Round 2 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s
Blacktown Spartans will be looking to secure their second win of the season when they host Central Coast Mariners in the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s match of the round at Blacktown Football Park this Saturday.
The young Spartans opened their campaign with a surprise 5-3 away defeat of St George, while Ben Cahn’s Mariners fell victim to a clinical Marconi Stallions, who stole the spoils 3-1.
In other matches, Marconi hosts Macarthur Rams; Western Sydney Wanderers travel to Bankstown City; Mt Druitt Town Rangers take on North Shore Mariners; newly-promoted Hills Brumbies host St George; Spirit FC entertain Bankstown Berries and on Sunday Mounties Wanderers tackle Northern Tigers.
Blacktown Spartans v Central Coast Mariners, Saturday 7pm, Blacktown Football Park
BLCKTOWN SPARTANS coach Luis Contigiani is a realist. After seeing his club relegated from the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s competition last season and then decimated during the summer, the 42-year-old is under no illusions that 2017 will be a tough year.
With a paltry budget and a team boasting an average age of 20, Contigiani says the club is going through a “legitimate rebuilding process without money”.
But despite the hardship, the young Spartans kicked off their campaign with a shock 5-3 victory away to St George.
“We were down twice in the game and we never gave up,” Costigiani told Football NSW. “The boys got stronger as the game went on. We made errors that a typical young team makes, but we didn’t drop our heads. We kept to the game plan and put our chances away. They kept fighting and gave 100 per cent and that’s all you can ask.”
When asked what he expects of Central Coast Mariners this weekend, Costigiani suggested the academy side will be fast, mobile and very technical.
“I expect them to move the ball quickly and I expect a lot of mobility and speed. We’re planning for it, let’s just hope we can execute our game plan and give ourselves a chance.”
The Spartans will again go into the match without central midfielder Richard Blanco; while the availability of fullback James Letta is uncertain after he received stitches to his head on the weekend.
“If we can hold the Mariners off and take our chances, we can win this game,” Costigiani said. “If there’s desire and a real focus to do things properly, I think we can win.”
Meanwhile, Mariners coach Ben Cahn was bitterly disappointed with his side’s 3-1 defeat to big-spenders Marconi, a setback he hopes to rectify this weekend.
“I thought we were by far the better team,” Cahn said of the opening round loss. “There was only one team in it but their big-name players came up at the big moments. It’s a steep learning curve for our young players who have to realise that to put in a performance so dominant and effective, you need to kill the game at both ends of the pitch. Unfortunately Marconi had the edge on us where it really mattered; and we missed a penalty early on which didn’t help. There were other missed chances but there were also some individual errors – naïve errors – that led to us losing the game. “
Despite the defeat, Central Coast boast some excellent prospects in their ranks and Cahn is hopeful his young charges will make amends on Saturday night. “There are five or six players that we expect to stand up; what rate they develop will be interesting to see,” Cahn told Football NSW.
While Central Coast will enter the match without any injury worries, the Mariners coach also admitted that while he knows little about the Spartans, his side will treat them with the respect deserving of an PS4 NPL Men’s side.
“I don’t know too much about them,” Cahn said.
“Obviously a team coming down from PS4 NPL side is expected to be of a high standard. And if you follow promotion and relegation in leagues around the world, the teams that come down usually have the potential to bounce straight back up. I would imagine that’d be their ambition.
“I believe they’ve lost some players along the way so it’ll come down to what they’ve replaced them with. We’ll have a lot of respect for them and we’ll treat them as an PS4 NPL NSW Men’s side.”
Bankstown City v Western Sydney Wanderers, Saturday 11 March, 7pm, Jensen Park
BANKSTOWN CITY LIONS and Western Sydney Wanderers will resume a fierce rivalry that began in the corresponding fixture at Jensen Park last season. On that occasion, goals to Christopher Gomez and Dean Bereveskos were enough to give the home side a nail-biting 2-1 victory over a Wanderers team that ultimately went close to premiership honours.
The Lions have lost several experienced players from last season but they’ve also managed to attract a decent bunch of replacements.
With the likes of former Socceroo defender Michael Beauchamp and prolific striker Christopher Gomez bidding the club farewell, new coach John Caruana has snared the likes of Jeffrey Issa, Nikola Todoroski and David Talone (all from Fraser Park); Aaron D’Mello from Hakoah Sydney City East, Alex Becerra from Bankstown Berries, Bruno Pivato from St George and former Macarthur Ram David McMurray.
