Round 1 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
We were treated to a glut of goals over the course of the weekend, with 23 hitting the back of the net over the six National Premier Leagues 3 fixtures.
Central Coast and Bankstown United played out a 0-0 draw at Pluim Park in the early kick off on Saturday; Stanmore Hawks triumphed 6-2 against Inter Lions at Arlington Oval; Dunbar Rovers enjoyed a 6-3 victory against Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park; Sydney University fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Dulwich Hill; Rydalmere Lions secured a 2-1 win against Gladesville Ryde Magic at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon while Bankstown City were 2-1 winners against Canterbury Bankstown.
Central Coast United FC – Bankstown United FC 0-0
Central Coast and Bankstown United could not be split as they registered a 0-0 stalemate at Pluim Park on Saturday night.
A tense first half saw much of the action take place in the middle of the pitch as both sides readjusted after the long layoff.
The best chance to break the deadlock fell the way of Bankstown midfielder Alex Salgueira on 80 minutes after he found himself unmarked in the six-yard area however his effort sailed wide – much to the relief of Central Coast.
The Pirates will be hoping to record their first win of the campaign when they visit Dunbar next Saturday while Bankstown will be aiming for all three points when they meet the Hawks at Jensen Park next round.
Stanmore Hawks FC – Inter Lions FC 6-2
Stanmore Hawks started their campaign with a bang as they notched a 6-2 victory against an understrength Inter Lions side at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.
Inter drew first blood, going ahead with virtually the first kick of the match after Fikret Berisha rounded Hawks’ shot stopper Nick Carosi before slotting the ball into the empty net.
However, it did not take long for the 2019 Premiers to restore parity as Angus Chance met Timothy Wohlfiel’s cross at the back post only a matter of minutes after the opener.
The Hawks took the lead around the quarter hour mark thanks to a Jovan Blagojevic penalty before Ollie Stickland made it three on 30 minutes after he headed home Gabriel Lopez’s corner.
Stanmore continued to test Inter’s resolve and it was not too long before they found their fourth after Blagojevic converted from the penalty spot once again after Chance was brought down in the area.
A determined Inter made life difficult for the hosts in the second half with the Hawks’ next goal not arriving until around the 75th minute after substitute Marko Filipovic bundled home from close range following a scramble in the 18-yard-area.
The visitors pegged one back five minutes later before the home side’s sixth and final goal came with five minutes remaining thanks to Conor Quilligan after Lawrence Hanna’s cross from the right wing picked him out at the near post.
Stanmore’s next match sees them travel to Bankstown United on Saturday while Inter will be hoping to begin life at the newly renovated Majors Bay Reserve with a win when they face off against Bankstown City.
Macarthur Rams FC – Dunbar Rovers FC 3-6
Dunbar Rovers came from behind to seal a 6-3 win against Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park on Saturday night.
The home side established a healthy 2-0 lead heading into the break thanks to goals from Fabian Sosa and captain Mark Symington.
Dunbar pulled one back shortly after the restart however the Rams were quick to respond as Symington scored his brace in fashion with a long-range effort.
The hosts unfortunately took their foot off the pedal from there on in and Dunbar took advantage – scoring three goals in quick succession to sail to a 4-3 lead.
Macarthur pushed players forwards to equalise however that left gaps in defence which were punished by the visitors who added two late goals to put the contest beyond hosts’ reach.
Dunbar’s next test is a home fixture against Central Coast at Heffron Park while Macarthur make the trip to the inner west to meet Dully.
Sydney University SFC – Dulwich Hill FC 0-1
It was a case of déjà vu in Camperdown as Dulwich Hill edged out Sydney University by the same scoreline as when they last met before the league’s suspension.
Daniel Fornito scored the decisive goal in the contest shortly after halftime as he snuck in front of the keeper at the near post to head home Peter Crevani’s corner.
Dully were able to hold onto the three points as well as a clean sheet after they withheld a flurry of opportunities from the hosts in the final stages of the encounter.
Next up for Uni is an away fixture against Rydalmere at their new state of the art facility while Dully return to Arlington Oval to host the Rams.
Gladesville Ryde Magic – Rydalmere Lions FC 1-2
Rydalmere Lions started their season off with a win as they beat Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-1 at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Lions broke the deadlock early in the second half thanks to Scott Tonkin before Magic’s Harris Gaitatzis levelled the scoring from the penalty spot.
The visitors made sure of the points in the final stages of the encounter thanks to Garang Awac’s headed effort.
Rydalmere host Uni in their next fixture whilst Magic travel to the Crest to take on the Berries.
Bankstown City FC – Canterbury Bankstown FC 2-0
Bankstown City claimed the bragging rights in the derby against Canterbury Bankstown coming out on top 2-0 in their affair at Jensen Park on Sunday afternoon.
The first goal arrived around 25 minutes in after Stefan Dubocanin headed in Ante Tomic’s corner.
The Lions’ second goal came with around 10 minutes remaining via Jonathan Grozdanovski after he headed home Chris Triantis’ corner.
City’s next match sees them face off against Inter while the Berries welcome Magic at the Crest.
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-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
(PHOTO CREDIT JM PHOTOGRAPHY)
