Round 9 Preview – League Three Men’s
After another exhilarating weekend of Football NSW League Three Men’s action, round nine is set to thrill even more, with a host of fixtures making for a fascinating five games.
UNSW FC will begin the round when hosting Prospect United on Friday, before Hawkesbury City and Parramatta FC face off on the evening of the next day.
In a Saturday 7pm doubleheader, Nepean FC and Fraser Park will host Camden Tigers and Hurstville FC respectively, before South Coast Flame travel to Newcastle to face the Jets to complete the round.
UNSW FC vs Prospect United – Hensley Athletic Field, Friday 8pm
The weekend will begin with an exciting matchup, as two of the most inform sides in the League Three Men’s competition face off on Friday at Hensley Athletic Field.
UNSW FC is unbeaten in their last three matches, winning two and scoring 12 goals over the trio of matches.
Only one of UNSW’s four victories this season have come by two goals or fewer, with all other margins being by three (once) or four (twice) goals.
UNSW is currently the highest scorers in the competition, having netted 23 goals across their eight games this season, five higher than Hawkesbury City who has the second most.
Meanwhile, Prospect United have lost just one game all campaign, winning four and drawing one of within their six matches played over the season.
Prospect most recently prevailed 2-1 against Fraser Park, with three of their four wins coming by one goal this season.
Their loss also came by the solitary finish, and the fifth against sixth game promises to be a tight, exciting matchup to open round nine.
Hawkesbury City vs Parramatta FC – Melita Stadium, Saturday 5pm
Hawkesbury City and Parramatta FC will continue the weekend of action, with Hawkesbury most recently coming off a bye.
Hawkesbury sits top of the League Three Men’s ladder, having lost just once this season to Newcastle Jets.
After a week off, they’ll be looking to add to their tally of five victories this season with a win over Parramatta FC this weekend.
Parramatta has had a tricky start to the year, having only played five games due to weather postponing matches.
Two of their four defeats have come by the singular goal, with one of their two four-goal defeats containing an early red card for their side.
They will be aiming to show their quality with a statement victory over the league leaders at Melita Stadium this weekend.
Nepean FC vs Camden Tigers – Cook Park, Saturday 7pm
Nepean FC will take on Camden Tigers in one of the two Saturday 7pm matches this round, as they look to continue their winning streak in League Three Men.
Nepean has been on a stunning unbeaten run – they haven’t lost in six matches, with their last and only defeat of the campaign coming in round three.
They’ve won their last three games in the competition, and are one of the only two teams who haven’t lost in their last five matches.
Nepean currently sits fourth on the table and will be focusing on extending their streak against Camden Tigers this Saturday.
Meanwhile, Camden had a rest last weekend, with their match against Newcastle Jets being postponed due to weather.
Over Camden’s last three games, they’ve scored and conceded a combined total of 18 goals – six per match, and hopefully, the record can continue to gift fans another action-packed fixture on Saturday.
Fraser Park vs Hurstville FC – Fraser Park, Saturday 7pm
Fraser Park will take on Hurstville FC in the other of the two Saturday 7pm matches at Fraser Park.
Fraser put up a good performance against Prospect United last weekend but was defeated by a solitary goal.
The home side will be looking to build on their positive performance against Hurstville FC, who are coming off just their second loss of the season.
Hurstville was downed 3-1 by South Coast Flame last weekend, as an unbeaten run of four matches came to an end.
They’ll be looking to remain in the race for top spot in League Three Men with a victory over Fraser Park as redemption.
Newcastle Jets vs South Coast Flame – Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Sunday 7pm
To conclude the weekend of action, Newcastle Jets will take on South Coast Flame at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility on Sunday night.
The Jets had their most recent game against Camden Tigers postponed, with their last match finishing in a 1-1 draw against UNSW FC, with an early red card in the second half keeping scores level.
If other results go their way, Newcastle could go top of the league with a win over South Coast Flame, while they also have two games in hand on Hurstville and one on Hawkesbury, meaning they are guaranteed to remain in top spot if they get back on a winning roll.
Newcastle is the only side in the competition yet to lose a game, having won four and drawn two in their six matches played so far.
Meanwhile, after not picking up a win in their first four matches in the league, South Coast Flame is coming off the back of two consecutive victories in League Three Men.
They’ve impressively beaten Camden Tigers and Hurstville FC to propel themselves to seventh spot in the table and will be looking to continue this streak against Newcastle this weekend.
Bye: Western Rage
By Football NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
