Round 7 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Another weekend of high end entertainment has come to an end as we dissect all the action from round 7 of the NSW NPL 3 Men’s competition.
Macarthur Rams recorded consecutive wins for the first time this season thanks to a 1-0 win at Central Coast; Inter Lions perfect home record showed no signs of coming to an end after they overcame Dunbar Rovers 3-2; Rydalmere Lions stay top of the table with a 4-2 win against Bankstown United; Bankstown City recorded a routine 3-0 victory away to Sydney Uni; Gladesville Ryde Magic posted an emphatic 5-0 win against Dully and Canterbury Bankstown came from behind to beat Stanmore 2-1.
Central Coast United FC – Macarthur Rams FC 0-1
Macarthur Rams posted back-to-back wins for the first time this campaign after they saw off Central Coast United 1-0 at Pluim Park on Saturday night.
Both sides were trying their best to play smart, fluid football in the first half which made for quality viewing for all the spectators.
It was the home side who created the first threat on goal after they hit the woodwork on the stroke of halftime.
Stu Davis’ side continued to dominate after the restart however they were unable to find the back of the net.
The crucial goal arrived on 70 minutes via Stephen Lloyd after he capped off a masterful six pass sequence with a killer finish from 18 yards out.
The Pirates pushed men forward for the remainder of the game which ultimately left them exposed defensively.
If it were not for the outstanding form of reserve goalkeeper Josh Ferragamo then the visitors could have added another two or three to the score line.
The three points means that Macarthur rise to 8th on the league table with a home fixture against Inter Lions awaiting them next round.
The defeat for the Pirates sees them drop down one place into 10th as they prepare to do battle with fellow bottom half outfit Dulwich Hill next Saturday.
Inter Lions FC – Dunbar Rovers FC 3-2
Inter Lions maintained their perfect record at Majors Bay Reserve after they triumphed 3-2 against Dunbar Rovers on Saturday night.
Inter came out of the traps firing and caught Dunbar off guard when they broke the deadlock in the 2nd minute through youngster Owen Duke after he was teed up by Nathan Rayner.
It did not take long before John Theo’s men extended their lead when a quick free kick caught the visitors napping as Meco Tripodi slotted the ball home for the hosts.
Dunbar managed to pull one back after Ahmad Taleb sprung the offside trap before calmly sliding his effort into the Inter goal around the 20th minute mark.
The second half saw a change in game plan from Dunbar as they looked to restore parity, however Inter’s Alex Beccera and Marcus Zarantonello stood firm in defence and managed to keep them at bay.
The men from Concord soon went 3-1 up after Fikiret Berisha powerful low driven shot proved too hot to handle for Dunbar’s Luke Del Vecchio after he was teed up by an expert lay off from Sam Armson.
A determined Dunbar did not roll over and were able to reduce the deficit in the 68th minute through Tayebi who once again beat the offside trap before converting his chance.
In the end it was Inter who were able to hold onto the three points as they remain in 7th position on the ladder.
Next up for Inter is a trip down the M5 as they face off against the Rams next weekend.
The defeat means that Rovers’ position on the table also remains unchanged as they stay in 5th with 10 points to their name.
They return home to Heffron Park next round to host high-flyers Bankstown City.
Rydalmere Lions FC – Bankstown United FC 4-2
Rydalmere Lions made it seven wins on the bounce on Saturday after they registered a 4-2 win against Bankstown United at home.
It was the home side who struck first in this contest after an own goal gave them the early advantage.
However, United levelled the scoring only two minutes later thanks to Kallie Bangura after he volleyed home Alex Salgueira’s early cross into the box.
Scott Belgre’s side went ahead on 22 minutes when Mitch Cross stepped up to convert the spot kick after Mitch Edmunds was brought down in the area.
The Lions were an entirely different proposition in the second half as they came out firing and it was not too long before they equalised via Matt Clowes after he tapped home Lee Jones’ cross in the 55th minute.
Jones was on hand to provide another assist, this time it was Scott Tonkin who benefited from the pinpoint set piece delivery.
With 12 minutes left on the clock, the visitors were given a glimmer of hope after Rydalmere’s Ricky Woodward was dismissed for his second bookable offence.
However, Matt West put the game to bed after he finished off a slick piece of interplay between Dillan Kahale and Luca Frasca which resulted in a tempting ball into the box for West to finish off.
The victory means that Rydalmere retain top spot with maximum points collected from the first seven rounds whilst the loss sees United drop down one place into 9th with six points.
The Lions will be playing out of Rydalmere Park again next weekend when they entertain Berries while United go head to head against Magic at Jensen Park.
Sydney University SFC – Bankstown City FC 0-3
Bankstown City cruised past Sydney University with 3-0 the fulltime score at SUFG on Saturday night.
Ante Tomic opened the scoring for the hosts with a fine individual effort which found its way into the top right corner of the goal after making light work of the Uni defenders on the left wing.
Peter Triantis doubled the lead after halftime when he combined well with brother Chris with some skilful interplay before curling his shot into the Uni goal.
The third and final goal of the contest arrived from Nikola Todoroski after he slotted the ball near post after being played in by Chris Triantis.
Bankstown’s latest victory places them on a three game winning streak as they retain 3rd spot on the ladder with 15 points.
The defeat means that the ‘students’ stay rooted to the bottom of the table with just one point to show from their seven fixtures.
Bankstown travel to Heffron Park to take on Dunbar next weekend while Uni have a meeting with Stanmore at Arlington Oval.
Gladesville Ryde Magic – Dulwich Hill FC 5-0
Gladesville Ryde Magic put in a five star performance against Dulwich Hill at Christie Park on Sunday with 5-0 the full time score.
An even first half saw the score locked at 0-0 as they headed to the sheds.
The second half belonged to Magic’s Michael Gaitatzis who popped up with four goals.
His first arrived after he slotted home following an expert through ball from brother Chris.
He doubled their lead shortly after before making it three in favour of the home side.
His fourth goal of the evening put his side in an unassailable lead before Genki Kohyama made it five with his effort late on.
The three points propels Gladesville into 6th place on the ladder with 10 points while Dully stay in 11th position with five points.
Next up for Magic is an away game at Bankstown United while Dully welcome Central Coast to Arlington Oval.
Canterbury Bankstown FC – Stanmore Hawks FC 2-1
Canterbury Bankstown triumphed 2-1 against Stanmore Hawks at the Crest Athletic Centre on Sunday night.
The home side had to come from behind to get the job done with Stanmore’s Conor Quilligan heading home on the half hour mark.
A much improved Berries outfit in the second half saw them level the scoring through Andre Guzman with a fine effort after he was played in by a superb pass from Brent Flavin.
The decisive goal arrived with around a quarter of an hour remaining via Flavin who met Jake Bradshaw’s cross.
Bankstown’s latest win sees them hold onto 2nd spot on the table with an away clash against top of the table Rydalmere awaiting them next Saturday.
The defeats sees the Hawks stay in 4th spot; their next fixture sees them take on Uni at home.
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-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
