Round 6 Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s U20

Round six of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s U20 competition sees the still-unbeaten Sutherland Sharks return home to Seymour Shaw, where they will host Rockdale City Suns in one of two Saturday matches over the Easter long weekend.

Elsewhere, Sydney Olympic and Manly FC will face off in a replay of last year’s grand final, while Sydney FC will meet APIA Leichhardt Tigers in what promises to be a close encounter at Lambert Park on Friday afternoon.

Match of the Round

Sutherland Sharks FC v Rockdale City Suns FC, Saturday 4.30pm at Seymour Shaw

After coming from behind to rescue a 2-2 draw with Hakoah Sydney City East last weekend – and in doing so, preserve their unbeaten streak in 2017 – Sutherland Sharks turn their attentions to a sixth round encounter against Rockdale City Suns on Saturday afternoon. The visitors travel to Seymour Shaw with just four points from their first five matches and sit nine points behind Sutherland in tenth place, having played a match less than their opponents.

This fixture ended in a 2-1 win for the hosts last season, while the reverse at Ilinden Sports Centre in late July saw a 1-1 draw, with Rockdale finishing each game with ten men. After holding Sydney Olympic to a scoreless draw at home last weekend, Rockdale may well harbour hopes of an upset at Seymour Shaw, although the Sharks look a tricky opponent as they aim to improve of last year’s fourth-place finish.

Friday

Hakoah Sydney City East v Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC, 1pm at Hensley Athletic Field

Hakoah Sydney City East very nearly sprung a surprise on Sutherland Sharks last week after taking a 2-0 lead at halftime in their round five match at Seymour Shaw, but a second half collapse meant Paul Hubbard’s side had to be content with a point to keep them closer to the top of the ladder than the bottom. They return home to Hensley Athletic Field on Friday afternoon to take on Bonnyrigg White Eagles, the only side yet to win a game in 2017. Bonnyrigg sit in last place without a point ahead of their match with Hakoah, three points behind Wollongong Wolves having played one match fewer. Hakoah won this fixture 2-0 last season, and will be hoping for a similar result on Friday as they look to edge closer to the top six.

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC v Sydney FC, 2.30pm at Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt cruised to a 3-0 win over Wollongong Wolves at WIN Stadium in round five to move up into eighth place on the ladder, their second consecutive victory helping to atone for the three losses with which they started the 2017 season. On Friday afternoon, they host Sydney FC at Lambert Park in what promises to be a fascinating encounter by two teams in reasonable form: while APIA Leichhardt have scored ten goals in their last two games, Sydney FC lost only narrowly to an impressive Blacktown City side in the fifth round, following wins over Manly United and Parramatta FC. Three points for APIA could see them move up as high as third, depending on results elsewhere, while a win for Sydney could put them ahead of Sydney Olympic and Sydney United 58 in second place.

Manly United FC v Sydney Olympic FC, 3pm at Cromer Park

Manly United and Sydney Olympic clash at Cromer Park on Saturday afternoon in a replay of last season’s grand final, a match won on penalties by Olympic after the two sides played out a 1-1 draw. Olympic travel to Cromer Park three points ahead of their hosts after round five, in which they were held to a 0-0 draw away to Rockdale City Suns. Manly, meanwhile, return home after a 2-2 draw against Parramatta saw them remain in ninth place coming into the sixth round of matches. A tight encounter seems an inevitability. 

Saturday

Blacktown City FC v Parramatta FC, 5pm at Lilys Football Centre

Blacktown City snatched a 1-0 win away to Sydney FC at Lambert Park last Saturday to stay fifth on the ladder, level with their opponents and Sydney United 58 on nine points, though with the advantage of a game in hand. Three points against Parramatta FC in their round six match on Saturday afternoon could take Blacktown City as high as second, depending on other results, and they will fancy their chances of extending their winning streak to three games against a visiting side sitting ninth after a 2-2 draw with Manly United last weekend. Parramatta started the season poorly, losing their first two games, but have since recovered to take four points from their last two matches, and will be confident that they can produce at a ground which saw a 1-1 draw when these sides met in 2016.

Monday

Sydney United 58 FC v Wollongong Wolves FC, 2pm at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 host Wollongong Wolves at Sydney United Sports Centre in the final match of round six on Monday afternoon, where they will look to get their season back on track after a series of indifferent results in recent weeks. A 4-0 win over Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend was preceded by losses to Sutherland Shark and Rockdale City Suns, though the home side will be hopeful of achieving a positive result against a Wollongong Wolves team that has failed to register a point since the first round of matches. Wollongong suffered their fourth consecutive loss by three or more goals when they were defeated 3-0 at home by APIA Leichhardt. A surprise win for Wollongong could see them move up two places to ninth, while a victory for Sydney United 58 could move them into second behind Sutherland Sharks.

–By Max Grieve