Round 18 Preview – League Two Men’s
With end of the season rapidly approaching, Round 18 of League Two Men’s presents us with one of the biggest weekends of the year.
Our Match of the Round takes us to Christie Park for a promotion six-pointer, as Gladesville Ryde Magic look to put themselves back within reaching distance of the top eight when they face Dulwich Hill.
There’s no shortage of importance in the other games, starting with Dunbar Rovers hosting Rydalmere Lions, Bankstown United locking horns with Sydney University.
Inner West Hawks will look to make it two in a row at Arlington Oval against Central Coast United, Canterbury Bankstown battle Macarthur Rams in a crucial finals battle, as Inter Lions look to bounce back against Bankstown City.
Sunday 10th July, 2022
Match of the Round: Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Dulwich Hill FC, 3pm @ Christie Park
Previous Meeting: Gladesville Ryde Magic 4-4 Dulwich Hill FC
They don’t get much bigger than this in the race for promotion, Christie Park plays host to the most important game of Gladesville Ryde’s season when they face Dulwich Hill.
The Magic have hit a road bump in their race for a top eight spot, without a win in their last four and being held to a draw with Bankstown City last week.
The hosts have struggled to get over the line at home this year, with five draws at Christie Park in 2022.
Gladesville Ryde will be out for revenge after a thrilling eight goal draw with their opponents in the reverse fixture – after being denied of three points from a 94th minute equaliser.
Dulwich Hill returned to the winners circle last week with an emphatic 4-2 victory over the form side of the league, Central Coast United.
After a well-rounded performance last week, Jamie Dib will likely become the dangerman once again in this match-up.
Dulwich Hill currently sit six points above their opponents and with a win on Sunday they could all but secure promotion for 2022.
With everything on the line for the hosts, we should be in for a blockbuster clash with plenty of goals.
Saturday 9th July, 2022
Dunbar Rovers FC vs Rydalmere Lions FC, 7pm @ Fraser Park
Previous Meeting: Dunbar Rovers FC 0-0 Rydalmere Lions FC
Dunbar Rovers return to Fraser Park for a tough battle against second place Rydalmere Lions in the first game of the round.
The Rovers snapped a two-game losing streak against the Rams last week and will be looking to go one better this week.
Dunbar will be down a crucial player as Kyle Hozebroek will miss this match-up after receiving a red-card in their last game.
The hosts will need another positive result here, consequently if they were to lose they could fall within two points of falling out of promotion.
After a stellar showing last week, Luke Del Vecchio will look to hold Rydalmere scoreless for the second time this season.
Rydalmere enter this matchup after returning to the winners circle in a convincing 5-1 win over Inner West last week.
The Lions return to form has seen them return to second place on the ladder and within five points of Inter in first.
Mitchell Gibbs will be the main target for the Dunbar defence, after scoring an incredible four goals last week.
Rydalmere will have added motivation after being held to a goalless draw with Dunbar last time out, as both side’s being held goalless seems incredibly unlikely the second time out.
Bankstown United FC vs Sydney University SFC, 7pm @ Jensen Park
Previous Meeting: Bankstown United FC 0-0 Sydney University SFC
Bankstown United make their way back to Jensen Park to face a rejuvenated Sydney University side.
United enter this match-up with a fresh set of legs after having their matchup with the Berries last week called off due to the weather.
The hosts will now enter a tough end to the year, where they will likely have to play a midweek catch-up game whilst facing three of the top-six teams.
United were incredibly frustrated by their previous meeting with Sydney Uni, after blowing several golden chances to take a much needed win at the time.
Sydney Uni pulled off arguably the upset of the season last week when they took down Inter Lions and gave themselves one last chance for a late promotion run.
Uni have been turning heads in recent weeks and now hold wins over the top two sides in the competition.
After having his best game of the season thus far, Thomas Qulligan will look to repeat his sensational performance again for this weekend.
A loss from either side here would all but mathematically rule them out of the promotion race, which should ignite both sides to put it all on the line.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Central Coast United FC, 7pm @ Arlington Oval
Previous Meeting: Inner West Hawks FC 2-3 Central Coast United FC
Central Coast United return to Arlington Oval for the second time in as many weeks as they face Inner West Hawks.
Inner West will have to put their tough loss to Rydalmere in the rear view mirror as they prepare for another tough match-up this week.
With promotion officially out of reach, the Hawks will have a keen eye on development for next year and have nothing to lose for the remainder of the season.
Key to a successful performance for the Hawks will be another strong showing from Diego Barcena between the sticks.
Central Coast are officially back down on earth after losing their first game in nine matches after going down to Dulwich Hill.
It was a tough game for United and they’ll be hoping that it won’t be a repeat when they return to Arlington Oval again this week.
The Pirates will need an improved performance with the ball at their feet this week, after conceding possession in areas that lead directly to goals in their last loss.
United will be looking for a repeat of their reverse fixture with the Hawks as they look to cement their spot in the top five.
Canterbury Bankstown FC vs Macarthur Rams FC, 7pm @ The Crest Athletic Centre
Previous Meeting: Canterbury Bankstown FC 3-2 Macarthur Rams FC
Canterbury Bankstown return action after a short hiatus to face Macarthur Rams in a game that could have massive consequences for either side’s finals hopes.
The Berries have fallen victim to the rain a couple times this year and now face the prospect of a congested fixture schedule heading into the backend of the season.
The hosts already have a difficult end to the year and will need to get a win in this game to give themselves a head start on the difficult run home.
In the previous meeting both teams battled in a physical encounter that pushed the limits of all 22 players, which eventually ended in a one goal victory for the Berries.
Macarthur are looking to bounce back after conceding a late equaliser against Dunbar last week.
The Rams finals hopes are still alive and a win here would give them a massive boost, considering their last stretch of games.
Macarthur’s league best defensive record will be tested to its fullest on Saturday, as they go against a Berries side that has scored 14 goals in their last five outings.
Key to another successful day in front of goals is Mitchell Brooker who has looked dangerous in his last couple of games.
Whether this game will be played at the Crest is yet to be seen and this could have an effect on both side’s chances of a win.
Inter Lions FC vs Bankstown City FC, 7pm @ Majors Bay Reserve
Previous Meeting: Inter Lions FC 1-2 Bankstown City FC
Majors Bay Reverse plays host to a potential finals match-up, as the league leading Inter Lions face off against third place Bankstown City.
Inter are on the back of arguably their worst performance of the season, as they succumbed to their third loss of the season against Sydney Uni.
It was a very uncharacteristic performance from Inter, as we are used to seeing them come back from behind but they were just not performing at their best on the day.
Inter have proven they have the ability to bounce back, winning both games after a loss this season and scoring eight goals across both those games.
Bankstown City will be looking to end this streak and ensure that they remain in the hunt for a solidified finals spot over the coming weeks.
City were left frustrated after their tough draw to the Magic last week and consequently have left themselves level on points with the Berries and Rams.
In their previous meeting, a red-card for Bankstown City plagued their chance in getting a result and it will have to be a motivating factor for the visitors this time around.
This game on paper should be the closest for the weekend, but there is an air of confidence around the City squad for this encounter.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
