Round 2 Preview – League Two Men’s
After a wildly competitive opening round of Football NSW Men’s League Two, round two promises to produce even more drama.
Our Match of the Round gives us an early season blockbuster, with two title contenders battling to become the king of the jungle, as Rydalmere Lions hosts Inter Lions.
Both sides come into this matchup on the heels of two goal wins and will feel they have a strong chance to remain undefeated.
With games being played across the state, it’s time to preview the upcoming action in round two.
Saturday 19th March 2022
Match of the Round: Rydalmere Lions FC vs Inter Lions FC, 7pm @ Rydalmere Park MATCH DEFFERED
They don’t come much bigger than this, Rydalmere Lions and Inter Lions both looking to gain their second win of the season.
Rydalmere opened up its season with a massive 3-1 victory over Bankstown City, coming from behind to score three unanswered goals.
The hosts will be hoping for more of the same and will look to convert even more of their chances to put a number on their opponents.
Coming off goals in its opener, the Rydalemere will be expecting another big showing from Nicholas Trimble and Mitchell Gibbs, who were both crucial in their impressive performance.
Inter Lions will feel just as confident of getting a result after a classy 4-2 win over Canterbury Bankstown FC.
Coming back from a dull opening period, Inter took the game into their own hands and made their result look never in doubt.
The keys to a big win here will come from Fikret Berisha and Ollie Green, the two combined for all four goals, with Green setting up two of Berisha’s goals.
Along with a strong showing, starting from the back, Inter will push Rydalmere to its limits, making it an incredibly hard game to predict.
Central Coast United FC vs Bankstown City FC, 3pm @ Pluim Park
Central Coast United head home for the opening game of round two as they host a motivated Bankstown City side.
Giving up two leads was a massive blow to Central Coast last game and conceding a last minute equaliser will leave a bitter taste in its mouth.
United left three points on the table against Macarthur and will be hungry to avenge this with a win over Bankstown City.
The visitors head into this matchup after a disappointing opening to the season, going down to an impressive Rydalmere side.
Bankstown City could be down a crucial player, with captain Nikola Todoroski exiting last game early with a quad complaint.
City will look for Tai Smith to produce a similar performance from last week and could upgrade Michael Stojanovski to the starting side for a spark.
The visitors will have to be wary of Central Coast’s lethal attack as they proved last week they can score from just about anywhere when given the chance.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm @ Arlington Oval
Inner West Hawks look to put last week’s frustrating draw with Dunbar Rovers behind them as they host Gladesville Ryde, full of confidence after their win in the Stroke Recovery Cup.
After failing to convert its chances into goals, the Hawks will be eager to get off the mark in its first home game of the season.
Peter Yannopoulos will be key to the sides chances in front of goal, as the experienced striker remains an ever-present threat in attacking areas.
On the other side of this matchup is Gladesville Ryde Magic who looked dangerous against Bankstown United.
Magic will be riding the confidence from the Stroke Recovery Cup win and will feel confident of making it two from two in the early stages of the season.
Panayoti Gotsis will be looking to carry on from his man of the match performance in round one, along with Kiriakos Tohouroglou who proved he is still one of the best keepers in the state.
Bankstown United FC vs Dunbar Rovers FC, 7pm @ Jensen Park
Bankstown United left round one feeling disappointed after not being able to find the back of the net, despite a positive performance in attack.
Returning to Jensen Park for the first time this season, Bankstown United will be eager to put on a show for the home fans.
Oscar Nieto Rava’s ability to get the ball into the area will be key as Bankstown United will be keen to assert some early pressure, similar to their round one outing.
For Dunbar Rovers, they welcome back coach Christian Soares from isolation and will be looking to impress in its first game with Soares on the sideline in 2022.
Similar to Bankstown United, Dunbar were unlucky to get on the score sheet but showed some signs of a flourishing attack.
Dunbar will look to continue to improve its chemistry as the side begins to show flashes of a dangerous outift when fully firing.
Although Bankstown United enter this match as favourites, Dunbar cannot be ruled out for an upset result.
Sunday 20th March 2022
Sydney University SFC vs Macarthur Rams FC, 3pm @ Arlington Oval
On the final matchday of round two, Sydney University hosts a Macarthur Rams side, with both teams hungry to get all three points.
Sydney Uni joined three other sides that were unable to score in round one, however Uni would feel the most unlucky to have not scored.
In a first half where multiple chances went by the wayside, Sydney Uni were left pondering how they weren’t able to score.
After Macarthur scored three goals in its opener, including an injury-time equaliser, Uni will have to be back at their best from the back in order to keep Rams at bay.
Rams showed a lot of fight and resilience, coming from behind until the finals seconds.
If they are to bring the same fight and new found confidence to this match-up, it could be tough night for Sydney Uni to hold them out in front of goal.
Kye Soares will continue to be a danger man for Rams as he looks to add his goal tally, after scoring a double last week.
Canterbury Bankstown FC vs Dulwich Hill FC, 4pm @ The Crest Athletic Centre
In the final game of round two, Canterbury Bankstown look to takedown a formative Dulwich Hill side.
Berries let the game get away from them against Inter, after scoring an early goal they conceding four unanswered and were blown away by the potent Lions attack.
The hosts will have to quickly put the result behind them and prepare for another tough opposition in the form of Dulwich Hill.
Dulwich Hill pulled off an impressive comeback in the second half of its season opener and were denied of extending their lead by some valiant defending.
With plenty of hype heading into the season for young striker Emmanuel Zervas, he could be set to continue the good form by adding another goal.
If Dulwich Hill perform at the level we have expected them to be at for both halves, the Berries could be in for a long day.
-By Football NSW Men’s League Two writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
