Round 8 Preview – NPL 4 NSW Men’s

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The National Premier Leagues 4 NSW Men’s competition heads into the eighth week of the regular season as the twelve sides all battle to beat their pre-season goals. 

Our Match of the Round takes us to the home of the reigning premiers, as Fraser Park host Nepean FC in a potential finals preview.

Elsewhere, Hurstville travel down to Bathurst to take on Western NSW, The Rage hosts local rivals Parramatta FC, UNSW FC battles Camden Tigers, Prospect United entertain the Flame and rounding out the weekend Hawkesbury City head up to the Hunter for an ANZAC day battle with Newcastle Jets.

 

Saturday 24th April, 2021

Match of the Round

Fraser Park FC vs Nepean FC, 7pm @ Fraser Park

The joint league leaders Fraser Park look to hold onto their spot when they face Nepean in the Match of the Round. Fraser Park remain one of the only two teams without a loss and will expect to continue their incredible form. Fraser Park have been nothing short of unstoppable when given a chance at goal and arguably boast the most lethal attack in the league.

Nepean have hit a mid-season road block after a flying start to the season. Injuries may have left them lacking squad depth in weeks past, however Head Coach Joe Di Meglio isn’t keen on hiding behind this is as an excuse and will hope for a much improved performance as they look to return to the winners circle and re-mount pressure on the top four.

Previous Matchup: Fraser Park 2-2 Nepean

 

Western NSW FC vs Hurstville FC, 5pm @ Proctor Park

Hurstville have struck a purple patch of form with two convincing wins against finals contenders Nepean and Parramatta respectively. Hurstville have a bad taste in their mouth from their last trip to Bathurst suffering a 3-1 defeat in the previous fixture last year, however Hurstville this year have shown they’re no joke and will expect to gain their third consecutive win.

Standing their way is a valiant Western NSW team that has recovered from their shaky start to produce two impressive draws to get their season back on track. The problem for Western NSW over the past few weeks has been not capitalising on their chances in the final third, if they can tighten up their finishing they should produce a real problem to Hurstville come Saturday and could pull off an impressive upset.

Previous Matchup: Western NSW 3-1 Hurstville

 

Western Rage vs Parramatta FC, 7pm @ Christie Park

Two rivals coming into this matchup on the back of bitter defeats last week. Parramatta have lost their last two but proved to be a much improved side last week against the Jets becoming the first side to score against the league leaders. The Eagles will need a positive result to try and regain their spot on top and keep pressure on the top two .

Another side that’ll be desperate for a positive result is the Rage. With only two points coming from their last seven games they’ll want to get something from this game in order to push forward in their pursuit and move out of the stacked middle of the pack in NPL 4.

Previous Matchup: Parramatta FC 4-1 Western Rage

 

UNSW FC vs Camden Tigers FC, 7pm @ Valentine Sports Park

UNSW have undoubtedly had the most frustrating start to the season, with five draws from their first six they’ve come agonisingly close on numerous occasions but haven’t been able to convert any of those games into a win. Uni will have to put their past behind them and focus on this difficult matchup with a Camden side hitting a good run of form in the attacking third.

Aside from netting three past Fraser Park last week Dean Bradley wasn’t happy with the early performance from his side conceding four in the opening fifteen minutes. He was proud of his sides comeback and will hope for a rounded out performance this weekend, putting it from start to finish which would give them a good chance of walking away with all the points.

Previous Matchup: UNSW 1-2 Camden Tigers

 

Sunday 25th April, 2021

Prospect United SC vs South Coast Flame FC, 3pm @ Blacktown International Sports Centre

Prospect United host a South Coast side fresh off their first win off the season in the first of an ANZAC Day double header. The Flame has been lit and they’ll expect to continue to return to the winners circle in this matchup. Captain Matt Mazevski will likely be the danger man for the Flame again looking to link up his sides play in the final third after his winner last week.

For Prospect it could be a much different side lining up for them on Sunday as they try and rejuvenate their season. United will likely look to a bit of youth to bolster their squad depth and challenge some of the senior members for full-time spots in the starting eleven.

Previous Matchup: Prospect United South 3-1 Coast Flame

 

Newcastle Jets FC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 7pm @ Lake Macquarie Regional Football Centre

Our final match of the round sees the Jets return home to host Hawkesbury City. Newcastle’s rapid start to the season hasn’t slowed down since their draw to UNSW and they’ll expect to walk out of this matchup retaining their league best record, sitting on top of NPL 4.

The Hawks have recaptured their blistering form which saw them make a semi finals appearance last year and can’t be ruled out for an upset result come Sunday night. Marco Turpeinen will look to add on from his brace last week and become the Hawks main threat going forward.

Previous Matchup: N/A