Round 12 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
The scene is set for a glorious weekend with the temperature forecast to reach the mid 20’s as we approach another action-packed weekend of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
A mid-afternoon fixture at Hensley Athletic Field kicks off round 12 with another five ties scheduled throughout the rest of the day before Gladesville Ryde Magic wrap up proceedings with their match on Sunday afternoon.
Dunbar Rovers entertain Inter Lions FC in the early kick off on Saturday afternoon with the game set to get underway at 3pm at Hensley Athletic Field.
Dunbar were left frustrated last week after Magic grabbed an equaliser at the death in their encounter.
Saturday’s hosts are currently leading the chasing pack in 5th spot however they face a difficult task against Inter who are in 6th on equal points with only goal difference separating the two outfits.
Consecutive victories against Camden and Hawkesbury respectively has seen Inter surge up the league ladder and another three points this weekend will see them leapfrog their opponents into 5th on the ladder.
Hawkesbury City FC will play host to Western NSW Mariners late Saturday afternoon at David Bertenshaw Field at 5:30pm.
Hawkesbury’s league form lately has been shaky, and they will be hoping that a home tie against the competition’s bottom side may be the cure to their recent woes.
The Hawks will have to manage without their leading goal scorer Kwadwo Boamah after he begins his spell on the sideline following his straight red card last round.
Western were unfortunate not escape with a share of the points in their fixture with Camden last time out, but they will look back on their miraculous last away day against Sydney University for inspiration as they head into this tie.
Bankstown United FC will make the short trip to Melita Stadium as they come up against Parramatta FC at 6:30pm on Saturday night.
The Eagles will be hoping that last week’s long-awaited triumph over Granville may be the start of a resurgence after what has been a below par start to the campaign.
They will be made to work until the final whistle by their opponents in Bankstown United who have so far surpassed expectations as a promoted outfit by sitting in a respectable 7th spot.
A tactical away performance last weekend saw them keep a clean sheet and knock off Dulwich Hill.
That was United’s first clean sheet following a previous two-week period where they conceded a staggering nine goals.
Stanmore Hawks return to Arlington Oval on Saturday night as they prepare to do battle with Sydney University SFC at 7pm.
For the first time this season the Hawks will arrive into the weekend’s fixture on the back of a defeat.
Their nearest rivals will keep a keen eye on them to see how they react; will they crumble yet again? Or will Uni be dealt the brunt of last week’s frustrations?
This could prove a tricky tie to prepare for the ‘students’, they will need to assume that Stanmore are out for blood otherwise it could turn nasty for the visitors who have already suffered two demoralizing defeats over the last two weeks.
A derby of sorts will take place at Ernie Smith Reserve as SD Raiders FC meet Camden Tigers FC at 7pm on Saturday night.
Raiders arrive into this contest after a convincing 4-1 win against Sydney University and have star man Anthony Proia largely to thank for that score line after he grabbed a hat trick.
The star striker has 14 goals to his name this campaign and is the reason why his side are ranked as the second-best team in the goals department.
The Tigers registered a much needed three points against the Mariners last round while they also managed to keep just their third clean sheet of the season.
Bankstown City’s first test as league leaders will come against Granville Rage at Jensen Park this Saturday night at 7pm.
Six wins on the spin has led to Bankstown rise to the top of the league ladder while their most recent victory will without doubt be their most memorable after they brought an end to Stanmore’s unbeaten record.
Opponents Granville have endured a horrid run of results with their last win arriving in round five against Inter.
A lack of firepower in the final third has been their downfall, the only time they managed to score more than two goals in one match was back in their first-round triumph against Hawkesbury.
Gladesville Ryde Magic and Dulwich Hill FC will round off this weekend’s set of fixtures when they face off at Christie Park at 4pm on Sunday afternoon.
Magic have found it difficult to sustain a positive run of results lately. They were fortunate to escape with a draw against Dunbar last weekend and apart from their 4-0 drubbing of Hawkesbury their league form has been quite up and down.
Dully have also found themselves in a similar position, they have tasted just the one victory in their last five encounters.
These inconsistent performances have seen them drop to 8th position on the ladder and another defeat this weekend will see place them further out of touch with the chasing pack who are all after that elusive fifth spot.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
