Round 16 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Brace yourself for another weekend of the of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition as we preview what is to come ahead of round 16.
The race for finals football is well and truly on with most of the sides still in contention to be lacing up their boots come the business end of the campaign.
Dunbar Rovers FC hit the road for the second week running as they make the trip to David Bertenshaw Field to go head to head with Hawkesbury City FC at 5:30pm on Saturday night.
A positive string of results has seen Hawkesbury register six points from their last four games with three draws and one victory throughout that period.
Joaquin Velizcoccolo has made an instant impact since his debut a fortnight ago, with two to his names from the two matches he has been a part of.
This has come as a great relief for coach Dean Bertenshaw who would have been concerned that the absence of young gun Daniel Morsillo might have derailed their campaign.
Dunbar returned empty handed from their last outing at Ernie Smith Reserve where they found themselves undone by SD Raiders.
The visitors find themselves just outside the top half of the table with seven points the difference between them and 5th placed Bankstown United.
An intriguing clash that concerns the bottom half of the ladder is set to take centre stage at Melita Stadium as 13th placed Parramatta FC welcome 11th placed Sydney University SFC at 6:30pm on Saturday night.
Parramatta were put to the sword by Inter Lions last time out and like their opponents this weekend, they are currently experiencing a torrid run of form.
The transfer window has not paved out as they may have hoped with their situation getting more dire as the weeks pass by.
Sydney Uni are also struggling to get out of a slump – they have registered just the solitary win from their last five fixtures.
However, they will take confidence knowing that they ended on top the last time they met the Eagles, with 3-1 the score line the first time these two sides went head to head.
Granville Rage are the latest side to head to Arlington Oval as they meet Stanmore Hawks FC at 7pm on Saturday night.
A 1-1 draw against Hawkesbury last round would have undoubtedly left Stanmore frustrated as they missed their chance to reach the summit of the NPL3 ladder.
The Hawks have dropped valuable points at home with their last two matches at Arlington ending in 1-1 stalemates.
Rage find themselves languishing in the lower depths of the table, in a precarious 13th position.
The away side have found the back of the net on just the two occasions in their last five fixtures and only recently where they able to reach double digits in the goals department.
Hawks enjoyed a comfortable 2-0 victory the last time these two sides met, and they look on course to complete the double come this Saturday.
Bankstown United FC will be in high spirits as they make the short trip to Ernie Smith Reserve to take on SD Raiders in what is sure to be a tantalising tie with proceedings set to get underway from 7pm on Saturday night.
The Raiders currently sit in 4th place on the league table and are waiting in the wings, ready to take advantage from any slip ups from the sides above them.
Daniel Bittar has been in fine form for the hosts and he will be looking to put his name up in lights again this weekend.
It is fair to say that this week has been one long party for United as they celebrate their monumental triumph over their fierce rivals Bankstown City.
They will need to show that same kind of passion and dedication this time around as they look to close the gap between them and Raiders.
The three points for United will see them go on equal points with Southern Districts, however it will be the home side’s far better goal difference that will see them stay above their opponents.
All eyes will be on Bankstown City FC as we look to see how they will bounce back after last week’s surprising derby defeat. They will be squaring off against Inter Lions FC at Jensen Park on Saturday night at 7pm.
The Lions would have been left shell shocked after last week’s loss to United and will be sweating on the fitness of star player Ante Tomic who was forced off injured early on in last week’s clash.
Inter arrive into this fixture after a convincing 4-2 triumph over Parramatta and are currently in 6th place.
The visitors will know that City will be keen to return to the winners circle this weekend and will therefore have to be on top of their game if they want to dish out a consecutive defeat to the league leaders.
Camden Tigers FC will go in search of back to back wins at home this Saturday night as they host Dulwich Hill FC at Ron Dine Stadium at 7pm.
The Tigers tore apart Sydney Uni in last week’s home fixture and excluding a defeat at the hands of United a fortnight ago, they have generally been in fine form.
A win against Dully will see them go on equal points with their opponents as they look to lead a second-round assault on the league ladder.
Dully recorded a much-needed victory against the Mariners in Bathurst last weekend – their first win in five matches.
A trip down to Camden has come at a relatively bad time for the inner west outfit with the Tigers building somewhat of a fortress at Ron Dine.
A defeat for the away side will see them dragged into a different kind of battle as they go from fighting for a spot in the top five to instead fighting for a mid-table finish.
The sole encounter on Sunday sees Western NSW Mariners make the long-haul journey to Sydney as they prepare to face off against Gladesville Ryde Magic at Christie Park at 3pm.
Consecutive wins against Sydney Uni and Granville sees Magic retain 3rd spot on the league ladder.
While the hosts have been solid defensively, it is in the attacking third where they need to seek improvement.
As it stands, they have a goal difference of 12 with 31 goals to their name. However, those surrounding them on the league table have all exceeded the 40-goal mark and each have a goal difference of at least 20 or better.
The Mariners on the other hand are a team in strife and they have not put any wins on the board since their triumph over Sydney University five weeks ago.
They have been hammered in each of their last three fixtures with all three opposition outfits scoring a minimum five goals against them.
Magic will see this upcoming match as an opportune time to improve their goal difference as they look set to inflict further damage on the NPL3 basement dwellers.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
