Round 4 Preview – League One Men’s
In a round four Football NSW League One Men’s fixture quirk, six last start victors face each other while six teams who didn’t win match up against another.
With a healthy mix of sides looking to bounce back and sides looking to keep their momentum rolling. You can be sure of some drama in the most dramatic league in NSW.
Our Pick: St George City v Hakoah FC; Saturday 2 April, 7pm, Penshurst Park
Fresh off a victory in their home opener, St George City welcome another undefeated side in Hakoah FC to Penshurst Park for this round four fixture.
It was hard not to be impressed by City last weekend, in a back-and-forth match with Western Sydney Wanderers it was Paolo Mitry who stepped up for the hosts. Scoring his first two goals of the season in the opening half, Mitry was outstanding in the attacking third and will definitely be worth watching as they take on Hakoah. Under the radar though in midfield is Jakub Prajza whose established himself in the starting side. With the returns of Jordan Morfitis and Alexander Malfara imminent, this side could be about to take it to another level.
The first side to have their fixture washed out last weekend, Hakoah FC will be keen to get on the park a fortnight after their round two draw with Mounties. To refresh your memory on that one, Luiz Lobo scored from the penalty spot before Yianni Spyrakis gave them a second half lead with a crisp volley Meetings between these two sides usually mean a close contest, with their two previous meetings resulting in a score draw and a narrow Hakoah victory, they’ll be looking to repeat the latter in this one.
Why you should watch this: St George City and Paolo Mitry set the league alight last weekend with an impressive attacking performance. When they get going, they are hard to stop but Hakoah FC have the tools to do just that. Buckle up, this match has something for everybody.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC v Hills United FC; Saturday 2 April, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
After a wash-out last weekend, Bonnyrigg White Eagles will be looking for their first win when they welcome a few familiar faces back to Sydney’s South-West
Is a week off a blessing or a curse? A debate usually saved for August’s finals football has come into play early for two sides this weekend. One of them being Bonnyrigg White Eagles who are searching for their first win of the season. Last time they took the field, a late Zac Sfiligoi goal saw them take a point against Central Coast Mariners. Look out for Aaron Peterson who will be a threat for this weeks hosts after scoring a potential goal of the season that same night. Bonnyrigg will be looking to avenge a 1-0 defeat to their visitors last June.
Close but not close enough, Hills United come into this one after a round three thriller in which they went toe-to-toe with Northern Tigers. Jordan Parfait took the headlines for Bomber Browns side, picking up a double including a memorable second goal. Three losses in a row, they will need to tidy things up a bit defensively after conceding twelve goals in their opening three matches. They’ll also have to do it without the likes of Wade Giovenali, Jacob Basden and Ahmed Sweedan who are all on Futsalroos duty over the next couple of weeks.
Why you should watch this: Two sides yet to taste victory, it’s a theme across a couple of games this round and these two will desperately be hoping to kickstart their season.
NWS Spirit FC v Central Coast Mariners FC; Saturday 2 April, 7:30pm, Christie Park
Two last start winners face off at Christie Park as NWS Spirit welcome Central Coast Mariners, Saturday night.
The type of win you can build your season on. With a squad ravaged by Covid in the buildup, playing with 10 men for fifty minutes at Ernie Smith Reserve, NWS Spirit managed to prevail against the odds courtesy of a Richie Darko first half goal. Luke Cotten and the defense in front him stood up for the Spirit after Christopher Marques got his marching orders, with Cotten expected to back up again in this one. Speaking after the match, coach David Perkovic also saved a special mention for Geoffrey Lino who made himself available despite the passing of a friend.
It was a day for returns at Central Coast Mariners last Sunday. They returned to the winning circle with a victory over Mounties Wanderers with two returning familiar faces in the dugout. Now Andrew Christiansen will be hoping to continue the good times when he returns from suspension to lead his team. On the park, Ben Duncan was a bright light in a squad filled with A-league fringe players impressing from attacking midfield. Led on the field by an ever-improving Bradley Tapp, the Mariners will go into this one confident after taking a 4-2 victory in their last meeting.
