16 April, 7PM at Peter Moore Field
St. George will be buzzing after their first ever State League Men’s victory, where they smashed Nepean FC 7-0. It demonstrated that the league newcomers are will be no pushovers, and indeed a force to be reckoned with in this division.
They are, however, feeling the effects of playing three games in six days last week. St. George will have to stretch their relatively small squad, after injuries to Sean Thomas and Nick Napoli. Club captain and former Perth Glory midfielder Adrian Webster has yet to feature due to a persistent calf injury, while Kallie Bungara received a six game suspension after his first round dismissal.
Coach Manny Spandoudakis believes that this is a great opportunity to develop young players, and he will be looking to his Under 20s squad for this weekend’s clash against the University of NSW.
The UNSW Lions will be bereft of confidence, having lost disappointingly in their opening two fixtures of the season. They will be determined to capitalise on a youthful and relatively inexperienced St. George outfit, but must improve on their finishing in front of goal.
Despite boasting an impressive and technical midfield unit, the Lions have yet to score a goal this season. Last season will be strong in their mind, where they finished as the lowest scorers.
Western Condors FC vs. Nepean FC – Sunday 17 April, 3PM at Stanwell Oval
The Western Condors could not be happier with their start to the season, undefeated after two rounds and confident of their chances this weekend.
After hammering Southern Districts 3-1 away from home in Round 2, the Condors will be looking to go back to back against a Nepean side lacking in confidence.
Nepean had seven goals put past them by competition newcomers St. George last weekend, in what was a hugely disappointing collapse. They will need to turn things around quickly to avoid a similar fate on Sunday.
Bankstown United FC vs. Hurstville FC – Sunday 17 April, 5PM at The Crest Athletic Centre
Bankstown United collected their first ever victory in the State League Men’s last weekend, dispatching University of NSW 2-0. Coach Petar Finka asserted that his side would be working on their finishing during the week, having failed to put away a host of chances that could have made the scoreline even more dramatic.
They will be given their biggest challenge of the season so far, hosting league leaders Hurstville FC at the Crest Athletic Centre. Hurstville stormed away with a relatively routine victory against Gazy Auburn, and will be determined to pick up where they left off this weekend.
Bankstown must look out for Hurstville’s Henry Kamleitner, who was picked out by his coach as best on park last week. Hurstville will be looking to settle their defence, which has been leaky in the opening two rounds.
Hurstville coach Alex Prophet says that his boys are well prepared for Bankstown and that “each week is a new challenge and new opportunity”.
-by Daniel Palmer, Football NSW State League Men’s Reporter
