Round 9 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
We are once again within touching distance of what is bound to be another thrilling weekend in the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
Round 9 will get underway with an unusual Friday night kick off slot with the remaining five fixtures spread across Saturday.
This weekend we will be able to see how Dulwich Hill respond after their unbeaten record was broken while Inter Lions could finally kickstart their campaign when they meet Sydney University.
So, without further ado let’s rip into all the fixtures that are coming our way this weekend.
We are blessed with some Friday night action for the first time this season as Sydney University SFC host Inter Lions FC at 8:15pm.
The two teams enter this fixture on the back of contrasting results with Uni having gone down 2-1 to the Rams in their midweek catchup while Inter registered a comfortable 6-2 win over Berries.
The men from Concord are up to eighth in the standings thanks their resounding victory however a slip up on Friday night could see them overtaken by the ‘students’.
Over to Christie Park where Macarthur Rams FC will be visiting Gladesville Ryde Magic with proceedings set to get underway from 5pm.
Back-to-back wins for the Rams has seen them rise into fifth spot ahead of their clash with Magic who are situated in fourth.
Gladesville were one of six sides who did not feature in a catch up game this week which means that they have the legs to overcome Macarthur.
Standing in their way will be a Rams side who know that all three points will see them jump into the top four.
Dulwich Hill FC will be looking to return to the winners circle when they make the trip to Pluim Park to take on Central Coast United FC at 5pm.
Dully’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end in their midweek clash with Bankstown City – a 4-3 defeat saw their opponents leapfrog them on the ladder.
Meanwhile, the Pirates will be itching for a return to Pluim Park after two matches on the road which saw them collect just the one point.
Their last showing at home saw them put four past the Rams – a feat they would undoubtedly love to match this weekend.
Rydalmere Lions FC will be going in search of their fifth consecutive clean sheet when they travel to Bankstown United FC with kick off scheduled for 6:30pm.
Over the last four rounds, the Lions have struck the back of the net a whopping 13 times without conceding a single goal.
Meanwhile, United will be looking to address a poor run of late which culminated in a heavy 4-1 defeat at the Rams last weekend.
Two teams at opposite ends of the table will go head to head at Arlington Oval as Inner West Hawks FC entertain Bankstown City FC at 7pm.
Bankstown came out on top in what was one of their most difficult challenges to date when they beat Dully on Tuesday night and will have a spring in their step come Saturday.
Hawks will have had a full week of training under their belt ahead of this fixture and will be hoping that this can translate into a strong performance and possibly even a win for the club.
Turning our attention to the battle between Dunbar Rovers FC and Canterbury Bankstown FC which is set to get underway from 7pm at Heffron Park.
Neither side would have hoped to be in the positions that they are in come this point of the season.
Berries were put to the sword against Inter in their midweek fixture – suffering a 6-2 defeat while Dunbar have been missing that creative edge in the final third.
That being said, we are yet to reach the halfway point in the competition this season so there is plenty of time for these two sides to turn around their respective campaigns.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
