Round 6 Preview – League Two Men’s
After a thrilling weekend of League Two Men’s, Round Six promises to deliver even more, with a stacked Easter Weekend.
Our Match of the Round takes us to the grounds of Sydney University, as they prepare to tame Inter Lions.
Central Coast United and Dulwich Hill kick off a four-game Saturday, with Inner West hosting Rydalmere Lions, whilst Jensen Park hosts another Bankstown Derby as Canterbury Bankstown take on Bankstown United.
A close contender for match of the round sees Macarthur Rams travel to face Dunbar Rovers, as the round concludes on Easter Sunday with Gladesville Ryde Magic hosting a resurgent Bankstown City.
Friday 15th April 2022
Match of the Round: Sydney University SFC vs Inter Lions FC, 8pm @ Sydney University Football Ground
Weather permitting, Sydney Uni will host its second home game at its home ground at Sydney University.
Uni have had a tough opening stretch to its home-run, firstly facing Rydalmere last Monday and now preparing for another side on a win streak with Inter Lions.
Uni got off the mark last weekend, in a result that was bound to come – after numerous close games saw them go winless in the opening four rounds.
With a confidence building win under their belts, Uni will look to continue its momentum and stall the undefeated run of Inter.
However, going against an Inter side in impeccable form is going to be a challenge for any team in League Two.
The Lions are beaming with confidence after ending Dunbar’s winning run and will look to continue with another positive result on Friday night.
In a team stacked with quality, Ollie Green has stood out with an impressive six goals in his last two games.
The potent goal scorer has asserted himself as the league’s best striker and will be heavily targeted by the strong Uni defence.
After making his debut last week, Daniel Georgievski will look to build on a strong performance, as his experience and quality on the ball gives Inter a massive advantage.
Although Inter enter this matchup as favourites, Uni will be up for the task and could pull off an upset.
Saturday 16th April 2022
Central Coast United FC vs Dulwich Hill FC, 5pm @ Pluim Park
Central Coast United return to its home at Pluim Park to face a side fresh off a massive win in Dulwich Hill.
Central Coast snapped a three-game losing streak last week, as they held out for a tough draw with Gladesville Ryde.
United looked promising in attack, however failing to capitalise on the extra-man advantage proved costly and will be a talking point heading into this week.
Yuki Morikawa and Thomas Lyons will be hungry to open their accounts in 2022, after the pair come agonisingly close to a winner last week.
For Dulwich Hill, confidence couldn’t be higher after a 5-0 win over Inner West Hawks.
After threatening in the previous weeks, Dulwich Hill finally clicked and proved how deadly it can be when shown a sight of goal.
The visitors will have to wary of United, as they to look open the floodgates after a difficult period in front of goal.
Dulwich will look to Harry Browell and Conor Eldridge to continue their impressive link-up play, with the majority of last week’s goals coming through them.
This game could go either way, with United eager to register its first win, whilst Dulwich will look to solidify itself with another impressive win.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Rydalmere Lions FC, 7pm @ Arlington Oval
After a poor showing last week against Dulwich Hill, Inner West Hawks will have to improve quickly as they face the equal league-leading Rydalmere Lions.
The Hawks had a promising start to the season, with a mix of experience and youth they were unlucky in the opening rounds and looked destined to turn it around.
However, it has gone from bad to worse with the side reeling after two tough losses and now preparing for a matchup with the Lions.
This game will be crucial for the Hawks to show they have fight in them and can prove to the rest of the league they are no push over.
After two close matches in quick succession, Rydalmere will need another strong performance as they look to go toe-to-toe with top of the table rival, Inter Lions.
Both sides are battling for the outright first-place, with a perfect four from four start to the season.
After coming back from a two-goal deficit against Bankstown United last week, Rydalmere will have to be cautious of similar outing from a Hawks side that will be fired up for this clash.
Ahmad Taleb’s brace last week will give him plenty of confidence to replicate his performance on Saturday night.
Inner West need to show improvement on both ends of the pitch in this outing and if they do, we could be in for another upset.
Bankstown United FC vs Canterbury Bankstown FC, 7pm @ Jensen Park
Bankstown United return to Jensen Park, eager to open its winning account against Canterbury Bankstown.
United will be gutted after last-week’s dramatic loss to Rydalmere and will have to move on without Alex Salgueria, who will be miss this game due to suspension.
The hosts looked like they had finally got it together, as they lead the Lions by two goals and will have to take the positives from that period and continue to build some crucial momentum.
Emilio Martinez’s spark in attack has proven to be key when United are scoring goals, meaning he will have to be up for another big game come Saturday night.
Canterbury Bankstown will feel a similar sentiment to its opponents, after a week off they returned to a tough Sydney Uni side that eventually got the win over them.
Berries will be frustrated that they couldn’t capitalise on its previous form to make it two wins in a row.
However, they have to put this result behind them as they prepare to face local rivals, United.
After hitting the post on several occasions, Berries attacking presence should come out even stronger as they look to convert on their chances in front of goal.
This is the toughest game to call weekend, with both sides presenting reasonable cases as to why they should win, regardless of the result we should be in for a stellar match.
Dunbar Rovers FC vs Macarthur Rams FC, 7pm @ Fraser Park
Dunbar Rovers head back to Fraser Park, fresh off its first loss of the season as they match-up with another side coming off its first loss in Macarthur Rams.
Dunbar’s exceptional run to start the season, came to a close against Inter, as first-half masterclass proved too much to overcome.
It’s become a common trend with Dunbar, with the majority of its games being a tale of two halves.
The Rovers have shown an elite attacking presence in halves of games, however they are prone to having the script flipped on them in the other half.
If they can produce a performance we are used to for a full game, they could walk away with another three-points.
However, Macarthur Rams will be out to prove last week was nothing but a mere outlier in what should be a successful season.
The Rams 5-0 loss to Bankstown City was a tough pill to swallow, considering they still put in a decent performance.
Zubayd Allie will miss this match due to suspension and may prove to be a big loss for the visitors in the matchup.
Macarthur will need to regather its attacking form that they opened the season with and be cautious of the presence of the lethal Rovers forward line.
Another tough game to call, with a draw looking likely as the sides on paper seem evenly matched.
Sunday 17th Apr 2022
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Bankstown City FC, 5pm @ Christie Park
Our final game of the round takes us to Christie Park as Gladesville Ryde Magic faceoff with Bankstown City.
Gladesville will feel disappointed that they didn’t get a win last week, as with a man down they seemed likely to steal the win.
It wasn’t meant to be for the Magic and they now must quickly adapt to the fast-paced Bankstown City attack.
Adrien Jolly will be out of this game after his red-card last week, as the Magic’s depth will again be tested.
With two draws in its last two outings, the Magic will look for some more goals from the in-form Chris Gaitatzis to help get them over the line.
Bankstown City reasserted itself towards the top of the table with its outstanding five-goal win over Macarthur and will look to keep the goals going.
Dimi Petratos and Nikola Todoroski have proven to be some of the league’s best finishers and could cause the Magic defence some headaches on Easter Sunday.
This game is sure to create some fireworks, with a potent attack going against a physical defence that could swing the result either way.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
