Round 13 Preview – State League Men’s

We enter the final stretch of the Men’s State League Competition and every game is crucial as teams look to make a late push for finals football.

Wagga City Wanderers (8^th) vs UNSW (2^nd) – Saturday 3pm

Winning is a habit. But just as easily as winning becomes a habit, so too can losing. UNSW tasted defeat for the first time in over 8 rounds last week and will be hoping to bounce back quickly in this match, or risk enduring the perils of an unwanted losing streak.

Wagga are no strangers to losing streaks, but their performance last week against Nepean has shown they have the ability to mix it with the big boys.

Expect a vocal Wagga crowd to turn up for this match, creating an intimidating atmosphere for the travelling UNSW team. UNSW need to bounce back if they are to prevent Bankstown United running away with the premiership, but the faithful fans at Gissing Oval won’t let them walk away with 3 points if they can help it – a fantastic match to kick off Round 13.

Prospect United (6^th) vs FC Gazy Auburn (10^th) – Saturday 5pm

Fresh off a confidence-boosting win over UNSW last round, Prospect players would have trained with real vigour and desire this week. They sit just two points outside the top four and know that if they add consistency to their stellar performance last week, they will be playing finals football this year.

A team that won’t be playing finals football this year is FC Gazy. On their day, they are capable of matching it with the best, but quality performances have been too few and far between this season. With plenty of attacking quality in the team, they are still capable of causing a shock upset and if they can steal a point or three off Prospect this weekend, they could bring an abrupt end to the top four ambitions of Darren Camilleri’s side.

There are no easy games in this competition and if Prospect want to play finals football then they need to win here.

Nepean FC (3^rd) vs Hurstville City Minotaurs (7^th) – Saturday 7pm (Match of the Round)

Rewind to Round 9 and you’d get long odds for suggesting Hurstville City Minotaurs would play finals football. Fast-forward to today and it’s a very different story.

Seven points in their last 3 games has propelled the Minotaurs into finals’ reckoning and their incredible performance last week against Camden suggests they are deserving of the many plaudits coming their way.

Nepean flexed their muscles in a convincing win over Wagga City last week. Star recruit Joel Bayubahe has joined an impressive attacking line up, already boasting the likes of Shomari Sabatho and Robert Polistina. Magdy Andrawes will be hoping the finely tuned instruments at his disposal will strike up a sweetly sounding chord that will fire his side all the way to the finals.

All teams in the top four will be watching this game nervously; knowing a Minotaurs’ victory could mean curtains for their own top four pursuit, but also that a Nepean win will prove that the mountain men mean business in season 2017.

Camden Tigers (4^th) vs Hurstville FC (5^th) – Saturday 7pm

Hurstville are sending Camden a very clear message: you have what we want, and we are coming to get it.

Camden has occupied a top four spot since Round 6, and even then, they only fell outside the finals’ places because of a washout. Incredibly, Hurstville FC haven’t found themselves in the finals’ spots since Round 6.

But after back to back wins, in which they amassed 8 goals, Hurstville FC are in prime form and are ready to reclaim their top four spot.

Standing in their way is Camden. Despite their erratic performances in recent weeks, Camden is a formidable opponent – especially at home. An icy Saturday night in Camden is akin to Stoke in the Premier League. We know Hurstville can do it against FC Gazy and Western Condors, but can they do it away to Camden on a Saturday night? If they want to play finals’ football – they’ll have to.

Western Condors FC (9^th) vs Bankstown United (1^st)– Sunday 3pm

Somehow, when all our backs were turned, Bankstown raced out to a 5-point lead at the top of the competition. With all the focus on UNSW’s unbeaten run, Bankstown quietly went about their business, collecting 5 wins in a row – which includes a run of 270 minutes without conceding a goal.

Western Condors are on a streak of their own – 6 defeats in a row. Unfortunately their recent form has done little to suggest the dismal run is about to end.

If Bankstown United are able to claim another victory in this match and other results go their way, the race for the premiership may come to a premature end as Claudio Canosa’s side could stretch their lead to a whopping 8 points.

But as the race for the top four heats up, Bankstown can ill-afford to take their foot off the pedal, or risk being swamped by the chasing pack behind them.

Form Guide:

Bankstown United (W,W,W)

Hurstville FC (W,W,L)

Nepean FC (W,L,W)

Prospect United (W,L,L)

Hurstville City Minotaurs (D,W,W)

Camden Tigers (D,W,L)

UNSW (L,W,W)

Wagga City Wanderers (L, L, W)

FC Gazy Auburn (L,L,L)

Western Condors (L,L,L)

– By Ryan Latty