Round 15 Preview – League Three Men’s
The League Three Men’s competition is set for another bumper round of fixtures, some crucial matches in the context of the final table as the end of the season moves closer.
In a postponed match from last weekend, UNSW FC and South Coast Flame will begin the action with a Wednesday night game at Hensley Athletic Field.
On Saturday, the weekend fixtures will begin, with Hurstville FC and Camden Tigers hosting Western Rage and Parramatta FC respectively in a double header at 7pm.
30 minutes later, league leaders Hawkesbury City will come up against South Coast Flame as they look to sustain the gap on the other sides fending for first place.
On Sunday, Newcastle Jets will be given the chance to move closer to Hawkesbury in a thrilling title battle when playing UNSW, in a match that jointly finishes the round of action along with Prospect United vs Nepean FC.
UNSW FC vs South Coast Flame – Wednesday 8pm, Hensley Athletic Field
In a rescheduled match from last weekend, UNSW FC will host South Coast Flame on Wednesday night as they look to add on to their unbeaten run of seven matches.
UNSW has won three of their last five games in the League Three Men’s competition and currently sits fourth on the table, level on points with fifth-placed Nepean FC.
A win in this fixture could see them increase their pressure on the two sides above them – particularly Hurstville FC, with a UNSW victory seeing them move just one point behind the current second-placed side as they become equal on games played.
South Coast Flame, on the other hand, have won two of their last five matches in League Three Men, as they are currently placed seventh on the table.
They’re level on points with eighth-placed Camden Tigers, however with a game in hand, and are three points behind Prospect United on equal matches.
A win will continue their pressure upwards towards the top six in this exciting midweek clash.
Hurstville FC vs Western Rage – Saturday 7pm, Penshurst Park
In the joint-first weekend game of round 15, Hurstville FC will host Western Rage on Saturday night at Penshurst Park.
Hurstville have gone through a rather unique run of form over the last month or so – while beaten in the last five, their last three matches have all ended in draws.
Two back-to-back 1-1s against Camden Tigers and UNSW FC respectively were proceeded by a 0-0 draw against Newcastle Jets, where they missed out on the chance to find winning form again with an 85th-minute penalty not converted.
The home side for this match will be looking for a statement victory to remain in the race for the top of the table, with Hawkesbury City currently four points clear in first.
Western Rage, meanwhile, has picked up some positive form at the start of the second half of the season.
They have won two matches out of their last three, as they impressively overcame South Coast Flame and Prospect United both by a score of 3-1 to propel themselves to ninth on the ladder.
They’ll be looking for back-to-back wins for the first time this season and to become just the second team, behind South Coast Flame and Newcastle Jets, to beat Hurstville this campaign.
Camden Tigers vs Parramatta FC – Saturday 7pm, Ron Dine Stadium
In the other of a duo of Saturday 7pm clashes, Camden Tigers will host Parramatta FC at Ron Dine Stadium.
In their last couple of matches, Camden has registered their first set of consecutive victories in a row this campaign, with the home side for this match defeating Prospect United 3-1 and Fraser Park 3-0 in their previous two matches.
They are currently on a run of three games unbeaten, with their third last match coming in the form of a 1-1 draw with second-placed Hurstville FC, while they have lost just one of their last five games.
They will be looking to continue their strong form and momentum with a victory over Parramatta FC to extend their winning run to three matches.
Meanwhile, Parramatta FC will be looking to propel themselves up the League Three Men’s ladder with a win on Saturday night.
In their last game, they were narrowly defeated by Prospect United by a margin of a solitary goal, and they will be looking to push for their third win of the season against eighth-placed Camden Tigers this weekend.
Hawkesbury City vs South Coast Flame – Saturday 7:30pm, Valentine Sports Park
League leaders Hawkesbury City will continue round 15 of League Three Men’s action when hosting South Coast Flame on Saturday at Valentine Sports Park.
With two wins in a row, Hawkesbury has moved four points clear of second-placed Hurstville on the ladder.
They’ll be wary of Newcastle flying through, however, with the Jets only five points behind with three games in hand, but will be aiming to find their third straight win against South Coast Flame to continue their momentum in the second half of the campaign.
The away side for this match has won two out of their last five games, including their most recent match against Parramatta.
Coming into this game, South Coast Flame will have competed in a midweek match against UNSW, with the two sides going head to head on Wednesday night.
Prospect United vs Nepean FC – Sunday 7pm, William Lawson Reserve
Prospect United will take on Nepean FC at William Lawson Reserve in one of the two matches to conclude League Three Men’s action for the weekend.
Prospect has suffered from an inconsistency of games in recent weeks, with their last five matches stretching across a 37-day period, with three of those however coming in six days from the 5th to the 11th of June.
The home side for this match has picked up just one win out of their last five matches and will be looking for a statement victory on Sunday evening to continue their charge for the top four.
Luka Zepina could be the matchwinner for Prospect this weekend, with the forward scoring two goals in their last two games.
Nepean will be looking to bounce back after a loss to league leaders Hawkesbury City, where a 90th-minute succession cost them a point.
They have won two of their last five games on the table, and are currently placed fifth, level on points with UNSW FC.
Nepean is four points ahead of Prospect but has played one more game, and a win for both teams is crucial in the continuation of the race for finals football.
Newcastle Jets vs UNSW FC – Sunday 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Newcastle Jets will take on UNSW FC in a crucial League Three Men’s match in the context of the title.
Newcastle currently sits third on the ladder, but with three games in hand on the two sides above them and five points away from top spot.
A win for the Jets, who are yet to lose this season, would establish themselves as mathematical favourites for the title heading into the last six rounds in the league, while a loss or draw would up the pressure on their young squad.
UNSW, who are on the second-longest current unbeaten streak in League Three Men behind the Jets, will be looking to cement themselves in the top four with a win this weekend.
They will first face South Coast Flame on Wednesday night, before turning their attention towards the match against Newcastle.
Bye: Fraser Park
By Football NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
