Round 2 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

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Strap yourselves in for another exhilarating weekend, as we turn our attention to round two of the 2020 National Premier Leagues 3 NSW competition.

There are four matches scheduled to be played on Saturday across three different timeslots before two contests on Sunday will bring the round to a close.

Round 2 kicks off at Valentine Sports Park No. 2 at 5pm on Saturday as Inter Lions FC host Bankstown United FC.

Inter Lions arrive into this match after a thrilling 3-3 draw with United’s rivals, Bankstown City last weekend.

Nico Paras and Matias Da Silva were instrumental for Inter in that opening round encounter and they will be hoping for a similar performance this Saturday as they look to register their first win of the season.

United will be itching to get back to business as they look to put their 2-0 loss to Dunbar Rovers behind them.

The visitors will take comfort from the fact that they toppled Inter 1-0 in this fixture last year.

Dunbar Rovers FC will be looking for back-to-back wins to start their season when they welcome Central Coast United FC to Heffron Park at 7pm on Saturday.

Dunbar triumphed in their opening round fixture with Conor Earley and Luiz Lobo stealing the show while 18-year-old Ahmad Taleb showcased his attacking prowess as he led the line for Rovers.

Central Coast will be on the road for the first time when they make the trip to Maroubra. The Pirates were left frustrated in their opening round fixture after they failed to secure all three points against Macarthur.

Adam Woodbine has already got the monkey off his back after he opened his account last weekend so it would not be a surprise to see him add to his tally come Saturday.

Sydney University SFC will make the trip to VSP for the second week running as they prepare to face off against Stanmore Hawks FC at 7pm on Saturday.

Many of the Hawks’ highlights last season arrived against Uni, the inner west outfit secured the 2019 premiership the last time they met when they won 1-0 at the back end of August.

The reigning premiers also enjoyed their biggest win of the 2019 campaign against the ‘students’ after they thrashed them 8-0 at Arlington Oval at the end of May.

A similar result this Saturday seems unlikely, both sides drew their first-round encounters and will enter this fixture on an even footing with either side possessing the potential to escape with the three points.

Macarthur Rams FC cap off Saturday’s action at Lynwood Park when they go head to head against Canterbury Bankstown FC at 7:30pm.

This will be the first time that these two teams meet in this competition with this fixture previously a staple in the NPL 2.

Both sides have made significant changes to their squads following their start to life in this league so it will be interesting to see how their new players fare in this contest.

Saturday’s match will be the showcase event at Lynwood Park as the Rams celebrate their season launch so the spectators will be hoping that the players put on a show as they prepare to get treated to a bumper crowd.

Both Bankstown City FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic will be searching for their first wins of the season when they meet at Jensen Park at 5pm on Sunday.

Ex-Magic stars Chris Triantis and Chris Tomaras will face off against their former club in what is sure to be an electrifying contest.

Tomaras got off the mark for Bankstown with a double last weekend against Inter while the tested and proven attacking pair of Ante Tomic and Nikola Todoroski will grace Jensen Park for the first time this season.

Gladesville would have felt hard done by last weekend after they walked away with a point against Stanmore despite leading the Hawks 2-0 up until the last five minutes of the encounter.

On the positive side, Harris Gaitatzis announced himself onto the NPL 3 scene with a brace in that frustrating draw.

Sunday’s match will prove to be a difficult task for the visitors, they shipped eight goals against the Lions last season, going down 4-1 and 4-0 in their two match-ups last year.

Rydalmere Lions FC will wrap up the weekend’s action when they square off against Dulwich Hill FC at VSP #2 on Sunday night at 6:30.

Both sides enjoyed opening round victories with Dulwich Hill posting a 1-0 win against Uni whilst Rydalmere got the better of Berries with a 3-0 victory.

Rydalmere made an early statement to their competitors in last week’s win, although it is very early days, they have a real chance to build upon their lead at the top of the table if they claim consecutive wins.

Dully showcased their fighting spirit in last weekend’s win and will by no means be an easy pushover.

This fixture should make for compelling viewing as we conclude round two with what promises to be a tense affair.

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