Round 10 Preview – PS4 NPL 2 NSW Men’s

Round 10 of the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues’ Men’s NSW competition kicks off this weekend and there will be some serious jousting as teams look to keep pace in what is fast developing into one of the most spirited competitions in ages.

Western Sydney, Blacktown Spartans and Marconi sit in equal first, but the competition gets interesting just below the heavyweights, with only three points separating fourth-placed Northern Tigers and tenth-placed Macarthur Rams; while Bankstown Berries and Spirit FC lead bottom-placed Central Coast and Bankstown City Lions by a slender one-point margin.

The Football NSW cameras will be at The Crest Athletic Centre on Saturday night as struggling Bankstown Berries host a Mounties Wanderers side with serious ambitions. Meanwhile, Blacktown Spartans will entertain Marconi Stallions in what will be an intriguing top of the table clash between two sides that are poles apart in depth, experience and resources, while in other matches, Central Coast host North Shore at Pluim Park; Western Sydney journey to Lynwood Park to face Macarthur; Northern Tigers host Bankstown City Lions; Hills Brumbies take on Spirit FC and in the only Sunday match of the round, St George face Mt Druitt Town Rangers.   

Bankstown Berries FC vs Mounties Wanderers, 7pm, The Crest Athletic Centre, Saturday 6 May

Bankstown Berries will host Mounties Wanderers in this Saturday’s PS4 NPL 2 Match of the Round at The Crest Athletic Centre and the locals will be desperate to get their season back on track after dropping into the bottom four.

The Berries had a man sent off in last week’s disappointing loss to Macarthur, an incident that changed the course of the game.

"We’re making it hard for ourselves," Berries player coach Perry Moustakas told Football NSW. "We’ve had a few red cards this year and gave away a penalty (against Macarthur). We were winning one-nil and then our player got himself sent off. The red card changed the game."

Moustakas added that indiscipline has been the story of the season and that, combined with a lack of concentration, has cost the team dearly.

"Discipline has cost us. Lack of concentration has cost us. The boys need to become men and they need to start finishing off games, otherwise we’re going to be in big trouble."

But despite that, the Berries have had their moments so far this season and possess a fighting spirit that Moustakas has honed carefully since day one.

"I’m proud of my boys for the way they give their best every week," Moustakas said. "But it’s not good enough. I expect more and we need to give more if we’re to improve our position on the ladder."

Meanwhile, despite last week’s gritty one-all draw with competition favourites Marconi Stallions, Mounties Wanderers coach Lee Sterrey was disappointed to leave Valentine Sports Park with a solitary point.

A former player and coach at the Stallions, Sterrey conceded that while the Sky Blues possessed the best and most expensive squad in the league, a drawn contest left a mixed feeling.  

"In some ways you’re happy (with a draw) and in some ways you aren’t," Sterrey told Football NSW. "I’m disappointed for my boys who worked ever so hard. But I’m happy with the way we’re going about things. It was a good performance, a strong performance and a fighting performance. I’m just disappointed we let them equalise."

Mounties have serious ambitions of gaining promotion to PS4 NPL 1, and with Sterrey in charge for two years, he has a blueprint designed to help the club achieve their full potential.

"The gig at Mounties has been very good," Sterrey told Football NSW of his first season at the club so far. "It’s a professional club, one of two that I believe can push to get back up into PS4 NPL NSW Men’s in the next year or so; Marconi being the other. Just on pure budget and depth of club, club championship wise, we have the potential and the foundations. That’s what I’ve gone there to do in the next two years.

"The team’s probably a bit younger than I expected. There were a couple of late losses at the club, players who went onto bigger clubs. But you can’t begrudge blokes going up into PS4 NPL NSW Men’s if we’re not there at the moment. But certainly we want to build something in the next two years to be there. We’ve played some beautiful football this season and we’ve created opportunities, but our finishing has been a major problem. If we can fix that, we can beat anyone."

But for now, Mounties find themselves in sixth position, a decent place alongside a bunch of other teams with similar aspirations. The trip to The Crest Athletic Centre is always fraught with danger. But if Mounties can overcome what will be a robust and physical Berries side, then they’ll take yet another step towards achieving their NPL 1 ambitions.   

Central Coast Mariners vs North Shore Mariners, 6pm, Pluim Park, Saturday 6 May

In a normal world, where competition points and winning are the primary focus, Central Coast Mariners would be desperate to get a result against their North Shore counterparts at Pluim Park this Saturday night. With just two wins to their name and languishing in equal-last place on the league ladder, coach Ben Cahn would be whipping his talented young men into a frenzy and demanding they bring home the spoils in a match that, on paper, they should win with ease.