“We lost some quality players and picked up some quality players,” Caruana told Football NSW.
“As a new group it’s my job to help them find some consistency and to play well together.”
The Round 1 derby featuring City and their crosstown rivals Bankstown Berries was washed out last weekend so Caruana’s boys will be desperate to kick-off their season on a high. The coach also has a fair idea what to expect of the young visitors.
“The Wanderers will be young, enthusiastic, quality players,” Caruana said. “They play a certain style which we’ll try to combat. I’m expecting a good, technical game and hopefully a good spectacle.”
Meanwhile, the Wanderers will visit Jensen Park after a 1-1 draw with Mt Druitt Town Rangers, a result that disappointed coach Trevor Morgan.
“Mt Druitt played very deep and were dangerous on the counter attack,” Morgan told Football NSW.
“They played the ball in behind and made runs in the box. They scored from a situation I think we should have managed better defensively, from a long ball. Looking at the statistics, we had 75 per cent possession and (all) we got was a 1-1 draw. Sometimes that happens and we need to be a bit better at executing the chances we make. The good thing is we were down 1-0 and came back to draw. We felt we should’ve won that match. I’m not 100 per cent happy but there were some good things the boys did.”
Western Sydney has made just two significant changes to last season’s lineup,
with Emmanuel Gonzales and former Mt Druitt striker Abraham Majok joining the side. Majok played the last 30 minutes against his old club and made a positive contribution, while former Wanderer Lachlan Roberts grabbed a goal against his former teammates, an irony not missed by Morgan.
When asked what he expected of Bankstown City, Morgan replied: “I know they’ve had a lot of changes to their squad this season. After last week’s washout, I’d say they’re looking forward to their first game and they’ll take the game to us and they’ll be up for it. I expect a decent tempo but I couldn’t really tell you too much about them.”
Marconi Stallions v Macarthur Rams, Saturday 11 March, 7pm, Marconi Stadium,
MARCONI COACH Tony Candy was stoked when, in a tricky season opener at Pluim Park, his side managed to upend Central Coast Mariners 3-1. But he was also thrilled that all three grades stole the spoils in a productive road trip for the boys from Bossley Park.
“It was fantastic to get a 3-1 away win first game,” Candy told Football NSW. “It was even better getting 18 club championship points, which is my priority this season. It wasn’t our best performance but the second half was a good performance and we’re happy with that.”
Marconi this Saturday face a Macarthur Rams outfit that played a one-all draw with Spirit FC. Candy is expecting to face a side that will play good, attractive football.
“I know (Macarthur Rams coach) Billy Pilovski very well,” Candy said. “He likes to play good attractive football and performance will be important to him. But being away from home I’m anticipating they may be a little more cautious and play a bit deeper and try to counter attack. I don’t know this for certain but it’s a gut feeling. We’re going to have to be patient and like every game, we’re expecting it to be a difficult one.”
On the injury front, Marconi’s Eros Bergamin was due to be assessed at training on Tuesday night and Brendon Vella was nursing a corked thigh, while Theo Kofinas has an Achilles injury. Candy also revealed that former Sydney FC and Sydney United 58 star Peter Triantis was due back at training this week and “hopefully he’ll be available for Saturday”.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers v North Shore Mariners, Saturday 11 March, 7pm, Popondetta Park
MT DRUITT Town Rangers take on North Shore Mariners at Popondetta Park on Saturday night with the home side quietly confident after holding Western Sydney Wanderers to a one-all draw in Round 1.
“If you had of offered me a point away to Western Sydney Wanderers before last week’s game, I would have gladly taken it,” Mt Druitt coach Aidan Desmond told Football NSW. “But looking back now we’re a bit disappointed and I thought we should’ve won the game.”
Mt Druitt strengthened their squad in the offseason, with former Spartans goalkeeper Carlos Saliadarre, Sydney United’s Alex Vlismas, Andre Guzman from Bonnyrigg White Eagles, Mitchell Mclintock from Southern Districts, Parramatta’s Aram Tayebi, and Western Sydney’s Lachlan Roberts adding quality to a side hopeful of again featuring in the finals.
However, despite the additions, four regular starters were absent from their lineup last weekend while Tayebi suffered a dislocated shoulder and is expected to be out of action for 4-6 weeks.
