Round 1 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

The long-awaited return for NPL3 football is closing in as we examine all the opening round fixtures that will be coming our way this weekend.

And just like that, the six-month break has passed us by. A whole lot of thrills and spills await as we look ahead to all the matches taking place around the grounds this weekend.

The season will officially kick off at Pluim Park on Saturday at 5pm as Central Coast United FC play host to Macarthur Rams FC.

This will be Central Coast’s first fixture at NPL3 level and will be a special moment for the all the players and coaches involved as they look to start the season with a win in front of their fans.

All eyes will be on captain Daniel McFarlane as he leads the club into unchartered territory. The Pirates captain and his teammate Adam Woodbine proved to be a relevation in the State League competition while shot stopper Jack Omally will look to carry his fine form into the new season.

Macarthur are one of the three sides who join the league from NPL2. Like many clubs this year, they will be striving for stability as they look to consolidate their spot in the league.

Mark Symington will be hoping to be a standout performer for the Rams while the experienced Sam Onana and Craig Cooley will add much needed experience to Jason Breton’s side.

Dunbar Rovers FC will make the trip to Jensen Park as they prepare to do battle with Bankstown United FC at 7pm on Saturday night.

Last season’s finalists Bankstown enter their second season in the competition with plenty of promise.

Steve Wright will once again be captaining the side while coach Scott Belgre has put his faith in youth with Alex Salgueira, Hayden Probert and Mitch Edmunds all promoted to the first-grade squad.

Dunbar will be keen to get the campaign underway; they will be hoping that their new look squad gels quickly as they aim to make a positive start to the season.

The eastern suburbs outfit enjoyed their second-best away win of the season the last time they met United at Jensen Park with the final score 4-1.

Inter Lions FC welcome Bankstown City FC to Valentine Sports Park No.2 on Saturday night at 7pm.

Inter proved to be somewhat of a bogey team for Bankstown, with the men from Concord undefeated against Saturday’s visitors throughout the regular season.

However, Bankstown did get the final say when they beat Inter 6-5 in their pulsating finals fixture.

Inter’s new goalkeeper, Eze Consoni, will have an almighty task on his hands as he looks to withstand Bankstown’s lethal attack.

Dulwich Hill FC and Sydney University SFC will also be played out of VSP with their clash also set to get underway at 7pm on VSP #3.

Saturday will mark the official return of Nathan Sansom to Dully as he takes the armband for the 2020 season. They will also have the familiar face of Ben Vidaic up front while Goncalo Paradanta will also prove to be a threat to Uni’s defence.

Sydney’s new signings will be looking to have an instant impact for their new team while creative midfielder Michael Loupis will most likely cause a headache for Dully’s defence.

A mouthwatering fixture awaits us at Christie Park on Sunday as Gladesville Ryde Magic face off against Stanmore Hawks at 5pm.

This will be the first sighting of the Gaitatzis brothers playing together in the competition as they go head to head with last season’s premiers.

Stanmore’s Jovan Blagojevic will once again be skipper, he will resume his lethal partnership alongside Conor Quilligan. New recruit Lawrence Hanna will slot in seamlessly as he adds another layer to the Hawks’ attack with his insightful and creative play in the final third.

An interesting battle will also take place on either ends of the pitch with a goalkeeping masterclass expected to be on display as Nick Carosi features for the Hawks whilst Magic legend Kyriakos Tohouroglou will be in goal for the home side.

Rydalmere Lions FC and Canterbury Bankstown FC will square off against each other in this competition for the first time when they meet at VSP #2 on Sunday night at 7pm.

Both sides have revamped over the off-season and will also feature new coaches as Rydalmere’s Gavin Rae comes up against Wally Savor who has taken charge of Canterbury Bankstown.

Both coaches will want to have a positive start to their respective campaigns with Sunday’s fixture set to be the first indicator as to how these teams have reacted since being relegated.

Keep an eye out for the Lions’ Ali Mckie and Dillan Kahale as they come up against the experienced Berries duo of Enol Suarez and Josh Gersbach.

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