Round 11 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
That’s a wrap! We’ve reached the end of the regular season and can now set our sights on finals football with the top four set to battle it out next weekend as Rydamlere Lions were crowned Premiers of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
We won’t get the chance to see Stanmore Hawks in this year’s finals edition after Magic dashed any of their hopes after coming away with the three points in their fixture on Saturday night; Dunbar Rovers ensured that Rydalmere didn’t escape the season undefeated; Inter Lions made light work of Dulwich Hill as they put eight past the inner west side; Sydney Uni put in a five star performance at home to the Rams while Bankstown City earnt the bragging rights in the derby against Bankstown United.
Stanmore Hawks FC – Gladesville Ryde Magic 1-2
Gladesville Ryde Magic spoiled any chances of Stanmore Hawks booking a finals berth after they registered a 2-1 win at Arlington Oval on Saturday night.
A Harris Gaitatzis goal put Magic ahead as they entered the sheds before an outstanding save shortly after the interval from custodian Kiriakos Tohouroglou ensured that the visitors kept hold of their lead.
The Hawks managed to restore parity through Angus Chance before a long-distance effort from Chris Gaitatzis secured all three points for Magic.
The win sees Magic tie up 3rd position on the league table as they turn their attention to a semi-final clash with Bankstown City next weekend.
Stanmore’s season has come to a wrap after they finish in 7th place after a mixed campaign which saw the 2019 Premiers struggle for consistency.
Dunbar Rovers FC – Rydalmere Lions FC 4-2
Dunbar Rovers ended their season on a high as they dished out the first defeat on premiers Rydalmere Lions, coming away with a 4-2 win at a blistery Heffron Park on Saturday night.
A perfect first half performance saw Dunbar race to a four-goal lead with Luiz Lobo and Tod Bamber grabbing two goals each.
The second half saw the Lions pull two goals back with Jamie Craig and Jake Chidiac on target for the Lions.
However, it was a case of too little too late as a young Rydalmere side was outdone by an experienced Dunbar team.
Rydalmere still finish top of the table despite the defeat and will meet Berries next weekend in the semi-final.
Dunbar finish the season in 5th position which normally would have been enough to secure finals football in a regular campaign.
Inter Lions FC – Dulwich Hill FC 8-2
Inter Lions could not have asked for a better way to finish their season after they demolished Dulwich Hill 8-2 at Majors Bay Reserve on Saturday night.
The first goal of the evening arrived just after five minutes through Owen Duke after some impressive lead up play from Nico Paras.
Paras then grabbed Inter’s second with an unstoppable strike after gliding past three defenders.
It was Nathan Rayner who put the home side three ahead after he headed home Paras’ corner before he soon grabbed a double when he slot it past the Dully shot stopper after being played in by Alex Beccera’s pinpoint pass.
It was much of the same after the break with Duke on hand to score the host’s fifth goal after his header hit the post before nestling in the goal after he was picked out by Fikiret Berisha’s delightful ball into the box.
To Dully’s credit they didn’t put their heads down and they were rewarded with two quick fire goals from Harry Browell and Peter Crevani which made it 5-2.
The visitors’ revival was short lived as Inter came up with another three goals to complete the rout.
Berisha notched a brace while Eduardo Rodrigues rounded off the scoring to cap off a memorable evening for the men from Concord.
The three points sees Inter finish the campaign in 6th position while Dully end in 8th.
Sydney University SFC – Macarthur Rams FC 5-0
Sydney Uni posted their second victory of the season in emphatic fashion after they put five unanswered goals past Macarthur at the Sydney University Football Ground on Saturday night.
A screamer from Uni’s Caelan Hinckson separated the two sides after 45 minutes in what was quite an even first half.
Dale Howarth doubled the home’s side lead in the second half and soon turned provider for Nathan Sharpley, who made it three to the good for the ‘students’.
Howarth was on the scoresheet again to make it 4-0 before Hinckson capped off the scoring with his strike late on.
The three points was enough to lift Sydney Uni from the foot of the table as they finish the season in 11th place while the Rams end the campaign in 10th position.
Canterbury Bankstown FC – Central Coast United FC 1-1
Berries locked up their spot in the finals thanks to a 1-1 draw against Central Coast at the Crest Athletic Centre on Saturday night.
The home side threatened from the offset and came close to opening the scoring via Kris Nicolau, only to be denied by a smart save from the Central Coast goalkeeper.
Leandro Guzman was next to test the Pirates’ resolve after his volley hit the under side of the post and stayed out after he beat the offside trap.
After soaking up all the pressure it was the visitors who struck first in this contest through Tommy Lyons on the stroke of half time after some slick link up play between Cade Mapu, Alex Arbelo and Corey Atkinson.
An even second half saw the score remain at 1-0 until Nicolau popped up with the all-important equaliser with ten minutes remaining when he volleyed home from around 10 metres out.
The point was enough for Berries to secure a finals berth as they finish in 4th position and prepare to face off against Rydalmere next Sunday.
The Pirates first season in the competition came to an end as they tied down 9th position.
They showed plenty of promise and positive signs as they look to come back stronger next season.
Bankstown City FC – Bankstown United FC 4-1
Bankstown City claimed the bragging rights as they secured a 4-1 victory against Bankstown United on Sunday afternoon.
Four of the match’s five goals arrived in the first half with the Lions taking a 3-1 lead into the break.
Antonio Farkas scored the Lions’ first goal after he slotted the ball past the United shot stopper after a scramble in the penalty area.
Next up, it was Ante Tomic whose left footed drive flew into the bottom corner before Jonathan Grozdanovski scored his side’s third after Nikola Todoroski’s cut back found the attacker in space.
A Tomic penalty in the second half ensured that all three points went the way of the Lions as they nailed down 2nd spot on the table.
United’s defeat coupled with Uni’s win against the Rams mean that they unfortunately finish the season in 12th place.
United bow out of this year’s competition however the Lions still have it all to play for as they prepare for a home semi-final battle against 3rd placed Magic.
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-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
