Round 11 Preview – League Three Men’s

The halfway point of the League Three Men’s season will hit this weekend in terms of rounds, but the majority of matches will still be left to play, making for an action-packed three months of regular season football.

UNSW FC will open the weekend of action when playing Camden Tigers at Hensley Athletic Field on Friday before Parramatta FC takes on Fraser Park at Melita Stadium the next day.

Nepean FC will then host South Coast Flame on Sunday at 7pm, prior to Hawkesbury City coming up against Prospect United at William Lawson Reserve on Sunday afternoon.

To conclude the weekend of action, Newcastle Jets will play Western Rage on Sunday night, with Hurstville FC given the week off due to a bye.

UNSW FC vs Camden Tigers – Hensley Athletic Field, Friday 8pm

To begin the weekend of League Three Men’s action, UNSW FC will host Camden Tigers on Friday night at Hensley Athletic Field.

UNSW came off a bye from last weekend and is unbeaten in their last four matches.

The home side for this match has recently defeated Parramatta FC and Western Rage while drawing to Newcastle Jets and Prospect United.

UNSW will look to continue their push for top four, as they currently sit fifth on the league table, albeit with Prospect United on the same amount of points having played two fewer games.

Meanwhile, Camden Tigers most recently came off an impressive 2-2 draw with Hawkesbury City, knocking the former league leaders into second place on the table.

Camden will be looking to continue their form against UNSW this weekend, with three points moving them closer to the top four.

Prior to their draw against Hawkesbury, Camden was defeated twice against Nepean FC and South Coast Flame respectively, with the side’s last win coming four matches ago against Western Rage.

They will be looking for their third victory of the campaign in an absorbing clash against UNSW to kick off Round 11.

Parramatta FC vs Fraser Park – Melita Stadium, Saturday 5pm

Parramatta FC will host Fraser Park at Melita Stadium with the intention of making consecutive victories in a row for the first time this season.

Parramatta defeated Western Rage 5-2 in their most recent matchup, with the other of their last four matches ending in defeats.

However, three out of those last four defeats have come by the solitary goal, with all the losses also coming against sides positioned in the top five spots on the table.

The home side for this match will be looking to kickstart their season with a positive run of form as they face Fraser Park on Saturday evening.

Fraser Park has had a similar story to Parramatta over their last five matches – they’ve lost four, with three coming by one-goal defeats.

Following their 4-3 win against Western Rage, they were defeated by Hawkesbury City, before losing to Prospect United, Hurstville FC and South Coast Flame all by the one goal.

Fraser Park will look to continue to improve their performances which have been on the rise ever since their first victory of the season and will face a tough opponent in Parramatta this weekend.

Nepean FC vs South Coast Flame – Cook Park, Saturday 7pm

Nepean FC will come up against South Coast Flame on Saturday, as two of the most in-form sides in the league face off at Cook Park.

Nepean’s astonishing winning streak was brought to an end in a 3-2 defeat against league leaders Hurstville FC last Saturday night.

Prior to the match, Nepean had won their last four games and had been on an unbeaten run of seven matches, with their last loss coming in round one against Hawkesbury City.

Only Newcastle Jets have been able to sustain a similar kind of streak this season, as the only team yet to lose a match so far this campaign.

Nepean will be looking to bounce back and lay the foundations for a similar run with a victory over South Coast Flame, who have also been in good form.

The away side for this match has won three out of the last five matches, including their last trio of games at home.

However, they’ll be away on Saturday and will look to find their first win of the season out of Wollongong in an interesting match on Saturday night.

Hawkesbury City vs Prospect United – William Lawson Reserve, Sunday 3:00pm

Hawkesbury City will host Prospect United in a game that could prove crucial for both sides on Sunday afternoon.

Hawkesbury’s draw against Camden Tigers saw them fall two points behind Hurstville FC at the summit of the league table, but they’ll be looking to regain the top spot this weekend while making up their game in hand, with Hurstville having a bye.

Hawkesbury remains unbeaten in three matches, winning against Fraser Park and Parramatta FC respectively prior to the draw against Camden.

Meanwhile, Prospect United will be looking to continue their charge for the top four with a win over second-placed Hawkesbury.

Prospect United currently sit in sixth place on the table but has two games in hand over UNSW FC and Nepean FC, who they are level on points with and three points behind respectively.

A win could see them continue to apply pressure on the incumbent top four, and would dent Hawkesbury’s title hopes considerably.

With both sides wanting three points to achieve their respective goals, the Sunday afternoon match is set to be a tense, fiery contest.

Newcastle Jets vs Western Rage – Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility, Sunday 7pm

To conclude the weekend of League Three Men’s action, Newcastle Jets will take on Western Rage at home on Sunday night.

If they are to win their games in hand, Newcastle will go top of the table, giving them still the lead to clinch the top spot as the season hits its halfway point in terms of rounds.

Newcastle is still the only side yet to lose a game this campaign, having won five and drawn two of their seven matches played so far this season.

Those two draws have come within their last four matches, with the Jets tying with Nepean FC and UNSW FC in recent weeks.

On the other hand, Western Rage is still searching for their first win of the League Three Men’s season, despite having scored 15 goals throughout the campaign.

They could do it in statement style against the flying young Jets, which would most certainly mix things up as the second half of the season nears.

Bye: Hurstville FC

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