Round 10 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
The countdown is well and truly on with just two rounds remaining this season.
Bankstown City FC make the trip up the M1 on Saturday as they prepare to do battle with Central Coast United FC at Pluim Park with kick off scheduled for 5pm.
The two sides sit on both ends of the spectrum of the league ladder with Bankstown occupying 2nd spot on 21 points while the Pirates are situated in 11th with six points.
Bankstown surged past Macarthur last time out, registering a 4-1 win which extended their winning streak to five matches.
Central Coast were unable to escape with a point against bottom of the table Sydney Uni after a late goal saw them go down 3-2 in Camperdown.
Rydalmere Lions FC will be aiming to return to business as usual when they welcome Inter Lions FC to Rydalmere Park at 7pm on Saturday.
Rydalmere suffered their first blip in their otherwise perfect season after they dropped points for the first time in their end-to-end 4-4 stalemate away to the Hawks last Saturday.
Stanmore’s four goals were the most scored against the league leaders in a fixture this season; undoing Bankstown United who managed to get two past the Lions in their meeting a fortnight ago.
Inter Lions suffered their first home defeat of the season last round against Magic, but it was not from a lack of effort with goalkeeper Kiriakos Tohouroglou making life impossible for the Inter attack.
Dulwich Hill FC will be looking to make it three wins on the bounce when they entertain Canterbury Bankstown FC at Arlington Oval at 7pm on Saturday.
Dully have been in formidable form since their second half capitulation against Magic almost three weeks ago which saw them concede five unanswered goals.
They have collected two cleansheets from their last two matches against Central Coast and Dunbar and are still in with a chance of making finals football.
The Berries’ form of late has dipped with a defeat against Rydalmere followed by a stalemate against United last time out.
They sit in 3rd spot on the table with 17 points and have a resurgent Magic breathing down their neck, waiting to pounce if they drop anymore points over the final two rounds.
Two teams looking to turn their seasons around will go head to head at Jensen Park on Saturday as Bankstown United FC host Dunbar Rovers FC at 7pm.
United’s wait for a league win goes on with their last triumph arriving against Uni back on August 1.
Meanwhile, Dunbar have not been on the best run with three straight defeats all but ruling them out of finals contention.
A defeat this weekend will mean the eastern suburbs outfit will slide further down the table and be overtaken by their hosts.
Stanmore Hawks FC will be going in search of their first three points since the beginning of August as they travel to Lynwood Park to face off against Macarthur Rams FC at 7pm on Saturday.
The Hawks occupy 6th position and enter this clash on the back of two stalemates against Uni and Rydalmere respectively.
There were plenty of positives to take away from last weekend’s draw against the top of the table Lions as the 2019 Premiers made life difficult for Gavin Rae’s men and became the first side to tarnish their perfect record.
The Rams have proven that they have been able to find the back of the net this season however their defensive record is what has held them back with a worrying 27 goals shipped this campaign.
Over the last fortnight alone, they have conceded eight goals.
They will be hoping a return to Lynwood Park will help them recapture the kind of form which saw them secure back-to-back victories at the end of August.
The weekend’s action will wrap up at Christie Park on Sunday when Gladesville Ryde Magic meet Sydney University SFC at 3pm.
Magic have been in unstoppable form of late with three consecutive wins which has seen them fly up the league standings into a highly respectable fourth place.
Living legend Kyriakos Tohouroglou was central to their success against Inter last time out with the Magic custodian keeping the opposition’s attack at bay with what can only be described as a freakish performance between the sticks.
Uni are experiencing their best run this season – with four points collected from their last two matches.
They could finally propel themselves off the foot of the table if they manage to get a result this Sunday and the teams directly above them on the ladder, falter in their respective games.
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)
