Round 8 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
A top of the table clash headlines this weekend’s set of fixtures as league leaders Rydalmere Lions FC go head to head against 2nd placed Canterbury Bankstown FC.
Dulwich Hill FC will entertain Central Coast United FC at Arlington Oval at 7pm on Saturday night.
Both sides have endured difficult seasons with Dully sitting in 11th spot while Central Coast occupy 10th position heading into this fixture.
The Pirates were outdone by the odd goal at home to Macarthur last time out while a second half capitulation against Magic saw Dully concede five goals without reply.
Both teams have scored the same amount of goals to date (9) however the hosts have let in nine more goals than their upcoming opponents and have the equal worst defence in the competition with 21 goals conceded.
Out of form Stanmore Hawks FC will see their upcoming fixture against bottom of the table Sydney University SFC as the perfect match to resurrect their campaign as they host ‘the students’ at Valentine Sports Park No. 2 at 7pm.
The Hawks’ recent record does not make for good reading with a draw and three straight defeats in their last four games.
Uni have struggled to find any sort of form since the revamped season began, with just one point to show for their efforts so far this campaign.
These two sides met prior to the COVID-19 enforced break and it was Uni who came out on top, claiming a 2-1 win at VSP back in March.
Dunbar Rovers FC return to Heffron Park on Saturday as they prepare to face off against Bankstown City FC at 7pm.
Dunbar have struggled to build any sort of consistency this season, they’ve been unable to register back-to-back wins so far this campaign.
They saw off Stanmore a fortnight ago before going down to Inter last weekend.
One positive to take away from their latest defeat was the eye-catching display of Ahmed Taleb who grabbed a brace for the eastern suburbs outfit.
Bankstown enter this fixture on the back of a three game winning streak which has seen them score 11 goals and concede just twice in the process.
The Triantis brothers ran the show last round against Uni and will be a real threat come this weekend as they prepare to wreak havoc on Dunbar’s defence.
Gladesville Ryde Magic will be on the road this Saturday when they travel to Jensen Park to go head to head against Bankstown United FC at 7pm.
Magic sit just inside the top six with 10 points to their name, an outstanding performance from Michael Gaitatzis last Sunday helped them to a 5-0 drubbing of Dully.
United have recorded consecutive defeats and are winless since the beginning of August.
However, they have not been shy in the goals department, having scored twice in each of their last four matches.
Macarthur Rams FC will be looking to add to their two wins on the bounce when they welcome Inter Lions FC to Lynwood Park at 7pm on Saturday.
Jason Breton’s Rams saw off United a fortnight ago at home before squeezing past the Pirates by the one goal at Pluim Park last weekend.
Inter sit one place above Macarthur in 7th spot and are just one point better off than their opponents ahead of their clash.
The men from Concord have been in spectacular form at home but their results on the road have left many scratching their heads.
They have collected just the solitary point from their four away fixtures this season.
Macarthur will be hoping that this worrying trend continues as they aim to leapfrog Inter on the league ladder.
All eyes will be fixated on the top of the table clash set to take place at Rydalmere Park on Saturday as leaders Rydalmere Lions FC do battle against 2nd placed Canterbury Bankstown FC at 7pm.
Rydalmere’s unblemished record has a real threat of becoming tarnished this Saturday as they host their nearest challengers, the Berries.
Both sides have excelled in the competition after dropping down from the NPL 2.
Gavin Rae has turned the Lions into a formidable outfit while Wally Savor has worked his magic with Berries.
This meeting will hopefully provide us with an accurate indicator of who will end up top of the tree when the regular season concludes at the end of this month.
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)
-PHOTO BY JM Sports Photography
