Round 10 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
It is impossible to look past the one glaring fixture this weekend which saw Central Coast announce themselves on the NPL 3 stage with a perfect performance against one of the competition’s highflyers.
Central Coast United were simply spectacular after they thrashed Bankstown City 11-0 on one of the best night’s in the club’s history; Rydalmere Lions were crowned 2020 Premiers thanks to their win against Inter Lions while Stanmore Hawks are still in with a chance of making finals football after they registered their first three points since the beginning of August.
Central Coast United FC – Bankstown City FC 11-0
The floodgates opened at Pluim Park on Saturday night as Central Coast put 11 unanswered goals past a helpless Bankstown City.
A lightning quick start to the match saw Central Coast go ahead on three minutes through Corey Atkinson after Cade Mapu squared it off from the right wing.
Mapu then got his name on the scoresheet when he doubled his side’s lead around five minutes later before Tommy Lyons scored two from outside the box in quick succession to give the hosts a 4-0 lead within 25 minutes.
Alex Arbelo was next to get in on the act with a fine piece of individual play which was matched with an equally as impressive finish.
Skipper Daniel Mcfarlane put the Pirates 6-0 up just before the break after he broke through the visitors defence with the help of Lyons before making no mistake with his finish.
Both Arbelo and McFarlane secured their hat-tricks after the interval before Mapu rounded off the scoring late on.
The Pirates’ record victory won’t be forgotten anytime soon as they look to finish their season on a positive note when they travel to Berries next weekend.
Bankstown will be hoping to erase the performance from their memory as they gear up for a derby against United.
Dulwich Hill FC – Canterbury Bankstown FC 1-1
Dulwich Hill and Berries could not be split with 1-1 the fulltime score at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.
It took until the second half before the game sprung to life, with Berries’ Andre Guzman opening the scoring with a delightful finish after being picked out by Andrija Mandic’s searching pass on the 70th minute mark.
Dully restored parity around 10 minutes later when Harry Browell headed home at the near post.
The draw means that Dully move down one position into 8th on the league ladder while the Berries also shift down from 3rd into 4th place.
Next up for Dully is an away fixture against Inter Lions while the Berries return to the Crest to take on a Pirates outfit which will be brimming with confidence.
Bankstown United FC – Dunbar Rovers FC 1-3
Dunbar Rovers returned to winning ways after they recorded a 3-1 win against Bankstown United at Jensen Park on Saturday night.
The hosts had a golden chance to break the deadlock when Hayden Probert was brought down in the box on 22 minutes.
However, departing club legend Jovan Miladinovic failed to convert the resulting spot kick.
The breakthrough did eventually arrive and it came via Lachie Willmore after he headed home a loose ball on the stroke of half time.
A Dunbar revival in the second half saw them sweep past United with the first of their goals arriving on the hour mark through a Conor Earley free kick.
Luiz Lobo put the visitors ahead for the first time in the encounter with a textbook volley from just outside the 18-yard area before Earley made sure of the points in style with an unstoppable strike from 30 yards out.
The three points sees Dunbar jump into 6th position on the table while United drop one place into 11th.
United will be aiming to take all three points from their derby clash next Sunday as they prepare to go head to head with a wounded Bankstown City outfit while Dunbar have a meeting with the 2020 Premiers at Heffron Park.
Macarthur Rams FC – Stanmore Hawks FC 0-1
Stanmore Hawks posted their first win since round three after they edged out Macarthur Rams 1-0 at Lynwood Park on Saturday night.
The Hawks had a chance to go 1-0 up in the first half when Jonah Caragher came agonisingly close after his header rattled the crossbar.
The deciding goal arrived in the 85th minute via Conor Quilligan after he combined with Marko Filipovic on the edge of the 18-yard area before placing the ball past the Rams’ shot stopper.
This win gives the Hawks a glimmer of hope that they could qualify for finals football with the inner west side occupying 5th position on the ladder ahead of the last round.
They will be aiming to get the job done against Magic next weekend and hope that Central Coast get one over the Berries.
The defeats sees Macarthur drop down one place into 10th with a clash against Sydney Uni awaiting them in the final round.
Rydalmere Lions FC – Inter Lions FC 3-1
Rydalmere Lions tied up the premiership on Saturday night after they triumphed 3-1 against Inter Lions at Rydalmere Park.
It was Inter who struck first in this contest through Fikiret Berisha after he held off the Rydalmere defender before slotting home after being picked out by Nico Paras’ dead ball in the 25th minute.
The hosts came close to equalising just before half time after they were awarded a penalty, however Lee Jones’ spot kick was denied by Inter shot stopper John Soulios to ensure that the visitors preserved their advantage as they headed to the sheds.
It was Matt West who came to the rescue for Rydalmere in the second half with his header putting his side on equal terms.
Jones made up for his penalty five minutes later after his corner found its way into the back of the net before Gurang Awac put some daylight between the two sides with his finish after Inter pushed men forward.
The three points puts Rydalmere on 28 points as they secure the premiership with one round still to be played while the defeat sees Inter fall into 7th spot on the table.
Rydalmere travel to Maroubra next Saturday to face off against Dunbar while Inter are back at Majors Bay Reserve to entertain Dully.
Gladesville Ryde Magic – Sydney University SFC 2-0
Gladesville Ryde Magic made it four wins on the bounce after they claimed a 2-0 victory against Sydney Uni at Christie Park on Sunday afternoon.
Michael Gaitatzis reached double digits for the season when he broke the deadlock for the home side in the early stages of the encounter.
Gaitatzis went onto score his 11th goal of the season after the break as Magic made sure of the points.
The win sees Gladesville rise from 4th to 3rd position on the ladder whilst Uni remain at the foot of the table.
Magic will be coming up against the Hawks at Arlington Oval next weekend while Uni’s season will finish at home when they host the Rams next Saturday.
DON’T FORGET TO EXERCISE CAUTION AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AT OUR MATCHES – STAY SAFE
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
