Round 8 Preview – League Three Men’s

After a high scoring, exciting round seven, the League Three Men’s competition will continue in style with six matches across the week.

UNSW FC will take on Newcastle Jets on Wednesday in a match that was originally postponed due to weather, and the preview for that match is available at the end of the round seven review. 

Parramatta FC will get the weekend action underway against Nepean FC on Saturday before Camden Tigers will host Newcastle Jets.

Western Rage will take on UNSW FC at Blacktown City Sports Centre, while South Coast Flame will play Hurstville FC in a Sunday afternoon fixture.

To conclude the weekend, Prospect United will clash with Fraser Park at William Lawson Reserve, with some crucial matches across the round with all sides in need of a win to sustain different objectives in the League Three Men’s competition.

Parramatta FC vs Nepean FC – Melita Stadium, Saturday 5pm

Parramatta FC will open the weekend of League Three Men’s action, taking on Nepean FC at Melita Stadium on Sunday evening.

Parramatta was downed by UNSW FC in their previous game, with a first-half red card seeing their opponents take control.

No team has played less matches than Parramatta this season, with the weather causing a consistent rearrangement to their fixtures – they played two games in a row only for the first time across the last couple of weekends.

They will be looking to secure their second victory of the season in their third home match of the campaign.

Meanwhile, Nepean FC is coming off two successive 3-2 home victories, defeating UNSW FC and Western Rage in the last couple of matches in the League Three Men’s season.

Nepean has had the second most stable defence in the competition, with only Newcastle having conceded fewer goals so far this year.

Both sides will be looking for three points as the finals race heats up early on in the campaign.

Camden Tigers vs Newcastle Jets – Ron Dine Stadium, Saturday 7pm

Camden Tigers will take on Newcastle Jets to continue their season as one of two Saturday 7pm matches.

Camden most recently was defeated by South Coast Flame, with a blitz from the Wollongong side securing them the three points.

The home side is yet to draw a match this season, having won two and lost four of the six matches they’ve played this campaign.

Camden will be looking to secure a statement win as they remain in the hunt for a finals place this year.

Meanwhile, Newcastle Jets will play midweek before taking on Camden Tigers, with the preview for their match against UNSW FC in the round seven review.

The Jets have a new coach in Ric Marchioli, and he inherits a side who sits in third place, three points behind first with the teams above them however having played two more games this season.

Newcastle has the joint second-best attacking record, having scored 16 goals this season while having the best defensive record with just the singular goal against, although once again, their lesser fixtures play a part in the stats.

Western Rage vs UNSW FC – Blacktown City Sports Centre, Saturday 7pm

Western Rage will take on UNSW FC to continue round eight of the League Three Men’s season at Blacktown City Sports Centre.

Western Rage is edging ever so closer to their first victory of the season, having been unlucky not to pick up three points so far this campaign.

Against Nepean, Western Rage lost both their starting centre-backs to injury, with one dropping in the first minute of play and the other having to be substituted at halftime.

Coach Greg Carluccio credited his side for their performance, and they’ll be looking towards the game against UNSW to secure the three points.

UNSW will be coming off three league games in eight days, taking on Newcastle on Wednesday evening before travelling to Blacktown to face Western Rage on Saturday.

The away side beat Parramatta 5-1 in their last match and are one of the four League Three Men’s sides yet to draw a game this campaign.

UNSW has scored 10 goals in their last three matches and will be hoping to continue that streak against a hungry Western Rage side.

South Coast Flame vs Hurstville FC – Ian McLennan Park, Sunday 3:15pm

South Coast Flame will take on Hurstville FC in the first Sunday match of the round, fresh off their first victory of the season.

South Coast’s early spree propelled them to a 5-1 victory over Camden Tigers, with three goals in the opening nine minutes of play stunning their opponents.

They will be looking for a similarly fast start this weekend against a resolute Hurstville defence, which has conceded the joint third least goals in the competition.

Hurstville recorded a statement victory over Prospect United last weekend, prevailing 4-3 as both sides fielded young squads.

Interestingly, four out of Hurstville’s five victories this season have come by the solitary goal, as they currently sit second on the table, having only dropped points against Hawkesbury City and Newcastle so far in the League Three Men’s competition.

Prospect United vs Fraser Park – William Lawson Reserve, Sunday 7pm

Prospect United will take on Fraser Park at William Lawson Reserve to finish round eight of the League Three Men’s season.

Prospect’s unbeaten run came to a close against Hurstville FC last weekend, falling on the wrong side of a narrow 4-3 scoreline.

Previous to that match, Prospect had won three and drawn one of their four matches played in the season.

Bar the draw and 4-2 win over Western Rage, all of Prospect United’s matches have been won or lost by a single goal, with the home side having scored 13 and conceded 10 this year in League Three Men’s.

Meanwhile, Fraser Park was unable to capitalise on the momentum sustained from their first victory of the season, losing to league leaders Hawkesbury City at home.

Fraser coach Emanuel Pais stated that while the in-game performance was acceptable for his side, the end result wasn’t.

He is stating that the goal for Fraser is to be clinical in the attacking third and to improve their build-up play through the field to create chances on a consistent basis.

Bye: Hawkesbury City

By Football NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)