Round 12 Preview – State League Men’s
Round 12 of the State League Men’s sees reverse fixtures from the competition’s opening weekend.
It will be interesting to see just how far all sides have come since Round 1.
University of NSW vs. Gazy Auburn FC – Saturday 18 June, 3PM at David Phillips Complex
The University of NSW will be looking to build on a positive past weekend with a strong victory against bottom of the table Gazy Auburn FC.
UNSW will have been disappointed to draw against Camden on Saturday, despite taking a lead in the first half. Nevertheless, they will take plenty of momentum out of an incredible midweek catchup game against Prospect United, which they won 6-5.
What was a stunning encounter this Tuesday saw the game levelled at 3-3 after only twenty minutes. UNSW then went on to take a 5-3 lead, only to have Prospect score two in quick succession to equal things once more. Sean Miller went on to score a dramatic winner for the Lions, securing a vital three points.
UNSW now know that a win against Gazy could see them leapfrog two teams into seventh place, as they look to revive what once looked a completely forgone season.
Gazy too will have plenty to remain positive about, having held title contenders Bankstown United to a scoreless draw on Saturday. This represented their first clean sheet since Round 1, against no other than the University of NSW.
Auburn know they can beat UNSW, with memories of Gabriel Zihori’s stunning bicycle kick winner still fresh in mind. The question will be: which of these two struggling sides has come the furthest since Round 1?
Wagga City Wanderers vs. Prospect United – Saturday 18 June, 3PM at Gissing Oval
The Wagga City Wanderers will be hoping for a bit more luck this weekend, in front of a home crowd at Gissing Oval.
Coach Andrew Douglas believes that his team has been performing very well, but just hasn’t been able to put the ball in the back of the net.
“We will be going in this weekend looking to emulate our previous week’s on field performances. I feel we have been in reasonably good form, but just not getting the results.”
“We need to be clinical with our chances in front of goal and that’s what we are focusing on the training park this week.”
Douglas says that his side will be boosted by the return of Callum Dunbar from suspension.
Prospect United, on the other hand, will find it hard to remain positive after a week of devastating disappointment. In two high scoring games, Prospect lost to Bankstown United and then the University of NSW by only a single goal; believing they could have won either.
In both games, Prospect played incredibly potent attacking football, but were let down by a concerning lack of composure in defence. Both fixtures saw Prospect lose late in the game, despite at some point leading by two goals.
It is not easy to maintain morale after one such defeat, let alone two, and coach John Caruana is lost for words – with nothing to say about the result or fixture ahead. However, the squad must know that they could beat any team in the competition with the attacking tools available to them; if only they solidify defensively.
Hurstville FC vs. Camden Tigers FC – Saturday 18 June, 5PM at Seymour Shaw Stadium
Hurstville FC pulled off the ‘Great Escape’ against Prospect last weekend, scoring three goals in the second half to win despite losing 3-1 at half time.
Despite the result, Hurstville will no doubt be disappointed with their performance defensively – uncharacteristically porous, compared to their typical difficulty to break down.
Nevertheless, as the cliche goes: Championship winning teams are the teams that win even when they play badly. Hurstville will look to put that performance in the past and reinstate their quality this weekend against Camden.
Camden will have thought they could have won against UNSW on Saturday, but were too let down by poor at times defending. Hurstville will provide a much more difficult challenge, but have proved themselves to be vulnerable in recent rounds. The Tigers will look to pounce on any such vulnerabilities this weekend.
SD Raiders FC vs. Nepean FC – Saturday 18 June, 7PM at Ernie Smith Reserve
Southern Districts suffered a narrow defeat to St. George last weekend, which delivered a harsh blow to their Premiership contention. Now sitting six points behind the top two, the Raiders will see this weekend’s fixture against Nepean FC as must-win.
Nepean will prove no pushovers, however, as they continue their mid-season resurgence under new coach Magdy Andrawes. They remain undefeated since his appointment, bolstered by a series of new recruits.
Andrawes says that he is very happy with how the new players have come together under his leadership so quickly.
“This is a very different team to the team that started the season, and they have adapted to my system of play faster than I have expected.”
That being said, Nepean were not entirely convincing last weekend against the Hurstville City Minotaurs; only able to come away with a solitary point.
“This week’s game is very as important as we come off our worst performance last week, since I’ve joined the club.”
“I believe we have the squad that can at least make the Semi-Finals, and if we are to do that we must be able to beat strong teams like SD Raiders FC. We are definitely looking forward to the challenge.”
St. George FA vs. Bankstown United FC – Saturday 18 June, 7PM at Peter Moore Field
St. George FA will be hoping to secure another crucial victory towards the top of the table this weekend, taking on fourth placed Bankstown United FC.
Few could have foreseen at the start of the season just how well these two new clubs would adapt to the State League Men’s competition, particularly after their timid draw in Round 1. Now both teams look like strong contenders to win it all.
St. George have been the most impressive, and made a major statement last weekend with their win against third placed Southern Districts. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a performance enough to secure a vital three points.
Coach Manny Spanoudakis says his side’s objective for this weekend is to “continue the momentum of recent weeks and raise our intensity and concentration”.
“Bankstown are a very strong team who will most definitely look to redeem themselves from their slip up last week. We will need to be on our game or we will be beaten.”
Indeed, United will be stinging after a goalless draw against last-placed Gazy Auburn in Round 11. They will be looking to improve drastically on a performance that was far below expectations.
Hurstville City Minotaurs vs. Western Condors FC – Sunday 19 June, 3PM at ES Marks Field
The Western Condors will be hoping to continue their quiet but impressive push up the ladder this weekend, travelling away to the Hurstville City Minotaurs.
The Condors have not been flashy this season, but they have been very effective. Their highly clinical football was demonstrated no better than in Round 11, where they absorbed intense pressure from the Wagga City Wanderers before securing victory with one of their few chances of the game.
They will know that the Hurstville City Minotaurs have had a frustrating season, which only continued last weekend against Nepean FC – where they dominated for large periods, but were unable to come away with all three points. The Condors will look to defend resolutely, frustrating the Minotaurs further before punishing them at the other end of the field.
A victory for the Condors could see them move into the top four, however a loss could see the Camden Tigers leapfrog them. They will be feeling the pressure of expectation this Sunday.
-by Daniel Palmer, Football NSW State League Men’s Reporter
