Round 5 Review – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Another entertaining weekend in the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition left us with plenty to ponder as we report back on all the action from around the grounds.
A crucial triumph for Sydney University saw them move off the foot of the table while Dulwich Hill’s rich vein of form carried on for another round as they comfortably saw off their rivals, Inner West Hawks.
This weekend’s pick for match of the round took place at Majors Bay Reserve where two heavyweights went head to head on what was a stunning autumn’s evening.
Inter Lions FC – Bankstown United FC 1-1
Bankstown United picked up a point on their travels to Major Bay Reserve with 1-1 the full-time score in their clash against Inter Lions on Saturday night.
If you looked away in the first five minutes you would have missed the two crucial goals that ultimately decided the match.
United had their first real chance within a blink of an eye with Eros Bergamin’s effort first to test Daniel Axford two minutes in.
Fast forward just a matter of seconds and the deadlock was broken but not by Bankstown.
Nico Paras was the man for Inter after he snuck in at the back post to head home Jesse Michel’s floating cross from the left wing.
However, the old saying – you are most vulnerable when you score could not ring truer when United went up the other end to restore parity in the 5th minute.
Kallie Bangura curled his strike past Axford in goal after being expertly picked out by Marko Filipovic’s pinpoint through ball which cut through the middle of the hosts’ defence.
You would be naïve to think that there would be a lull in goal mouth action following that action packed start to the match.
On the stroke of the 10 minute mark, the home side had a golden opportunity to restore their lead through Fikret Berisha who was in the right place at the right time however his effort sailed wide of the post after some quality build up play between Michel and Nathan Rayner.
The deadly duo of Lachie Willmore and Mitch Cross were proving to be the usual handful for the opposition and they combined to produce their first glance of goal on 17 minutes via Willmore whose effort landed directly into the palms of the Inter shot stopper.
The visitors’ determination in front of goal almost saw them enter the sheds with the lead but it was the offside flag which ruled out Bangura from registering his brace after he was deemed to be ahead of play when he fired in Cross’ rebound 10 minutes before the break.
A renewed sense of purpose after the interval saw John Theo’s men control the tempo, with the ball camped in United’s half for much of the early stages of the second half.
The Inter faithful thought that they had restored their lead nine minutes in, through Paras’ free kick on the edge of the 18 yard area.
The midfielders’ rasping effort ended just wide of the post – much to the relief of the United custodian.
As the half wore on, Scott Belgre’s side began to force Inter’s hand and before they knew it, they were cheering what they believed to be the winning goal before the flag was raised for handball to once again deny them that elusive second.
The final 10 minutes saw both sides peg away at each other with Inter doing their best to push for their maiden win of the campaign while United were not resting on their laurels as they aimed to keep their unbeaten record intact for another week.
Sam Armson almost gave Inter cause to celebrate but yet again the finish lacked the required cutting edge before a last ditch chance from United came close to snatching all three points as Bergamin’s free kick inadvertently came off Nick Railz’s body before looping over the crossbar.
That just about summed up the affair as Inter held on to record their second point of the season while it was an invaluable point on the road for United.
Another home match beckons for Inter next Saturday as they take on an uncharacteristically out of form Dunbar while United return to Jensen Park to host Central Coast.
Match Stats
National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s
Round 5
Saturday, April 3, 2021
Majors Bay Reserve
INTER LIONS FC 1 (Paras 3’)
BANKSTOWN UNITED FC 1 (Bangura 5’)
INTER LIONS FC; 1.D.Axford (GK), 2.L.Flack(14.J.Karipis 62’), 3.S.Katsionis, 4.A.Becerra, 5.M.Zarantonello(15.O.Duke 43’), 6.D.Tripodi (C), 7.N. Rayner, 9.F.Berisha, 10.N.Paras, 20.Z.Ribeiro, 29.J.Michel(12.S.Armson 62’).
Substitutions Not Used – 16.E.Bellos, 23.N.Scicchitano, 72.P.Fouracre.
Yellow Cards – 10.N.Paras 41’, 9.F.Berisha 66’, 3.S.Katsionis 76’.
Red Cards – N/A.
BANKSTOWN UNITED FC; 3.S.Dubocanin, 5.L.Willmore, 7.M.Filipovic(8.M.Edmunds 65’), 9.M.Cross(11.D.Malesevic 73’), 10.E.Bergamin, 13.B.Tuxford (GK), 14.A.Salgueira, 17.N.Railz, 18.E.Bowmaker, 23.K.Bangura, 31.S.Wright.
Substitutions Not Used – 19.I.Schipp, 29.A.Thomas, 36.A.Hill, 49.C.Freeman.
Yellow Cards – 7.M.Filipovic 51’, 3.S.Dubocanin 63’.
Red Cards – N/A.
Inner West Hawks FC – Dulwich Hill FC 1-4
Another round and another win for Dully, this time it was their rivals Inner West Hawks who fell prey to one of the league’s form sides with 4-1 the full-time score at Arlington Oval.