But, like their A-League Counterparts Western Sydney Wanderers, Central Coast do not focus on short-term results. Nor do they live and die by the position they occupy on the competition table. No, unlike the traditional PS4 NPL 2 NSW clubs, the academy teams are purely focused on developing young talent for their A-League sides.

"This can be quite difficult in the short term and poses a lot of questions," Cahn told Football NSW. "Do we chase short term results at the expense of the club’s playing style? Or do we keep believing in what we’re doing and continue developing players in the way the first team demands? It makes for some difficult questions and leaves you open to criticism from the outside. So as a coach and as a playing group we have to be quite strong about the direction we’re going in."       

Central Coast suffered a 3-1 defeat to the Wanderers last Saturday, a result that probably didn’t surprise most followers of the competition. The Mariners gave a decent account of themselves, as they have done all season, but in the end, the ruthlessness required at both ends of the field was lacking.

"As we’ve found out on many occasions this season, if you don’t take your chances you always leave that window of opportunity for the opposition," Cahn said. "We’ve also been lacking ruthlessness required at both ends of the pitch. But, we’ve played some good football and I know that if we get it right on the park, we can beat teams by three or four goals. But if we get it wrong, that can be reversed."  

North Shore will probably meet Cahn’s expectations of a typical mid-table NPL 2 team. Three or four decent players. A blend of youth and experience. The desire to fight for every ball. And a seriously major challenge for his team of rookies.

He’s likely to be correct. Up until their shock 4-3 loss to St George last weekend, North Shore were on an unbeaten streak of six matches. Their direct, high-pressing tactics, vigor and strength at set pieces has made them a force to be reckoned with. And they’re fast becoming a team that nobody looks forward to playing.

"Our defence has been really strong this season so this (the loss to St George) was just a blip," North Shore coach Joe Haywood told Football NSW. "We made a lot of defensive errors and in the midfield gave the ball away. We also gave them their goals."

Haywood pointed out that his side has done really well in previous weeks, conceding just six goals in seven games and keeping one clean sheet. So to concede four goals in one game was a real shock to the system

"Unforced errors just cost us really," Haywood said. "The boys who took their chances did well but apart from that, overall we were pretty sloppy today. And we haven’t been sloppy the whole season. We’ll take a look at the video, see what happened and learn from it and move on quickly."

Quickly enough for the trip to Pluim Park on Saturday.  

Northern Tigers vs Bankstown City, 6.30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area, Saturday 6 May

Northern Tigers will be hoping to get their season back on track after last week’s shocking 3-0 defeat at Mt Druitt Town Rangers. Mark McCormick’s side were a poor imitation of their usual selves at Popondetta Park and didn’t show anywhere near the impressive form that saw them put Western Sydney to the sword a few weeks ago.

Of most concern to McCormick would be his team’s slow start – one that allowed Rangers to race away to a 3-0 lead after just 20 minutes –  the amount of errors they made, and their inability to create opportunities.

"We just didn’t start," McCormick told Football NSW. "We just didn’t compete in the first 20 minutes and that’s what made the difference. It was more that we mentally weren’t there. You can’t expect to get anything out of it when you start like that, especially at Popondetta."

Despite the heavy loss, McCormick said there were some positives to come out of the match.

"We stopped a beating," he said. "We could have taken a real hiding." Indeed, had Mt Druitt been clinical in front of goal, they could have had seven or maybe eight goals, so defence is another area the Tigers will need to fix before this weekend’s clash with last-placed Bankstown City Lions.

The Tigers have quality in their ranks and in McCormick, a coach who has the capacity to bring out the best in his young side, so a quick turnaround is expected at home this weekend.

However, despite their lowly position on the table, Bankstown City have been playing well in the past month and last week’s 4-3 win over Hills Brumbies was a reward for their grit and determination.

After so much mayhem and confusion in the early part of the season, new coach Mile Todoroski has captured the playing group and something special appears to be developing at Jensen Park. Just don’t ask the wily old Macedonian, who refuses to get carried away while his side sits dead last on the table and struggles for numbers.

"When you’ve got 17 or 18 players across two teams – first and second grade – that’s a disaster," Todoroski told Football NSW. "We are last on the competition table. We are worst team in the league. I am worst coach in the league. But we try as best we can. We try to work harder, there’s no time to cry."

Bankstown possess some audacious talent and despite the handicap of a small squad, not to mention injuries and a lack of depth, they do have the capacity to hurt the opposition. Northern Tigers will need to be at their best to overcome Todoroski’s side and they’ll need to match the Lions’ physicality, tenacity and direct style of football.     

