Round 13 Preview – League Three Men’s
A mammoth round of fixtures is set to take place in the 13th match week of Football NSW League Three Men’s, with just three points separating first from fifth on the ladder.
To begin the round, UNSW FC will take on Hurstville FC in a crucial match in the finals race, before South Coast Flame come up against Parramatta FC on the afternoon of the next day.
On Saturday night, Hawkesbury City will play Western Rage, with the latter side looking to build on an impressive opening win of the season.
In two matches on Sunday night, Prospect United and Newcastle Jets will host Camden Tigers and Fraser Park respectively to finish the round.
UNSW FC vs Hurstville FC – Friday 8pm, Hensley Athletic Field
UNSW FC will take on Hurstville FC to begin the weekend of action at Hensley Athletic Field.
UNSW will be looking to continue their unbeaten streak, having extended their run without a loss to six matches, following an impressive 2-0 victory over Hawkesbury City.
They are also coming off the back of two clean sheets in a row, while in that time period of six matches, they have scored 20 goals, an average of 3.3 per match.
Their attacking intent is furthermore proved by the fact that they have scored the most goals out of any club this campaign – seven clear of Hawkesbury City and Newcastle Jets who are both on 24, albeit with the Jets having three games in hand.
They’ll be looking to continue their scoring run against Hurstville FC on Friday, but will be facing a tough side, who have won three out of their last five matches and are unbeaten in their last trio of matches.
The top five are highly congested on the ladder, with just three points between first and fifth place.
A win for UNSW could take them to either second or third on the table, depending on Newcastle’s result, while a win for Hurstville could create a six-point gap between them and their rivals for this match on the ladder.
Three points for either side could go far in shaping the eventual outcome of the campaign, and remains as crucial as ever in this Friday night fixture.
South Coast Flame vs Parramatta FC – Saturday 3:15pm, Ian McLennan Oval
South Coast Flame will be taking on Parramatta FC in the first Saturday match at Ian McLennan Oval to continue the action in round 13 of League Three Men’s.
South Coast Flame is coming off a draw and loss in their last couple of matches, having won two in their last five.
The home sides’ form at Ian McLennan Oval has been impressive over the last month and a half, with South Coast having won their last three matches in Wollongong.
They’ll be looking to continue that run when taking on Parramatta FC, who could move two points behind Flame with a game in hand should they take all three points in this fixture.
Parramatta has won one of their last five matches, but within their last three losses, they went down 1-0, 1-0 and 2-0 by narrow scorelines.
They will be looking to gain their third victory of the campaign as they look to move towards the top half of the ladder.
Hawkesbury City vs Western Rage – Saturday 7:30pm, Valentine Sports Park
In the second and last Saturday match, Hawkesbury City will take on Western Rage at Valentine Sports Park.
Last weekend, Hawkesbury were defeated for just the second time in this League Three Men’s season, with UNSW FC prevailing 2-0 over the league leaders.
Hawkesbury has remained top of the table with Hurstville FC drawing, but they now are level with second place on the table, and only three points behind fifth-place UNSW, with the Jets and Nepean FC also looking in on the chase for the title.
A win against Western Rage is vital for their title hopes, with the Jets, in particular, looking likely to take over as they have three games in hand on the top three.
Meanwhile, Western Rage enjoyed their first win of the season on the weekend, as they defeated South Coast Flame 3-1 to pick up their opening three points of the year.
Goals to Ogun Dullak, Daniel Cooper and Jacob Carluccion secured the win, and they’ll be looking for another statement result to continue their momentum against the league leaders this weekend.
Prospect United vs Camden Tigers – Sunday 7pm, William Lawson Reserve
In one of two Sunday night games, Prospect United will take on Camden Tigers at William Lawson Reserve.
Prospect will look to continue to apply pressure on the top four while making up their games in hand in the second half of the campaign.
While sitting six points below Newcastle Jets and UNSW FC in fourth and fifth respectively, they have three games in hand on the latter side, and a win over Camden on Sunday could propel them further up the ladder.
Meanwhile, Camden Tigers have drawn impressively in two of their last three games, taking away points in matches against Hawkesbury City and Hurstville FC – the top two teams on the League Three Men’s table.
They’ll be looking to gain their third win of the campaign and move up the table with a victory over Prospect this weekend.
Newcastle Jets vs Fraser Park – Sunday 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
In the joint final match of the weekend, Newcastle Jets will host Fraser Park at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
The Jets were meant to be coming off the back of two games against Camden Tigers and Parramatta FC respectively heading into this fixture but saw both called off due to heavy rain.
They remain the only team in League Three Men to be yet to lose a match this campaign, having won six and drawn two of their eight games played.
With the ability to take the top spot on the table by winning their matches in hand, the Jets will be looking for a victory over Fraser Park on Sunday to continue their run towards the summit of the ladder.
Meanwhile, Fraser Park is coming off a perhaps unlucky 3-1 loss to Nepean FC, with the match before ending in a 2-0 win over Parramatta,
They will be looking to continue their strong run of performances in this match against the title-challenging Jets.
Bye: Nepean FC
By Football NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