Why you should watch this: One win is good but back-to-back wins are really what these two need, even if it’s only round four. These two have a history of producing memorable matches so here’s hoping another is on the cards here.
Northern Tigers FC v St George FC; Saturday 2 April, 7pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
Northern Tigers will be looking to recapture their best form when they take on St George FC in another intriguing round four match.
Good sides get points when they’re at not at their best and make no mistake, Northern Tigers are a good side. On a difficult night against a resilient Hills United, the Tigers eventually claimed victory with a late Lachlan Lloyd goal after their hosts pegged them back twice. The strike duo of Oliver Scott and Jack Fulton scoring earlier in the night. Now with Jack Fulton missing with a cracked rib (all the best with your recovery mate) and Shervin Adeli away on Futsalroos duty, who is going to step up for this week’s host Saturday night?
Mark Milligan’s side on the other hand come into the match after a confidence boosting round three victory over Blacktown Spartans. And sometimes you need that little bit of luck such as an own goal to get things going as was the case in that one, though a lot of credit has to go to young Jordan Wang who picked up an assist in his second start. Creating plenty of opportunities in their opening three fixtures, they will be looking to the likes of Cam Philpot, Anthony Morabito and Yu Hasegawa to get them the goals to win this one.
Why you should watch this: One of the longest head-to-head streaks in the competition, you have to go back to July 2016 for the last time St George FC beat Northern Tigers. Can Mark Milligan’s men overcome history and one of the competition favourites this Saturday night?
Blacktown Spartans FC v SD Raiders FC; Saturday 2 April, 7pm, Blacktown Football Park
Blacktown Spartans and SD Raiders will be looking to return to winning ways when they face off at Blacktown Football Park this weekend.
Some nights you just want to forget, and you would suspect that would be the case for Andy Montgomery’s Blacktown Spartans after last weekend. After holding a player advantage with half an hour to go, they lost both Billy Patramanis and Keith Buckley to red cards, compounding their loss on the scoreboard. A team that have proved they can be hot or cold, the question is which Blacktown Spartans will turn up this weekend? If they are to succeed in this one, it will be on the back of Mason Ireland who is a nuisance for any defense.
Goran Ljuboja’s SD Raiders tasted their first defeat last weekend against NWS Spirit, now we await to see their response against a hot and cold Blacktown Spartans side. In the aforementioned game against the Spirit, the Raiders held a player advantage for the final 50 minutes but were unable to get past Luke Cotten in the opposition net and that task was made harder without Jordan Figon who went off injured 35 minutes in. Genuine top four contender? A lot more will be known about this side after this weekend’s fixtures.
Why you should watch this: Tactical variety. One side loves to attack, the other is structured well and can punish you on the break. Who will prevail in this one?
Mounties Wanderers FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC; Sunday 3 April, 3pm, Wanderers Football Park.
Western Sydney Wanderers will face Mounties Wanderers at home this Sunday afternoon.
It’s a well-known fact that sides don’t win many points when they travel up to Pluim Park. And that proved to be the case for Mounties Wanderers last weekend. Jerry Bilokapic’s side were brave against a strong Mariners line up, rewarded with a second half goal to Tony Spaseski. Elsewhere, Sebastian La Luz put in a strong performance in goal while the back four kept a team including the likes of Matt Hatch, Dor Jok, and Jackson Khoury relatively quiet. Against another a-league academy side, Mounties will be keen to show them what they’re about after two defeats to the same opposition last season.
After scoring ten goals in the lead up to last weekend, you would have been a brave person to tip against Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend. However, it was against the only team to finish above them last season in St George City. Jordi Swibel continued his scoring run bringing up seven goals in three starts to give them a lead twice in the first half, but they ran into a little problem called Paolo Mitry. After tasting defeat for the first time this season, you can be sure Tom Vidovic and his team will be keen to bounce back here.
Why you should watch this: Point to prove, Mounties Wanderers came so close to providing a stunning upset when these two sides met in 2021. Now with a new look, they’ll be confident of taking it to Western Sydney Wanderers.