Blacktown Spartans FC  vs Marconi Stallions, 7pm, Blacktown Football Park, Saturday 6 May

Blacktown Spartans host Marconi Stallions in an intriguing top-of-the-table clash at Blacktown Football Park on Saturday night. The Spartans have been honing their style to perfection and coach Luis Contigiani has his young charges playing with a pride and zest that was obviously missing when the club was in PS4 NPL last season. 

Looking ahead to this Saturday’s showdown with premiership favourites Marconi, Contigiani is very wary of what the Sky Blues bring to the table. Not only are they the most talented and most experienced side in the league, the Stallions are also the most expensively assembled squad in the league. But despite that, they’re not unbeatable by any means.   

Contigiani understands that but he’s not about to disrespect a club that was once considered the best of the best in Australian football.

"We’ve got to be realistic about who we are and where we’re at," Contigiani told Football NSW. "We have to focus on being clinical in attack and defence, and if the boys show the same determination and discipline as they have in weeks gone by, I believe we can give ourselves a shot in the arm. Again it’ll just be how well we execute our game plan on the day."  

The Spartans like to hold back and play deep in order to frustrate the opposition. They’re also young, fit and mobile and have the capacity to play with width when required. "If we go out there and play our game I believe we can beat any team," Contigiani said. "This Saturday will answer a lot of questions. We’ve got a good record and so far we’ve done okay."

Meanwhile, Marconi remains the standard to which all teams aspire. They have the pedigree. They have the money. And they have the tradition. But with all those things comes pressure. And there’s more pressure out Bossley Park way than there is at any other club in the league. So much so that coach Tony Candy’s side has yet to put together a full 90-minute performance this season. Yes, we’ve seen glimpses of the side’s brilliance, and truth be told, the Stallions have several matchwinners who can turn a game in the blink of an eye. But we’ve also seen the vulnerability of the side, a soft underbelly that has been exposed at various times this season.

Regardless, Marconi will be a very stern test for the Spartans. On paper, it’s a classic case of men versus boys. Former Socceroo Michael Beauchamp has more experience than any other player in the league and in Peter Triantis, Marko Jesic, Sean Rooney and Mirjan Pavlovic, the Stallions pack plenty of punch in the front third. Seriously, when one day these boys take the bull by the horns and decide to play, some poor team is sure to cop the mother of all hidings.

Who will win? The Prince (Stallions) or the Pauper (Spartans)? The team that has so far earned success on the sniff of an oily rag, or the side that has poured more resources into promotion than any other club in the competition? Only time will tell.

Macarthur Rams vs Western Sydney Wanderers, 7pm, Lynwood Park, Saturday 6 May

Macarthur Rams face their biggest test of the season when they host the white-hot Western Sydney Wanderers at Lynwood Park on Saturday night. Currently on a four-game unbeaten streak, the Rams have somehow managed to do wonders with a light squad lacking in quality and experience.

The Rams can score goals as evidenced by their recent haul of eight from two matches; but their defence can also be vulnerable, as shown by the six they’ve conceded in their last two games.

Coach Eddie Briscoe has done a good job motivating his boys, but the Englishman is still looking forward to adding reinforcements sometime in May.

"I can’t fault them for their effort and endeavor," Briscoe told Football NSW. "And they’re sticking to what we’re trying to do. If we can find a couple of players (in May) we might be half decent. We’re battling away and fighting and giving it the best shot we can each week. That’s all we can do."

Meanwhile, Western Sydney may share the competition lead but they’ll need to be focused and on their game when they visit Lynwood Park, a venue that has in the past been a bit of a fortress for the home side.

But the Red and Black have the quality to end Macarthur’s unbeaten streak, especially if the likes of Keanu Baccus, Abraham Majok, Liam Youlley, Mario Shabow, Jackson Brandiera and goalkeeper Nick Suman are available for selection. However, just like their Central Coast counterparts, the Wanderers are not in the competition chasing results. They’re in the competition giving their players the best possible football education available.

“For us it’s not about a first-grade team where we’re just trying to perform each week,” said Wanderers PS4 NPL 2 coach Trevor Morgan. “We take into consideration our objective which is to provide match experience to young talented players in the highest level of competition available to us. We need to give our boys a pathway out of our side and into the first team, and we also need to accept that when the players have a heavy load with the first team, they’re not going to play as much for our team. If we didn’t have a first team above us I’d be focusing purely on my boys in a different way, a bit more like every other club does."

