Round 7 Preview – NPL 2 NSW Men’s
We’re well and truly into the second half of the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Men’s competition now.
With only two points separating the top four and two more teams lurking just outside the finals spots, the stage is set for an exciting run into the end of the season.
Northern Tigers v SD Raiders, 3:00pm Saturday 29 August, North Turramurra Recreation Area
It’s North vs South West to kick off the round, as a resurgent Northern Tigers host an SD Raiders side aiming to stay in touch with the top four.
Young Tigers forward Ollie Scott showed that he’s not a one hit wonder on Saturday, finding the net to follow on from his two assist debut in Round 5. Jamie Lobb played a big part in the Tigers’ first clean sheet since Round 1, and there are other left footed players to look out for. Sam Wilson grabbed a goal and an assist on the weekend, while Ally Brown is the latest Tigers player to reach 100 1st Grade appearances.
The Raiders left it extremely late against Bonnyrigg, but all their effort paid off thanks to Charles Abou Serhal and his nerves of steel. Abou Serhal offers more than just penalty kick expertise – he also helps control the midfield, providing a supply line to the likes of Daniel Bittar and Noah Chianese. With some defenders unavailable, Adrian Valenti and James Letta have stepped up and continue to do well as an unexpected centre back pairing.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Newcastle Jets, 6pm Saturday 29 August, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Will it be the White Eagles or the Jets who fly highest on Saturday night?
Bonnyrigg’s next two games are at home, and if they can keep up their 100% win record at Bonnyrigg Sports Club it will be two massive steps towards the finals. Midfielders with an eye for goal are priceless, so all eyes will be on Bonnyrigg’s top scorer Jack Armson after he netted his third goal of the season on the weekend. At the back, Bradie Smith has been a solid contributor to the best defence in the league.
Newcastle have fought for two hard-earned draws in the last two rounds, can they grab their first win at this level? Their attack was firing two weeks ago in an entertaining game with the Mariners, and last weekend saw plenty of defensive steel against St George FC: if they combine the two Newcastle could well record a victory. Against a strong Bonnyrigg attack, Patrick Bond and Cole Mutton might be needed as the Jets look to keep another clean sheet.
Hills United v St George FC, 7pm Saturday 29 August, Lily Homes Stadium
Don’t be fooled by the ladder positions of these two teams: this should be a high quality encounter.
On Sunday, Hills were kept scoreless for the first time in 18 games. With attacking talent like Jacob Basden and Daniel Fogarty to call on, you wouldn’t expect shutouts to become a common occurrence when they play. United have three home games in a row coming up, so they would do well to hark back to 2019, when they won 12 out of 14 matches at Lily Homes Stadium.
There’s a couple of good omens for the Saints. They won 3-2 the last time they played Hills, a result which ended up derailing Hills United’s 2019 Premiership challenge. St George FC were also victorious on their most recent visit to Lily Homes Stadium – a 3-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers in Round 21 last year. In goal, Jacob Botic has impressed with both his shotstopping and his ability to play out from the back.
Central Coast Mariners v Hakoah Sydney City East, 3pm Sunday 30 August, Pluim Park No. 1
These two sides both experienced firsts on the weekend – Central Coast fell to their first defeat and Hakoah earned their first victory.
Despite Sunday’s loss, there were plenty of positives for the Mariners. Luca Meggetto displayed his shotstopping ability with a number of good saves, while left sided speedster Matthew Hatch made several trademark overlapping runs. Dylan Ruiz-Diaz and Alou Kuol were also in action on Sunday after returning from the Central Coast A-League squad – Kuol will remember Hakoah fondly as he scored a hat trick against them in March.
Hakoah performed well on Sunday as they grabbed their first win in 2020. It was also their first clean sheet in 11 games, so credit must go to the central defensive partnership of Connor Shaddock and Jan Schmidt. The youthful pairing of Marco Arambasic and Michael Vakis impressed against Hills, more performances like that will help the Eastern Suburbs side in their push for finals football.
St George City FA v NWS Spirit FC, 3pm Sunday 30 August, Peakhurst Park – Synthetic
The NPL 2 Men’s competition will visit Peakhurst Park for the first time. St George City FA are looking to build on last week’s win, but they have a tough assignment against the league leaders.
City have been unfortunate at times, however a side this talented was never going to remain winless for too long. The importance of skipper Tarik Ercan’s return can’t be overstated as he provides so much in terms of leadership. City also have former Spirit players at both ends of the park – attacking midfielder Christopher Arditti and goalkeeper Tomi Romic will be key as they look to move away from the foot of the ladder.
Last week went perfectly for Spirit FC. They didn’t play, but results meant they kept their spot at the top of the table, and it’ll be hard to dislodge Spirit from first place with the players they have. Kota Odakura has made his mark on this competition with his technique and range of passing, while Louis Bozanic has already netted three goals, even though he might not be 100% fit just yet after coming back from knee surgery.
Bye: Blacktown Spartans
By Eric Subijano (@eric_subijano)
