Round 22 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

67888379_2288287961226515_8561857329929125888_o

The 2019 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW competition is always likely to keep you on the edge of your seat in anticipation, and this without a doubt carried over into the round 22 fixtures over the weekend.

Gladesville Ryde Magic produced the shock result of the round as they dished out Stanmore Hawks their first defeat in 10 matches, while Dulwich Hill seem to have found form at the right time of the season as they look to sneak into one of the prized finals spots.

SD Raiders left it late as they defeated Inter Lions 2-1 at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday afternoon; Hawkesbury City secured a 2-0 victory away to Parramatta; Dulwich Hill put four unanswered goals past a nine man Dunbar Rovers at Arlington Oval; Bankstown City made light work of Western NSW Mariners at Jensen Park with a 5-1 rout; Sydney University overcame Bankstown United 2-1 at home; Gladesville Ryde Magic enjoyed a surprise 1-0 victory against Stanmore Hawks at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon.

FNSW made the trip to Ron Dine Stadium on Saturday night to see how the clash between Camden Tigers and Granville Rage would play out.

CAMDEN TIGERS FC – GRANVILLE RAGE 1-0

Camden Tigers left it late against Granville Rage, with a goal in the closing stages proving all the difference as they edged past the visitors on a typically chilly night out at Ron Dine Stadium on Saturday.

A repeat of their 0-0 stalemate back in round 9 appeared on the cards, however it was Tigers’ Callum Rogers who was able to provide the spark as he got his team over the line with his dramatic late winner.

With only nine first grade players available for this fixture, this was always going to prove a difficult task for Granville.

Therefore, it was no surprise that the home side had the upper hand for most of the encounter, with the visitors consigned to defending for almost the entire 90 minutes.

Plenty of opportunities fell the way of the Tigers throughout the match, the first of those arriving two minutes in after Mitchell Mclintock’s header flashed wide of Rage’s post after being picked out by Daniel Martinez’s free kick.

Five minutes later and it was Camden who were again causing trouble, this time through Mitchell Brooker whose shot fizzled just wide of the left post.

Brooker proved to be the home side’s main attacking threat and he was at the centre of attention once again just before the half hour mark when his volley from the right wing forced a smart save from Granville’s Sam Bortolazzo.

Camden did not take their foot off the pedal as the half wore on, and it was Bortolazzo who came to the rescue again on 33 minutes when he got down low to deny Mclintock’s effort.

The heroics of the Rage shot stopper meant that his side could enter the sheds with the scores still locked at 0-0 and provide his side with a platform to improve upon after the restart.

We did in fact see a better second half showing from the visitors with Jackson Warwick coming close after 49 minutes when his travelling volley fell into the palms of Camden custodian, Michael O’Rourke.

On the other side of the pitch, it was Mclintock who continued to plug away for the home side and in the 67th minute he produced a fine save from Bortolazzo after his shot stung the gloves of the Granville goalkeeper.

Confusion at the back almost saw the Tigers take the advantage with just under 15 minutes remaining when Sean Doherty ghosted in with a header which sailed just wide of the goal after Rage failed to clear their lines.

With neither side having netted in the corresponding tie in early May, it meant there had been over two and a half hours of goalless action between these two teams as we approached the final 10 minutes.

Granville’s Julian Lamotta almost made an instant impact off the bench in the 84th minute as his thundering strike from just outside the 18-yard area rattled against the crossbar – causing a collective gasp of relief among the Camden faithful as it bounced out, back into open play.

Two minutes later and the floodgates finally opened after a scramble in the box saw Callum Rogers fire home the all-important winner for his side.

Rogers’ goal was enough to see the three points go to his team and send the Tigers fans into raptures as they secured another important victory at the fortress that is Ron Dine Stadium.

The win and subsequent three points sees Camden rise to 8th on the league ladder with 30 points, whilst the defeat keeps Granville in 13th spot on 14 points.

Match Stats

National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s

Round 22

Saturday, August 3, 2019

Ron Dine Stadium

CAMDEN TIGERS FC 1 (Rogers 86’)

GRANVILLE RAGE 0

CAMDEN TIGERS FC; 2.J.Harris, 3.B.Durrant(20.R.Chand 75’), 5.B.Szumski, 7.N.Mugridge(6.S.Doherty 62’), 8.C.Rogers, 9.M.Brooker, 10.D.Mugridge, 13.B.Brooker, 17.D.Martinez, 21.M.O’Rourke(gk), 25.M.Mclintock.

Substitutions Not Used – 4.M.Viera, 18.M.Galla, 111.A.Griffiths.

Yellow Cards – Nil.

Red Cards – Nil.

GRANVILLE RAGE; 1.S.Bortolazzo(gk), 2.M.Luc, 4.M.Chaalan, 6.R.Sadler, 7.G.Issa, 8.S.Prasad(21.A.Chiavaroli), 10.D.Shim(16.J.Lamotta 68’), 12.M.Zafirov, 13.J.Warwick, 18.C.Agliozzo, 19.M.Takizawa.

Substitutions Not Used – 5.C.Peterson, 14.N.Blagojevic.

