Round 1 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
With the first round of fixtures done and dusted in the 2019 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition, there have been some resounding results while there may also be a sign that playing at home really does play its part with only one side failing to pick up all three points in their own backyard.
Parramatta FC were 2-0 victors in their encounter with Dunbar Rovers; Stanmore Hawks nd Inter Lions took a share of the points in their 1-1 draw; SD Raiders put five past Western NSW Mariners in their 5-1 drumming; Granville Rage triumphed 3-2 over Hawkesbury City; Bankstown City defeated Dulwich Hill by the same score line whilst Camden Tigers put four unanswered goals past Bankstown United in their clash at Ron Dine Reserve.
Football NSW made the trip to Christie Park, to see how the Sunday afternoon fixture between Gladesville Ryde Magic and Sydney University would play out.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 3 Sydney University 2
Gladesville Ryde Magic came from behind against Sydney University to take all three points at Christie Park, winning 3-2 on Sunday afternoon.
It was Sydney University who came out the blocks early with the visitors dominating early proceedings in what was a very warm afternoon at Christie Park.
Sydney conjured up the first real opportunity of the game after eight minutes when Marcus Del Vecchio’s strike sailed agonizingly close over the cross bar.
The ‘students’ domination paid off just before the quarter hour mark when James Tsokos effort from inside the box beat the outstretched Kiriakos Tohouroglou in goal.
With a host of Magic’s players still making their way back from injury, Uni were able to take advantage of the hosts makeshift defence with Daniel Barrett and Fergus Worrall wreaking havoc up and down the right-hand flank.
The visitors were able to double their advantage in the 30th minute with a slick counter attack after winning the ball from a Gladesville corner.
Yuya Kotaki countered with pace before offloading the ball to Worrall on the wing who in turn found Panayoti Gotsis unmarked in the middle of the 18-yard box allowing for an easy tap in in to score Uni’s second goal of the encounter.
It all seemed to be smooth sailing for the visitors until Magic pegged one back with five minutes to go in the first half with Rosario Occhipinti heading in from close range to provide the visitors with a lifeline as they entered the break 2-1 down.
Gladesville continued to place the pressure on Sydney after the break and were rewarded with an equalizer in the 50th minute as Chris Triantis’ free kick fell kindly on the head of Christos Tomaras.
Magic had shrugged off their slow start and were well and truly back in the contest with the equaliser, the momentum having clearly switched in their favour.
Aside from Sydney Uni captain, Scott Tonkin’s headed effort flashing just wide of the post there was little to concern the Magic keeper in the second half.
Following the drinks break midway through the second half, the home side continued to apply the pressure with skipper Chris Gaitatzis coming threatening the opposition goal on several occasions as Gladesville went in search for the decisive goal.
Gaitatzis’ persistence eventually paid off in the 83rd minute when he was found unmarked just outside the six-yard box and given all the time in the world to place his volley in the left-hand corner past helpless keeper Daniel Axford.
Behind with just under ten minutes, Sydney pushed forward as they went in search of an equaliser. Nathan Sharpley’s deflected cross was a heart in mouth moment for Magic’s players as they watched it rebound off the post and back into the field of play.
The home side’s much improved second half display proved enough as they came from behind to defeat Sydney University in what was a thrilling first round encounter.
Match Stats
National Premier League’s 3 NSW Men’s
Round One
Sunday, March 10, 2019
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC 3 (Occhipinti 40’, Tomaras 50’, Gaitatzis 83’)
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY SFC 2 (Tsokos 14’, Gotsis 30’)
GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC; 3.S.Tarazona, 4.A.Khan, 5.L.Harte, 6.Z.Kolundzic, 9.C.Gaitatzis (capt), 10.C. Tomaras, 11.C.Triantis(14.A.Mickael 83’), 12.A.Jolly, 15.K.Nikas(2.C.Newton 75’), 18.R.Occhipinti(16.J.Barrett 63’), 33.K.Tohouroglou.
Substitutions Not Used – 1.G.Koliomihos.
Yellow Cards – 15.K.Nikas 51’, 12.A.Jolly 72’, 9.C.Gaitatzis 88’.
