Round 7 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Strap yourselves in for another cracker weekend as we prepare for round 7 of the NSW NPL 3 Men’s competition.
The weekend’s action will kick off at 5pm on Saturday when Macarthur Rams FC make the trip to Pluim Park to take on Central Coast United FC.
The Rams recorded their second win of the season last time out at home to Bankstown United with Dean Mugridge notably notching a brace for Jason Breton’s side.
Central Coast enter this fixture one place above their opponents in 9th position on the league ladder, they also triumphed last round – seeing off Inter Lions 4-0.
To put the icing on the cake for the hosts, there were four different players who got on the scoresheet in last Saturday’s victory.
Inter Lions FC will be looking to return to the winners circle when they welcome Dunbar Rovers FC to Majors Bay Reserve at 7pm on Saturday.
Inter were soundly beaten away to Central Coast last time out and occupy 7th spot on the table ahead of this weekend’s showdown.
Dunbar sit in 5th position on the ladder and will arrive in Concord in high spirits after they knocked off Stanmore Hawks at Heffron Park last round.
Last season matchup’s between the two sides were quite lopsided in the sense that Inter triumphed 4-1 at Hensley before Dunbar put five past them in the reverse fixture as they went on to win 5-1.
Table toppers Rydalmere Lions FC return to Rydalmere Park on Saturday to host Bankstown United FC at 7pm.
Rydalmere saw off Dully in a tight affair at Dully last time out with Nicky Trimble and Lee Jones getting on the scoresheet in that 2-1 win.
Bankstown were unable to add to their points tally last round after they were beaten by Macarthur.
However there were still some positives for coach Scott Belgre to take away from the defeat with Mitch Cross firing in the goals once again while they still haven’t been cut adrift of the top six.
Sydney University SFC will be playing out of the Sydney University Football Ground for the second week running when they entertain Bankstown City FC at 7pm on Saturday.
The ‘students’ secured their first point of the season last weekend after they held the in-form Berries to a 1-1 draw at home.
They still prop up the ladder, however the three points this Saturday will see them close the gap to just one point with 11th placed Dully if the inner west outfit lose to Magic.
Bankstown broke into the top three last round after they crushed Magic 5-0 at Jensen Park.
Ex-Magic striker Christos Tomaras came back to haunt his former club as he fired home a double while Nikola Todoroski was also amongst the goals as he added two to his tally.
The first of Sunday’s double headers will take place at Christie Park as Gladesville Ryde Magic face off against Dulwich Hill FC at 3pm.
Magic will be looking to put last weekend’s disappointing defeat behind them as they aim to solidify their spot in the top six.
Dully have endured a challenging campaign and sit in 11th position with five points to their name.
They have been on the right end of the scoreline only once this season when they saw off bottom of the table Sydney Uni in the opening round.
The sixth and final match of the round will be held at the Crest Athletic Centre at 5pm when Canterbury Bankstown FC go head to head against Stanmore Hawks FC.
The Berries four game winning streak came to an end last time out when they shared the points with Uni.
Wally Savor’s side still managed to retain 2nd spot on the table despite the loss and remain undefeated since the first round.
The Hawks have suffered of late with a draw and two defeats in their last three fixtures.
Their latest defeat at the hands of Dunbar was enough to see them drop out of the coveted top three – now occupying 4th position.
However, If Stanmore manage to pull away with all three points this Sunday, they will overtake Berries on the league ladder.
DON’T FORGET TO EXERCISE CAUTION AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AT OUR MATCHES THIS WEEKEND – STAY SAFE
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