So how will Western Sydney engage their assignment at Macarthur?

"I’d still like us to keep improving in small areas of our game," Morgan said. "Some of those are team related things and some of those are individuals getting better. Collectively and individually I’d like improvement.

"We present a different opponent to the other clubs because the kids are a bit younger and they train in a fulltime environment. So I think every team aims to beat us and they try to come up with a game plan to do it. I expect them to try and highlight their strengths and try and hurt us."  

Hills Brumbies vs Spirit FC, 7.30pm, Lilys Football Centre, Saturday 6 May

Hills Brumbies and Spirit FC will be desperate to get their respective seasons back on track when they clash at Lilys Football Centre on Saturday night. Hills last week suffered a shock 3-2 defeat to Bankstown City Lions, while Spirit copped a 3-0 hiding by high-flying Blacktown Spartans.

After gaining promotion from PS4 NPL 3, Hills coach Dan Sheppard has been pleased with his side’s progress. They’ve performed well and while their results have been mixed, there’s no reason why they shouldn’t challenge for a place in the finals at the end of the season.

"We haven’t changed our playing style from last year – we still try to keep the ball on the ground, play through the numbers and to the feet, and try to score more goals than the opposition," Sheppard told Football NSW. "And by a sense of reality we should be happy with how well we’ve done so far and make sure that continues."

Disappointed with his side’s setback against Bankstown last Saturday, Sheppard conceded that while it was a really bad day at the office, he thought the club should be happy with where they’re placed on the table.

"It’s our first year in PS4 NPL 2 and we’re doing a good job to survive. We may have taken Bankstown too easy, but that should be a lesson for us in the future."

Meanwhile, Spirit FC has been misfiring so far this season and as a consequence sit in 12th equal position on the ladder, just one point ahead of bottom-placed Central Coast Mariners and Bankstown City.

While there’s still time to make a move up the table, Spirit better get to it before the pack starts to break away in the next few rounds or so.

After a super effort against competition favourites Marconi Stallions a fortnight ago, Spirit coach David Perkovic was confident his side could put in a good shift against the Spartans. But it wasn’t to be.

"I was very pleased with our performance (against Marconi), which was most definitely our best of the season," Perkovic told Football NSW. "I’m hopeful that we can put in that kind of effort week-in, week-out now because if we do that, we’ll get a lot more positive results going forward.

"If we can put in that sort of effort week-in, week-out I expect us to come up the ladder quite quickly. It was a very good collective effort, the boys put in a really good shift."

Can Spirit put in another good shift when they face Hills this weekend? We’ll know the answer to that question by 9.30pm on Saturday.

St George vs Mt Druitt Town Rangers, 5pm, Seymour Shaw Park, Sunday 7 May

St George host Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Seymour Shaw Park on Sunday afternoon and both sides will be keen to win successive matches after respective wins over North Shore Mariners and Northern Tigers last weekend.

In Spanish import Juan Carlos Romero, Saints have discovered a class centre forward who is instinctive and has a nose for goal. His six goals have certainly kept his side in the mix and if he continues to shine, then the unfashionable club from Sydney southern suburbs has the potential to surprise.

Coach Terry Palapanis has been impressed with his team’s progress in recent weeks and he believes it’s their "character" that has been responsible for their good form.

"It’s their character," Palapanis said when asked why his side had been performing so well. "And the ability to create chances and score goals. That’s the hardest thing to do in football. We’ve just got the ability to find something. And without naming names, there’s a bit of quality about some of our players."   

Meanwhile, Mt Druitt were superb in their 3-0 victory over highly-rated Northern Tigers last week, grabbing all of their goals in the first 20 minutes. But the margin could easily have been far greater had the home side finished all their opportunities.  

"The score could have been anything," Rangers coach Aidan Desmond told Football NSW. "Lachlan Roberts (who scored a hat-trick) had a couple of other opportunities," but he didn’t put them away. It could really have been a seven or eight goal margin.

Mt Druitt had been through a rough patch prior to the win over the Tigers. They couldn’t score. They couldn’t compete and, for a so club proud of being one of the leading lights in the competition, there just seemed to be something missing. So Desmond decided it was time to have a heart-to-heart with his players and to deliver a few home truths. The method may have been unorthodox, but the outcome proved to be a winner.  

"It was a change in attitude," Desmond said. "There were a few home truths delivered during the week and it seemed to work."

Mt Druitt (sixth) and St George (seventh) are both on 12 points, so a win for either side will come in very handy in what is fast developing into one of the most evenly contested competitions in years. 

-By Derek Royal, Football NSW Reporter