SYDNEY UNIVERSITY SFC; 1.D.Axford, 2.P.Kardasis, 8.Y.Kotaki(17.I.Hillier 64’), 9.S.Tonkin (capt), 10.P.Gotsis, 11.N.Sharpley,15.F.Worrall(J.Makridopolus 75’), 18.B.Serafin, 20.J.Tsokos(19.J.Lameri 58’), 24.M.Del Vecchio, 31.D.Barrett.
Substitutions Not Used – 5.M.Borovina, 6.D.Mifsud.
Yellow Cards – 24.M.Del Vecchio 17’, 9.S.Tonkin 60’, 10.P.Gotsis 72’, 19.J.Lameri 74’, 17.I.Hillier 85’.
Parramatta FC – Dunbar Rovers 2-0
Parramatta FC could not have enjoyed a better start to the campaign as they grabbed all three points from their 2-0 win over Dunbar Rovers in the early kick off at Melita Stadium on Saturday night.
The Eagles managed goals in each half to claim all three points with substitute Zac Elrich scoring just eight minutes after entering the field of the play with his strike late on in the first half.
Zac Watters also came off the bench to score for the home side with his 77th minute strike ensuring that all three points went Parramatta’s way.
Stanmore Hawks FC – Inter Lions SC 1-1
Stanmore Hawks succumbed to a late equaliser against Inter Lions as the two sides fought out a 1-1 draw in their clash on Saturday night at Arlington Oval.
The hosts opened their account for the season in the latter stages of the first half with captain Jovan Blagojevic ensuring that his side went into the break in front.
Inter Lions’ attack proved to be tricky to handle for the Hawks with the visitors enjoying most of the possession in the second half.
Inter’s dominance finally played off in the final ten minutes of the match when they split Stanmore’s defence with Domenico Tripodi getting on the scoresheet to ensure that the visitors got a share of the points in this encounter.
SD Raiders FC – Western NSW Mariners FC 5-1
SD Raiders recorded the most emphatic score line on matchday one as they brushed aside the Mariners with ease in their 5-1 victory at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday night.
With five different names registering their name on the scoresheet, the hosts raced into the lead and were 3-0 up by halftime.
This result leaves the Raiders perched at the top of the table after the first round as they set the early benchmark in this year’s competition.
Granville Rage – Hawkesbury City FC 3-2
Granville Rage took advantage of a new look Hawkesbury outfit as they triumphed 3-2 in their encounter at Garside Park.
Rage opened their account for the campaign in the first half and were ahead until just after the hour mark when the game sparked to life after Hawkesbury equalised against the run of the play.
In the ten minutes that followed both sides were able to hit the back of the net with Rage regaining the lead for only five minutes before the visitors were on hand to cancel out their lead yet again.
A penalty in the final ten minutes of the encounter proved decisive as the hosts ran out winners by the odd goal in five and begin the 2019 season in the perfect manner with all three points from their first encounter.
Bankstown City FC – Dulwich Hill FC 3-2
Bankstown City battled it out against Dulwich Hill to record a 3-2 victory in their tense encounter at Jensen Park on Saturday night.
Despite having played with ten men for most of the encounter, Bankstown were able to come out on top in their match-up with Dulwich Hill.
The hosts overcame the early setbacks of conceding early and going down to ten men as they entered the sheds on even terms with the scores locked at 1-1.
True character in the second half showing saw them run out unlikely victors as they sent out an early warning message to other members of the competition that they will not lie down no matter how tough the circumstances.
Camden Tigers FC – Bankstown United FC 4-0
Camden Tigers pounced on Bankstown United as they raced to a 4-0 victory over the newly promoted side at Ron Dine Stadium on Saturday night.
The Tigers took control early on with Dean Mugridge grabbing a quick-fire brace to leave his side in high spirits as they entered the break with a two-goal advantage.
Only two minutes into the second half and Bankstown United were reduced to ten men with Matthew Paras given his marching orders.
Camden did not take their foot off the pedal as they put another two past the visitors with prolific striker Jayden Russell getting his name on the score sheet along with Danny Martinez as the Tigers capped off a solid performance down in Camden.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