Looking ahead to Saturday night, Desmond believes that despite losing 3-1 to Mounties Wanderers, North Shore Mariners will be tough opponents.
“I think the Mariners will be vastly different to the team that played against Mounties at the weekend,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mariners coach Joe Haywood has the task of helping his new-look squad bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Mounties.
“We’ve got 11 new players in the first team squad,” Haywood told Football NSW. “There’s a lot of boys there from the 20s so the average age of the team is around 22.
On the weekend we had 17, 18, and 19 year old’s in the side, so there’s plenty of youth in the squad.”
Haywood added that excited about the potential of his side, including winger Freddy Ankumah-Sey, Robbie Kerr, Scott Tomkin and Mitch Smith.
So what happened against Mounties? “First and foremost we did really well in the first half,” Haywood said. “The boys followed the plan but we just lacked a bit of maturity in the second half and conceded three goals in 10 minutes. That’s down to certain players in certain positions but we also had seven of our first team players unavailable. We had to have three of our under 20s boys starting in the first game of the season. We didn’t have one centreback available and that kind of showed in the second half. We’re not too disheartened with the result and we’re happy with the performance.”
When asked what he expected of Mt Druitt Town Rangers, Haywood replied: “We think they’re going to be a good team. They had a good result on the weekend and they’re a very competitive team. They’re similar to ourselves, starting a lot of new players in their squad; so we’re looking forward to a good game of football. Last year we had two good games, two competitive teams trying to play football the right way so I’m looking forward to the fixture.”
Spirit FC v Bankstown Berries, Saturday 11 March, 7pm, Valentine Sports Park
NEW SPIRIT coach David Perkovic is excited about the potential of his side but he’s expecting Bankstown Berries to pose a few problems at Glenwood on Saturday night.
Boasting what he describes as a “competitive squad” the former Mounties coach concedes that while his team has a few players who can score goals, success will depend on teamwork and not individuals.
“We’ve got an experienced campaigner in (former Bankstown City Lions) striker Christopher Gomez who has been around a while and scored plenty of goals for Bankstown last season,” Perkovic told Football NSW. “So I’m expecting some goals from him this season. But we have quite a number of players who can be influential, players who can contribute in the middle of the park; and a pretty experienced backline.”
Spirit only has two players over 30 in their squad and with an average age of 24, seem to have the ideal blend of youth and experience. “We’re not too young and not too old,” Perkovic said, “so it’s a good mix.”
Spirit last week drew with Macarthur Rams in their season-opener at Lynwood Park and Perkovic was very happy with the performance.
“We created a number of goalscoring opportunities but we were unlucky with our finishing,” he said. “We had multiple entries into the box and I think if we’d scored first it might have been a very different result. Macarthur only had two shots on target the whole game and unfortunately one of them went in.
“I was pleased with the performance but I wasn’t happy with the result because I think we deserved the three points.”
When asked to offer his thoughts on Saturday night’s clash with the Berries, Perkovic replied: “I know their coach (Perry Moustakas) very well, and while he’s inexperienced as a senior coach, he has a world of football experience as a player. They’re going to be very well structured and they’re not going to be a team that will give away much. It will be a very interesting battle. Perry is an astute thinker of the game and he’ll keep us on our toes.”
Apart from Andre Carle, who scored Spirit’s goal last week only to be sent off after receiving a second yellow card, Spirit have a full squad available for selection.
Meanwhile, Berries coach Perry Moustakas is excited about his team’s season opener after suffering the misfortune of a washout last weekend.
“As you could imagine the boys were very disappointed that after working hard all summer, their first game was rained out,” Moustakas told Football NSW. “But we’re ready to go and looking forward to our first game of the season.”
The Berries boast a good mix of youth and experience, one that Moustakas has selected for its hunger for success and passion.
“I’m a passionate guy and we’re going to field a team that works hard, is solid and works for each other,” he said. “I think that’s what you’ll see from us. You’ll see a very strong squad fighting together as one.
Looking ahead to this weekend, I think Spirit have a good squad. I don’t think there will be an easy game this season and we know it’s going to be a battle this weekend. We’re ready and we’re looking forward to it.”
Hills Brumbies v St George, Saturday 11 March, 7.30pm, Lilys Football Centre
NEWLY-PROMOTED Hills Brumbies showed their class with a clinical 3-1 victory over Northern Tigers last weekend and coach Dan Sheppard is confident his side will continue their good form in this weekend’s home clash with St George.