However, it was not all smooth sailing for Paris Svilicich’s troops with the Hawks opening the scoring through none other than Peter Yannopoulos on 10 minutes.
A Daniel Fornito penalty in the 43rd minute meant that they entered the sheds with the scored locked at one a piece before an inspired second performance from Dully and one man in particular saw them race away with the three points.
An Alex Nicolosi brace in the 65th and 67th minute broke the Hawks’ resolve with his first arriving from close range while his second came in the form of quite an eye-catching solo effort which resulted with the ball nestling in the far corner of the goal.
Nicolosi soon turned provider with a nifty cutback for Anthony Foti who sealed the points for Dully with his third goal in as many matches.
Dully’s credentials will come under intense scrutiny next Saturday when they welcome fellow high-flyers Magic to Arlington while life does not get much easier for the Hawks as they travel to Rydalmere.
Dunbar Rovers FC – Sydney University SFC 0-3
A solid performance from Sydney Uni saw them record a 3-0 triumph against Dunbar at Heffron Park on Saturday night.
Dunbar came out the stronger of the two sides, creating several attacking chances however they were repeatedly thwarted by a well-oiled Uni defence who stood firm as first half proceedings ended goalless.
The ‘students’ took the initiative after the interval and found themselves 1-0 to the good within 10 minutes of the restart thanks to Peter Crevani who tapped home Cameron Szyszka’s rebounded shot.
Crevani soon doubled his side’s lead with an intuitive chip on 65 minutes following a defence splitting through ball.
The visitors allowed Rovers back into the game after going 2-0 up but it was not the hosts’ evening as they were unable to penetrate Uni’s goal.
The finishing blow eventually arrived with barely a minute left on the clock via a free-flowing counterattack which culminated in a straightforward tap-in for James Reed who was played in by Grant Burbage.
Uni will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they make the trip to Crest next round while Dunbar will be hoping for better when they head to Concord for their showdown with Inter.
Bankstown City FC – Central Coast United FC 3-2
It was all smiles at Jensen Park on Saturday night as Bankstown City registered back-to-back wins for the first time this season as they overcame a determined Central Coast side 3-2.
It was the visiting side who struck first on this occasion before the hosts’ replied via Chris Triantis’ smart finish from Nikola Todoroski’s ball into the box.
The home side went ahead for the first time in the encounter after the break thanks to Tai Smith who slotted it past an outstretched Jack O’Mally.
The Pirates fighting spirit saw them once again claw back an equaliser in similar fashion prior to the home side conjuring up the decider.
The all-important winning goal arrived with five minutes remaining from the penalty spot with a cheeky Peter Triantis chip down the middle ensuring that his side came away with the victory.
Bankstown will be looking to make it three from three when they face off against the Rams at Lynwood Park next weekend while the Pirates return to Jensen Park for the second week running to meet United.
Rydalmere Lions FC – Macarthur Rams FC 4-2
Rydalmere Lions posted their first win of the season courtesy of a 4-2 triumph at home to Macarthur on Saturday night.
The first goal of the season was an absolute belter from Rydalmere’s Matt West whose strike from 35 yards out crashed against the crossbar before eventually settling in the back of the net.
The visitors equalised shortly after through a well worked six pass sequence that was matched with an equally impressive finish.
The reigning champions restored their advantage but it was not without controversy as Nick Trimble somehow poked home after latching onto the ball which the Rams believed to be in possession of shot stopper, Stevan Savicic.
The Lions then went on to score their third when Luca Frasca bundled home on the stroke of half time.
A deadly set piece saw the Rams reduce the deficit to 3-2 after the break however their efforts were to no avail as Rydalmere made it four through Tom Gittany who opened his account for the club.
The Rams first defeat of the season sees them drop from second to fourth on the ladder as they gear up for a home tie with Bankstown City while sixth placed Rydalmere will be favourites to make it two from two when they host the Hawks next weekend.
Canterbury Bankstown FC – Gladesville Ryde Magic 1-1
Canterbury Bankstown posted their third consecutive stalemate on Saturday night as they drew 1-1 with Gladesville at the Crest Athletic Centre.
Wally Savor’s side started the brighter of the two sides with Michael Trajkovski proving to be the Berries’ main threat upfront.
He hit the post early on in the contest and soon had his strike sail over the crossbar when it appeared harder not to miss the target.
However, that was all forgotten when he stepped up to give his side the lead from the penalty spot after Lachlan Mailey was brought down in the box.
A much improved second half performance from Magic saw them level the scoring with Daniel Rigby getting his name in lights after finishing off a slick counter attacking play.
A barrage of Bankstown attacks to close out the match caused plenty of heart in mouth moments for the visitors but the all-important decider never arrived as the two sides took a share of the points.
Berries will be back at Crest next Saturday to host a Uni side who just claimed their first win meanwhile Magic will be at Arlington Oval as they take on Dully.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
