Round 8 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
How times flies! With round eight around the corner, we examine all the fixtures ahead of a weekend which is likely to bring some unexpected twists and turns.
Round eight kicks off under lights on Saturday night with five fixtures kicking off at 7pm with the two remaining ties set to take place on Sunday.
Stanmore Hawks FC welcome Camden Tigers FC to Arlington Oval on Saturday night with the match set to kick off at 7pm.
Undefeated and with a game in hand over the league leaders, Hawks are the form team of the competition.
Riding high after grinding out their win against rivals Dulwich Hill, they will be looking to extend their undefeated run this weekend as they face Camden who are currently second from bottom on the table.
Injuries have blighted the Tigers start to the 2019 campaign while last round’s loss to a ten-man Hawkesbury side would not have helped their confidence as they prepare to do battle with Stanmore.
League leaders Gladesville Ryde Magic will look to return to winning ways when they host Parramatta FC at Christie Park No.2 this Saturday night.
Magic’s undefeated record in the league came undone last weekend when they were put to the sword by Bankstown City.
The hosts will be hoping that was a one-off performance and will no doubt be pleased to face Saturday’s opponents who have so far underwhelmed this season.
Currently sitting in 12th place on the league table, Parramatta’s woes over the last couple of years show no signs of respite as they continue to struggle to pick up results in a competition which many thought they would excel in at the beginning of the season.
SD Raiders FC will be looking to register back to back wins for the first time this campaign when they go head to head with Hawkesbury City FC at Ernie Smith Reserve at 7pm Saturday night.
Anthony Proia has been a shining light in the SD Raiders squad this season, he has notched an impressive five goals already this campaign with two of those coming in last week’s victory over Parramatta.
Hawkesbury City will arrive at Ernie Smith Reserve in high spirits following their back to the walls performance against Camden.
They will in no doubt have appreciated the rest over the course of the week after last week’s hectic schedule which saw them play three matches with their catch-up game against Stanmore Hawks sandwiched in between their round six and seven fixtures.
Bankstown United FC will be going in search of their third straight victory when they go head to head with Granville Rage at Jensen Park on Saturday night at 7pm.
Bankstown United took all three points in last weekend’s encounter with Inter Lions while they also enjoyed a 5-2 triumph over Western NSW Mariners in their rescheduled round four fixture on Easter Monday.
Those six points puts the home side into a very respectable 5th place on the league table ahead of Saturday’s contest.
A shock 1-0 defeat to Western in their last outing has put a halt on Rage’s relatively positive start to the season.
The visitors are 11th on the table however they have two games in hand on their nearest rivals on the ladder with wet weather having paid a massive toll on the men from Garside Park.
Sydney University SFC entertain Bankstown City FC at Sydney University Football Ground at 7pm on Saturday night.
Sydney University return home after a disappointing defeat at the hands of Dunbar Rovers last round. They have conceded an average of two goals from their seven games so far this season and that shows no signs of improving this weekend.
Saturday’s opponents are the league’s leading goal scorers with 19 goals from their seven fixtures. The last nine of Bankstown’s goals have arrived in their last two encounters where they picked up impressive one-sided victories against SD Raiders and Gladesville Ryde Magic
Captain Nikola Todoroski and winger Ante Tomic have scored 10 out of those 19 goals and they will be the two key men that Sydney will have to watch out for if they want to prevent an onslaught this weekend.
Dunbar Rovers will be hitting the road this Sunday as they meet Western NSW Mariners at Sir Jack Brabham Park at 3pm.
Western NSW Mariners were only able to savour their first victory of the season for just under 48 hours with Bankstown United raining on their parade by claiming all three points in their Easter Monday encounter.
Dunbar Rovers sit in midtable in 7th position and they will believe that they have what it takes to register back to back wins when they square off against Western in Orange this weekend.
Inter Lions FC play out of home for the second week running as they host Dulwich Hill FC at 6:30pm on Sunday night at Valentine Sports Park No.3.
Inter Lions have struggled to find any form of consistency in the league with two out of their three losses being tight 1-0 defeats.
Striker Goncalo Paradanta has weighed in with five goals for the home side and he will be aiming to add to that against Dulwich Hill on Sunday.
Dully’s incredible start to the campaign has some what slowed down in recent weeks with two defeats in their last three encounters.
A 2-1 defeat in they derby against Stanmore Hawks last time out saw them drop to fourth on the league ladder with that defeat meaning that their arch rivals also overtook them in the standings.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