Yellow Cards – Nil.

Red Cards – Nil.

SD Raiders FC – Inter Lions FC 2-1

A late comeback saw SD Raiders steal all three points against Inter Lions as they recorded a 2-1 win at Ernie Smith Reserve on Saturday afternoon.

The match started in an open fashion with both sides trying their best to break each other down.

It was Inter who drew first blood in this battle thanks to Stevan Ilic’s tidy finish on the half hour mark.

Hungry for more, it was Inter who dominated proceedings for the following half hour or so and they were unlucky not to make it two or three after they spurned a couple of great chances as the half wore on.

The men from Concord had a goal disallowed for offside with 15 minutes left on the clock and were forced to spend the remaining quarter of an hour trying to keep hold of that lead.

However, a strong burst from Raiders in the closing exchanges saw them overtake their opponents with goals from Mathew Barkho and Anthony Proia in the 80th and 88th minute respectively.

The win and subsequent three points puts Raiders on to 48 points as they stay in 3rd position, whilst the loss sees Inter remain on 36 points and retain 5th spot on the table.

 

Parramatta FC – Hawkesbury City FC 0-2

A resolute second half performance by Hawkesbury City made all the difference as they triumphed 2-0 against Parramatta at Melita Stadium on Saturday night.

Both goals arrived in the second half of this encounter, with the Hawks scoring twice without reply.

The first of those goals arrived on 48 minutes through Kwadwo Boamah-Addai after he headed home Daniel Morsillo’s ball into the area.

The visitors doubled their lead from the penalty spot in the 64th minute with Brad Gibson stepping up to take the honours.

Two minutes later and any chances of a Parramatta revival were dashed after defender Khalid Allybokus was given his marching orders after receiving his second yellow card.

A late chance fell the way of the Eagles in what was virtually the last kick of the game after Ryusei Furukawa’s lob beat the Hawks goalkeeper with only last ditch defending there to ensure that they did not get a consolation goal.

The loss condemns Parramatta to their 16th defeat of the campaign as they remain in 12th place with 18 points, whilst the three points puts the Hawks on 27 points and keeps them in 10th position.

 

Dulwich Hill FC – Dunbar Rovers FC 4-0

It was Dulwich Hill who got the better of a nine-man Dunbar Rovers outfit as they ran out 4-0 winners at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.

The first of the goals came after 41 minutes from Sean Burke, who ensured that his team entered the break with the advantage.

The score remained at 1-0 until the 71st minute after Gosue Sama made it two against a 10-man Rovers side who had Paul Orgad sent off seven minutes earlier for his second bookable offence.

The visitors were soon reduced to nine men when Nick Holton was also shown his second yellow card of the contest with 17 minutes remaining.

Peter Crevani made it three for the hosts in the 89th minute while Laureano Gomez Castro compounded the misery for Dunbar when he popped up with Dully’s fourth and final goal three minutes later.

The all-important victory sees Dully leapfrog their opponents into 7th spot as they move onto 30 points, whilst Dunbar drop down to 9th place with 29 points to their name.

 

Bankstown City FC – Western NSW Mariners 5-1

Bankstown City secured a routine 5-1 victory over Western NSW Mariners in their fixture at Jensen Park on Saturday night.

Two goals to captain Nikola Todoroski and one to Marko Filipovic gave the Lions a 3-0 advantage as they headed into the break.

The second half continued in similar fashion as Todoroski scored a header to complete his hattrick while Filipovic also got on the scoresheet again to make it five.

The win and subsequent three points sees Bankstown climb to 48 points as they keep hold of 2nd spot, whilst the loss sees Mariners stay bottom with 7 points.

 

Sydney University SFC – Bankstown United FC 2-1

Sydney University completed the double over Bankstown United with a 2-1 triumph at Sydney University Football Ground on Saturday night.

Uni’s Michael Loupis was first on the scene to capitalise on United’s defensive error on 37 minutes to give his side the lead.

Their slim advantage lasted until midway through the second half when Mitch Cross popped up with the equaliser in the 64th minute.

However, the hosts were quick to reply, and they found themselves leading once again thanks to another strike from Loupis eight minutes later who was a standout performer for the hosts and was a constant menace.

The Uni attacker cut through United’s back line after being expertly picked out by Jordan Makridopolus’ inch perfect through ball.

Despite back to back losses, Bankstown United remain in 6th spot with 35 points, whilst the win sees the ‘students’ stay in 11th spot as they move on to 24 points.

 

Gladesville Ryde Magic – Stanmore Hawks FC 1-0

Gladesville Ryde Magic handed Stanmore Hawks only their second loss this season as they won 1-0 at Christie Park on Sunday.

A Sergio Tarazona goal in the first half was all the difference as Magic held on for victory – tightening their grip on 4th place in the process.

For Stanmore, it marked only their second defeat of the campaign, with their last defeat coming against Bankstown City in mid-May.

The win and subsequent three points puts Gladesville on 43 points as they solidify their place in the top four, whilst defeat for the Hawks means they remain at the top of the table with 50 points however their lead is reduced to just two points.

-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)