“We’re quite happy with how we stuck to our game plan all the way to the end,” Sheppard told Football NSW of their win over the Tigers. “We were confident but we weren’t that pleased with how we played to be honest and we could’ve done a lot more on the ball than what we did. The game was a bit end to end and was difficult to control possession with how Northern Tigers were set up to play. But I think the better football team won on the day.”
The average age of the Brumbies’ squad is around 23-24, so they’re pretty young. “We promoted three of our 20s players from last year and we have one boy who’s still 18,” Sheppard said. “A lot of the boys have played together at 20s and first grade levels and we’re hoping this gives us a bit of an advantage (on the opposition). We haven’t changed our playing style from last year – we still try to keep the ball on the ground, playing through the numbers and to the feet; and try to score more goals than the opposition.”
Brumbies have some quality players, including brothers Greg and Wade Giovenali, who have both represented the Futsalroos, captain Dane Merrin and striker Peter Cejka, who scored two on the weekend.
“Any player on our starting eleven can be influential and I guess it’s a matter of being consistent and achieving the level required of PS4 NPL 2,” Sheppard said.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s clash with St George, Sheppard said he was surprised by the Saints’ 5-3 loss to Blacktown Spartans. “St George have been in PS4 NPL 2 for a few years and were in NPL 1 not so long ago so you would expect their infrastructure to be relatively good and their experience level to be relatively good,” he said. “We will expect them to be very competitive and similar to Northern Tigers. I just don’t know too many of their players.”
The Brumbies find themselves in the enviable positon of having just one injury, which also happens to be a long-term one. “We’re pretty much in the best position we can be and spoilt for choice. Many clubs are not in that position. I think we’ll try to make the most of it.”
Meanwhile, new St George mentor Terry Palapanis said that despite conceding five goals last weekend, there were positives to come out of the loss to Spartans.
“The positive thing is we scored three goals,” Palapanis told Football NSW. “And the other positive is that we have a lot of players coming back this week, including Juan Carlos Romero from Spain and Orman Okunayia, who have received clearances to play. Obviously the biggest negative is conceding five goals at home which I’m extremely disappointed about so there are things we need to work on this week.”
So what does Palapanis think of the matchup with the Brumbies? “From what I hear they’re a very mobile, fit and decent side. They had a top result against Northern Tigers and it’s going to be a challenge. But our boys are ready; we’ve got to work on our mistakes and we have some players back, so we’ll see how we go.”
Mounties Wanderers v Northern Tigers, Sunday 12 March, 3pm, Valentine Sports Park
IN THE FINAL match of the round, Mounties Wanderers take on Northern Tigers at Valentine Sports Park.
Former Macarthur Rams coach Lee Sterrey has taken the reins at Mounties and while the team’s a bit younger than he expected, he’s confident he can build something special over the next two years.
Mounties opened their campaign with a 3-1 victory over North Shore Mariners, but despite the result, Sterrey was far from happy with the performance.
“Considering the quality we’ve got we were awful in the first half and it’s disappointing,” Sterrey told Football NSW. “I probably had to say a few things at halftime that I didn’t want to say but had to say to get a reaction. The most pleasing thing was that we got the three goals and could’ve had more. But to come out of the dressing sheds for the second half after delivering a few home truths, they responded by scoring three goals in the first 20 minutes of the second half. The two positives were the result and the second half, to stand up and come from behind to win.”
After losing prolific goalscorer Matthew West in the off-season, Sterrey said he was working on developing a team that can score from different areas of the ground, rather than rely on one man.
“It’s tough when you lose an outstanding striker like Westy. But I’ve got a team that’s probably dangerous in three or four areas, rather than just one. I’m looking for at least four or five regular scorers,” Sterrey said.
Despite their opening day loss to Hills Brumbies, Sterrey is wary of Northern Tigers, a club for which he has a lot of respect. “It’s going to be tough game,” Sterrey said. “Northern Tigers don’t lose a lot of games. They’re a strong club and I’ve got a lot of respect for them. They’ve always been a powerful club at this level, and when you lose the first game you’re always going to react in the next game. So if we play anything like we did in the first half against the Mariners we’ll be out of the game by halftime. We know we have to improve out of sight to get a result.”
-By Derek Royal
