Round 12 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
We have come full circle in the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition as we set our sights on the second half of the season.
Every team has now played each other once and the table is beginning to show us a relatively strong indication of who will land one of the elusive finals spots.
There are some cracker fixtures coming our way with a Bankstown derby headlining proceedings while the battle of the Lions at Rydalmere Park will also be one to watch this weekend.
We begin the round at Pluim Park as Central Coast United host Sydney University SFC at 5pm on Saturday.
The Pirates will be more than happy to return home with Pluim Park turning out to be a happy hunting ground for Stu Davis’ men of late.
Meanwhile, their opponents enter this fixture on the back of a comprehensive victory against the Hawks but they will still have their first round meeting with Central Coast at the back of their mind.
When these two sides last went head to head it was Central Coast who claimed a 4-1 triumph.
One of the most highly anticipated matches on the calendar is only days away as Bankstown United FC and Bankstown City FC clash in what will be blockbuster encounter at Jensen Park come Saturday at 6:30pm.
City have been in formidable form, aside from their defeat at Inter a fortnight ago. They made light work of Magic last time out and will be eager to carry that kind of form into the derby.
United were put to the sword against Dully last week and the best thing they can do in preparation for this match is to simply move on from what was a forgettable 90 minutes.
We are sure to experience plenty of thrills and spills come Saturday night with their first meeting ending in a 2-2 stalemate with both sides finishing the match with 10 men.
Heading to Arlington Oval where Dulwich Hill FC will welcome Canterbury Bankstown FC at 7pm on Saturday.
Since their round one meeting which Dully claimed all three points, these two sides have had a completely opposite trajectory.
The home side are in third place after the completion of the first round of fixtures while Berries are languishing in 11th position.
A 6-1 thrashing of United last time out will have Dully in high spirits and it could lead to another blowout if Berries do not arrive at Arlington with their A game.
Dunbar Rovers FC will be making the journey to Lynwood Park on Saturday night as they face off against Macarthur Rams FC at 7pm.
Macarthur put on a five star performance at the Crest last weekend – registering a 3-0 win against Berries.
Their opponents have not had the best season so far and will be hoping to turn a new leaf in the second half of the competition.
Fans are in for a treat at Rydalmere Park on Saturday night as the league’s in form side Inter Lions FC fight it out against first placed Rydalmere Lions FC.
The rapid rise of Inter has seen them become serious final contenders over the last few rounds with a perfect record to show over the last four weeks.
They will be coming up against a side which has tasted defeat on just the sole occasion this campaign. However, Gavin Rae’s side were lucky to escape with a point when they drew 0-0 with Inter in front of a bumper crowd at Majors Bay Reserve at the beginning of March.
Round 12 will conclude at Christie Park on Sunday as Gladesville Ryde Magic entertain Inner West Hawks at 3pm.
Back-to-back 4-1 defeats has placed a huge dent on Magic’s goal difference and has increased the gap between them and third placed Dully to four points.
A return to the winners circle will do them a wonder of good as they look to apply pressure on the top three sides.
For the Hawks, as always they will be approaching every match knowing that they have it within themselves to pull away with a result. They will take heart given that they only went down 2-1 when they first came up against Magic at the start of the season.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
