Round 14 Preview – NPL 4 NSW Men’s
With Round 14 of the National Premier Leagues 4 NSW Men’s competition approaching, it’s time to look forward to a weekend full of tantalising matchups.
Our Match of the Round takes us back to Fraser Park as they look set to battle UNSW FC.
Elsewhere around the state, Camden travel to face Western NSW, Hawkesbury return home to host the Flame, Nepean and Parramatta battle for a spot in the top five, The Rage entertain Hurstville, whilst Prospect host Newcastle to round out the fixtures.
Saturday 5th June, 2021
Match of the Round
Fraser Park FC vs UNSW FC
Fraser Park return to their home as they prepare to face the ever-tough UNSW. Fraser Park returned to their winning ways last week against Western Rage, after going two weeks without a win. The reigning premiers would have been relieved to see their lethal attack return to their red-hot form as they look towards the run home for the final leg of the season. Cam Philpot’s emphatic hat trick sent him six goals clear of the golden boot race with fourteen for the season.
UNSW will have a bad taste in their mouth from their last time out against Fraser Park where they were hit for six in a comprehensive 6-1 loss. This was a massive turning point in their season as they went on to win four of their next six as they made a spectacular turnaround. UNSW have the feel of a rejuvenated side that will be eager to display their improvements since the reverse fixture. With a win and results going their way elsewhere, UNSW could see themselves as high as fourth, whereas Fraser Park will be keen to ease the pressure off themselves as they look to extend their lead in first with a rampant Newcastle side breathing down their neck in second.
Previous Matchup: Fraser Park FC 6-1 UNSW FC
Western NSW FC vs Camden Tigers FC, 5pm @ Proctor Park
These two sides face off for the second time in a matter of ten days after the re-scheduled game from Round 3 was played in Camden, with the hosts walking away with a 4-1 win. Camden have arguably been the story of the second half of the season. The Tigers overcame a rocky start to the season to entering Round 14 comfortably in third place with a run of impressive form. They turn their attention to going against Western NSW who have shown plenty of improvement in past weeks.
Western NSW were agonisingly beaten by Prospect last week after holding a lengthy lead during the first half. It’s been a tough season for them as they’ve battled just about everything, leading to a heavily depleted squad. If they can come out to an early lead like they’ve done on occasions this season this could be the upset of the round. Camden could go six points clear in third with a win on Saturday evening.
Previous Matchup: Western NSW FC 1-4 Camden Tigers FC
Hawkesbury City FC vs South Coast Flame FC, 5:30pm @ David Bertenshaw Field
Hawkesbury enter their beloved home at Bensons Lane for the first game of an extended home run, seeing them at home for the remainder of the season. The Hawks will look to breathe a breath of fresh air at home as they look to close the gap on the top eight. They were knocked down on the table with their tough draw with Parramatta and now find themselves on the back foot in the race for finals. The reverse fixture took place just under a month ago and saw a valiant Flame side resurrect their season with an impressive performance in Wollongong.
South Coast have shown tough and gritty work defensively but haven’t been able to translate their work onto the other side of the field thus far. They’ll be boosted by their output in the reverse fixture and will hope to move closer on the midfield at the expense of Hawkesbury. It’ll be tough for South Coast to come to Bensons and take points from a Hawkesbury side keen to assert their home as a fortress once again.
Previous Matchup: Hawkesbury City FC 1-2 South Coast Flame FC
Nepean FC vs Parramatta FC, 7pm @ Cook Park
It’s the battle of 4th vs 6th with just one point separating the sides, with the winner likely to consolidate their spot in the top five for the time being. Parramatta are in desperate need of a victory, after starting the season with five consecutive wins, they’ve managed just one win from their last six. With string of unlucky draws and tough losses the Eagles will need to return to their winning ways to capitalise on their strong start and look for a lengthy finals run.
Nepean are on the outside looking in on a finals spot and can take matters into their own hands, securing their own spot whilst knocking a rival off. After a spirited second-half comeback against UNSW last week, Nepean will be looking to translate their performances into a solid ninety-minute output, giving them a much needed win. Parramatta walked away with a convincing win in the reverse fixture and will hope to give Nepean more misery come Saturday.
Previous Matchup: Nepean FC 0-3 Parramatta FC
Western Rage vs Hurstville FC, 7pm @ Ray Marshall Reserve
Hurstville enter this matchup after the bitter defeat to the Jets, which now has their finals position in jeopardy. The fifth placed side will need a win to regain breathing room on the sides below them. Hurstville have proved their talents this season and will need to recapture their winning ways going forward in order to remain in the top five.
Western Rage have had a rollercoaster season with a new-look squad at the start of the season that looks very different fourteen rounds in. The Rage have begun to push their focuses on developing their youth players, bleeding them through into first grade. The young Rage side is determined and not scared of anyone in NPL 4 and will look to take it to Hurstville for the entirety of the game. Hurstville took the previous fixture on a wet weekend and will look for more of the same in this encounter
Previous Matchup: Western Rage 0-2 Hurstville FC
Sunday 6th June, 2021
Prospect United SC vs Newcastle Jets FC, 3pm @ Blacktown International Sports Centre
Newcastle travel down to Blacktown as they round out the weekend against Prospect United. Newcastle have been fielding several fresh faces as the majority of their squad gets called up to the A-League squad for the final two weeks of their season. Prospect will have to seize this opportunity and take a positive result from the Jets as they look to capitalise on the lack of experience in their squad.
Prospect sit in reaching distance of a finals spot with a game in hand, their make-up game comes next Friday against the Jets. With a positive result here they will enter Newcastle full of confidence and will progress considerably on the table, adding another strong contender to finals. However this Newcastle side can’t be taken lightly, they’ve proved even without their stars they can still get a result and will look to keep up their pressure on first-placed Fraser Park. On a positive side note, Newcastle’s NPL stars showed out in their A-League appearance against Central Coast Mariners, with Lucas Mauragis grabbing a debut goal and Archie Goodwin getting an assist, leading them to a 2-0 derby win.
Previous Matchup: N/A
By NPL 4 NSW Men’s Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
