Round 19 Preview – PS4 NPL 3 NSW Men’s

With eighteen rounds completed and another eight matches yet to play, there is plenty still to play for as we approach Round Nineteen of the  2017 PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.

Remarkably just one solitary point separates four sides in the top half, occupying positions 4^th through to 7^th on the competition ladder.

Gladesville Ryde Magic are 4^th on 28 points, and have been on a superb run, their last loss coming two months ago on May 14^th, when SD Raiders beat them 3-1. The run stretches over nine matches, with five wins and four draws, conceding just seven goals in the process.

This week’s match against Fraser Park will well and truly test Gladesville, because Fraser, in fact, have a run that stretches from the opening day of the season given they are still undefeated in the entire 2017 campaign.

The first round match between the two was expectedly tight, with Fraser Park netting two goals in the final four minutes to win 2-0, so yet another close affair is predicted this time around at 3-00pm on Sunday afternoon at Magdala Park.

Hawkesbury City lie in 5^th position on the ladder, also sitting on 28 points, and only behind Gladesville Ryde Magic on goal differential. The Hawks do have a game in hand on Magic, and will be keen to keep the pressure on up top when they visit Proctor Park in Bathurst to take on Western NSW Mariners.

The Mariners are coming off the back of a hiding last week at the hands of Fraser Park, and will be keen to take something from this match to bridge the gap between them and Inter Lions (15 points) and Granville Rage (16 points) who are just above them on the ladder. Expect an improved showing from the locals, in a match which has been brought forward to 4-00pm on Saturday afternoon.

One point behind Gladesville Ryde Magic and Hawkesbury City, occupying 6^th and 7^th positions respectively, are two sides who are playing in their inaugural year in the Playstation NPL 3 competition – St George City and SD Raiders.

After a promising run at the back end of the first round, St George City have been greatly affected by a loss of key players at crucial times, mainly through injury, and as a result, have been brought back to the field by suffering four losses in their past five matches.

Their game this Saturday night against Sydney University is a real ‘six-pointer’, with the ‘students’ just four points behind St George City on 23, knowing a loss would give them a huge gap to bridge if they were to make a run to the finals.

Sydney Uni would love a similar result to their corresponding first round fixture, where Peter Kardasis scored the only goal of the game to give them a narrow 1-0 win.

SD Raiders are in 7^th position on the ladder, behind St George City on goal differential, and  will be hoping to continue their good form of late which has brought them 3 wins and 2 draws in their past five outings.

The Raiders will host Stanmore Hawks on Saturday night at 7-00pm at Ernie Smith Reserve, but will be without two of their attacking weapons, Mitchell Mclintock and Carlos Enwiya, both suspended given their two red cards last weekend.

Stanmore Hawks have had a miserable last four games – losing all four, and conceding 18 goals in the process. They say each loss brings you closer to a win, and the Hawks will be looking to restore some much needed pride in the jersey come Saturday night.

The Dulwich Hill juggernaut continues on Saturday night when they host Granville Rage at Arlington Oval at 7-00pm.

Dully have well and truly discovered their early season form – plus some – winning their last six successive matches. The 18 points has catapulted Dully to outright 3^rd spot on the ladder, on 34 points, six in front the quagmire of four teams below them, and with the addition of Gosue Sama to their already impressive attack, show no signs of letting up anytime soon.

Granville Rage will look to yet another strong defensive effort to try to grab something out of this match – they’ve only conceded four goals in their past four matches – and will be desperate for club championship points come Saturday night.

Two sides eager to turn their fortunes around on Sunday afternoon will meet at 3-00pm at Wentworth Park, when Balmain Tigers entertain Inter Lions.

At the beginning of the second round, Balmain Tigers put on a very creditable performance despite losing to the league leaders, Rydalmere Lions, the 2-3 scoreline reflecting a very closely fought match. The Tigers then picked up a point from a 0-0 draw against SD Raiders, but since then have sadly lost their past four matches as they work towards improving their run home.

Inter Lions have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard themselves over the past four weeks, fielding a different starting eleven each week, and unable to replicate their early season form and drag themselves away from the bottom few rungs of the ladder.

Something has to give come Sunday afternoon, so expect a fiercely contested battle between two sides desperate for points.

There is nothing to suggest anything other than another three points for Rydalmere Lions when they welcome 10^th placed Dunbar Rovers to Valentine Sports Park No.3 on Saturday night at 7-00pm.

The Lions have won six matches in succession, scoring 26 goals and conceding just 3, and with Amaury Gauthier (26), Ahmad Elrich (12) and Zac Watters (9), can score goals from anywhere.

But write off Dunbar Rovers at your own peril. To their own admission, Dunbar have been disappointingly inconsistent this season, but have the talent on their day to hurt anyone. Andrew Doddy and Ryan Shaughnessy are as good as any midfielders in this league, and Tod Bamber is a clinical striker just waiting to hurt opposition defences with the right service.

Rydalmere Lions are protecting first place on the ladder, sitting two points ahead of Fraser Park, knowing that Fraser have a game in hand, but Dunbar Rovers will be lurking for any slip up so they can pick up the prized scalp of the league’s leaders.