Round 3 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s

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We were greeted to another pulsating weekend of football with plenty of highlights from a full list of premium fixtures.

Stanmore Hawks and Rydalmere Lions maintain their perfect record at the top of the table, Bankstown United FC posted an emphatic victory against Sydney University while Gladesville Ryde Magic secured their first win of the campaign against Dunbar Rovers.

Stanmore Hawks FC – Central Coast United FC 5-1

Stanmore Hawks inflicted a 5-1 defeat on Central Coast United at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.

The first goal of the contest arrived around 10 minutes in after Ollie Stickland volleyed home from point blank range after pinball in the six-yard area.

Stanmore’s second arrived in the 20th minute or so via Tony Lo after he pounced on a Central Coast defensive error before slotting it past the Pirates shot stopper.

The hosts third arrived just before the break as Gabriel Lopez headed home Jovan Blagojevic’s cross at the back post.

Central Coast held out the 2019 Premiers for most of the second half and eventually found a goal of their own on 80 minutes thanks to outstanding skills from Mason Wells which was capped off with a stellar strike from just outside the box.

However, it were the Hawks which got to have the last say when Aydin Kumburlu scored their fifth goal of the evening after Tim Wohlfiel’s pinpoint cross picked him out at the back post with around five minutes remaining.

The victory means that Stanmore stay top of the table while the Pirates drop down to 11th on the ladder.

Next up for the Hawks is an inner west derby against Dulwich Hill while Central Coast return to Pluim Park to host Magic.

Macarthur Rams FC – Rydalmere Lions FC 1-3

Rydalmere were able to maintain their perfect start to the campaign as they registered a 3-1 win against Macarthur Rams at Lynwood Park on Saturday night.

The Lions struck first from the penalty spot on 20 minutes thanks to Matt West, he dusted himself after being brought down in the area before stepping up to convert the resulting penalty.

Rams captain Mark Symington restored parity for his side five minutes later with a tap in after Rydalmere goalkeeper Marley Beetson pulled off a spectacular save which fell into the striker’s path.

Rydalmere regained their lead shortly after with West once again at the thick of the action after his strike sailed into the bottom corner following a driving run in from the left.

A string of important saves from Beetson in the second half kept the Rams at bay before Jake Chidiac put the game to bed with his effort on 88 minutes following some great build-up play from West and Scott Tonkin.

The win sees the Lions retain 2nd spot on the league ladder while the Rams drop to 7th.

The Lions will meet Bankstown City next Saturday at Rydalmere Park while Macarthur welcome the Berries to Lynwood Park.

Sydney University SFC – Bankstown United FC 0-7

Bankstown United secured a comprehensive 7-0 victory away to Sydney University on Saturday night.

The visitors posted their first win of the season in spectacular fashion with six different scorers getting on the team sheet.

Daniel Slane broke the deadlock when he headed home on 16 minutes before making it 2-0 for his side with another headed effort at the back post just after the 30th minute.

Goals from Dalibor Malesevic and Mitch Cross late on in the half ensured that United entered the break with a healthy 4-0 lead.

Scott Belgre’s men continued to dominate in the second half and soon made it five after Lachie Willmore’s back post header capped off a great piece of individual play from Matt Cook.

Substitutes Kallie Bangura and Hayden Probert rounded off the scoring before things went from bad to worse for Uni after Panayoti Gotsis was dismissed in the dying moments of the encounter.

The heavy defeat means Uni remain rooted to the bottom of the ladder while United rise an impressive five places to 5th position.

Bankstown return home to Jensen Park next weekend where they will meet Inter Lions while Sydney Uni will be going in search of their first win when they travel to Dunbar Rovers next Saturday.

Canterbury Bankstown FC – Inter Lions FC 5-0

Canterbury Bankstown proved to be too strong for Inter Lions as they posted a 5-0 win at The Crest Athletic Centre on Saturday night.

Matt Paras opened the scoring for the Berries in the 20th minute after he headed in a well-struck corner.

Berries held onto the 1-0 advantage until the break before a second half onslaught saw them put four past Inter.

Andre Guzman doubled the home side’s lead around the hour mark with his strike after Andrija Mandic’s finely threaded pass picked him out.

Mandic then got in on the act five minutes later after he finished off a pinpoint cross from the right following some slick build up play from Stelio Georgiou and Jackson Mcmenamie.

Guzman made it three to the good for his side around the 75th minute when he left the Inter shot stopper stranded with a delightful chip after being played in by Abdul Zahra.

The hosts fifth and final goal arrived via Mandic with 10 minutes left on the clock after his effort from the edge of the 18-yeard-area nestled into the bottom left hand corner.

The Berries back-to-back victories sees them rise to 3rd on the ladder while Inter fall to 10th position.

The Rams await Berries in the next round while Inter have a meeting with Bankstown United.

Gladesville Ryde Magic – Dunbar Rovers FC 2-1

Gladesville Ryde Magic had cause to celebrate after they claimed their maiden win of the season, getting up 2-1 against Dunbar Rovers at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon.

The home side broke the deadlock thanks to Michael Gaitatzis’ effort before the visitors levelled the scoring five minutes before half time.

A Harris Gaitatzis penalty in the second half secured the points for the home side as they move up to 8th on the league table while the defeat means that Rovers drop to 6th.

Magic travel to Pluim Park next round to take on the Pirates while Dunbar go head to head against Uni at Heffron Park.

Bankstown City FC – Dulwich Hill FC 3-0

Round three came to a close at Jensen Park on Sunday night as Bankstown City sealed a 3-0 win against Dulwich Hill.

Christos Tomaras got on the scoresheet within the first 10 minutes after a defensive mix up from Dully gifted the ball to the Bankstown striker who ultimately punished the visitors with a precise finish at the front post.

The hosts soon doubled their lead via an Ante Tomic penalty after Jonathan Grozdanovski was brought down in the box.

The second half saw Dully create several chances however some expert keeping from Carl Mcmahon ensured that the Lions kept their highly prized clean sheet.

Bankstown put the game beyond doubt in the 90th minute when Nikola Todoroski’s strike flew into the back of the net after his side won possession just outside the 18-yard area.

The three points see Bankstown move up one spot on the ladder into 4th while Dully drop one position into 9th.

Bankstown’s next assignment is an away fixture at Rydalmere while Dully go head to head against the Hawks at Arlington Oval.

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