Round 21 Preview – League Three Men’s
The penultimate round of Football NSW’s League Three Men’s competition is set to be an absolute thriller, with some crucial matches to be played as the end of the regular season etches closer.
To begin, Nepean FC will take on Parramatta FC in a Thursday night match, before Parramatta will play again on Saturday against Western Rage.
Later on the same day, two concurrent Saturday 7pm kickoffs will take place, with Fraser Park and Nepean FC hosting South Coast Flame and Hurstville FC respectively.
At 7:30, Hawkesbury will face off against Camden Tigers, while Newcastle Jets and Prospect United will conclude the weekend in a crunch match on Sunday night.
Nepean FC vs Parramatta FC – Thursday 8:30pm, Jamison Park
To begin the week of action, Nepean FC will take on Parramatta FC on Thursday at Jamison Park.
Nepean has won three of their last five matches in the League Three Men’s competition, with victories coming against Prospect United, UNSW FC and Western Rage.
Their two losses have come to two of the top three sides in the competition – they’ve gone down to Hawkesbury City and Newcastle Jets in their 5th and 3rd last match respectively.
A win in this makeup match will help close the gap towards the top three, as they look to secure a third-placed finish over UNSW by emerging victorious in their games in hand.
Parramatta FC is on a fantastic run of form, meanwhile, with the away team on an unbeaten run of three matches.
Those trio of games have come against three of the top five sides on the table – they drew against Hurstville FC and UNSW FC before winning when playing Hawkesbury City last weekend.
They’ve only lost one match in their last five and have established themselves as one of the most in-form sides in the league.
They’ll be looking to disrupt Nepean’s run towards the top three with another unbeaten run this Thursday night.
Parramatta FC vs Western Rage – Saturday 5pm, Melita Stadium
Parramatta FC will play once more to complete their third game in seven days when coming up against Western Rage at Melita Stadium on Saturday evening.
This week signals the beginning of a gargantuan run of fixtures to see Parramatta through the season, where they’ll be playing an astonishing five games in ten days between their Thursday match and the end of the season.
Western Rage, on the other hand, will be playing their second last match in the League Three Men’s competition for the season.
They’ll be looking to avoid the bottom spot when taking on Parramatta, who currently sits last on the table.
Western Rage has won two of their last five matches in the league and will be looking to return to that form in a crunch match against Parramatta this weekend.
Fraser Park vs South Coast Flame – Saturday 7pm, Fraser Park
In one of a duo of Saturday night 7pm concurrent kickoffs, Fraser Park will take on South Coast Flame.
Fraser Park is coming off another win, with their last match seeing them defeat Hurstville FC by a solitary goal at Penshurst Park.
They’re currently on a four-game unbeaten run – their highest of the season – which has seen them draw to Hawkesbury City and Prospect United on either side of wins over Hurstville and Western Rage.
Fraser will be looking to extend their unbeaten run when taking on South Coast Flame this weekend.
The away side for this match, meanwhile, currently sits seventh on the table, with a gap emerging between the top six sides and 7th-11th.
Flame currently leads the pack, and will be looking to move further ahead with a win this weekend.
Nepean FC vs Hurstville FC – Saturday 7pm, Cook Park
Nepean FC will take on Hurstville FC in the other Saturday 7pm match at Cook Park.
The home side for this match will be looking to further establish themselves towards the top end of the top six with a win over Hurstville this weekend.
Hurstville, meanwhile, has lost two of their last five games on the ladder and has won just a single match, which came against Prospect United three weeks ago.
This game will be Hurstville’s last in the regular season, and they currently sit five points ahead of Prospect in the last finals place, with the sixth placed side, however, with two games in hand over Hurstville.
Hurstville is on the same amount of points as Nepean, but their opponents for this game have three games in hand.
They’ll be looking to all but secure a finals place with a win over Nepean this weekend – a loss could result in a tense final week for Hurstville with Prospect on their heels.
Hawkesbury City vs Camden Tigers – Saturday 7:30pm, Valentine Sports Park
Hawkesbury City will take on Camden Tigers at Valentine Sports Park to continue the action in the last and latest Saturday night game of the round.
The home side for this match still leads the league table, but their lead slimmed over the weekend, with the gap shortening to two points between them and Newcastle Jets.
The Novocastrian team still have their two games in hand over Hawkesbury with the duo of contenders for the title still to face off in a mid-week match that is yet to be scheduled.
Hawkesbury will be looking to return to winning ways after their five-game unbeaten run came to an end at the hands of Parramatta FC.
Camden Tigers are currently eighth on the ladder, and in their last match impressively drew 2-2 against Newcastle.
They are, however, yet to win in five matches, with their last victory coming on the 11th of June in a 3-0 win over Fraser Park.
They’ll be aiming to find another win in the League Three Men’s competition in a crunch match against Hawkesbury this weekend.
Newcastle Jets vs Prospect United – Sunday 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
To conclude the penultimate round of the League Three Men’s regular season, Newcastle Jets will host Prospect United at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility.
Newcastle is currently on a four-game unbeaten run, with their last match seeing them emerge victorious over South Coast Flame by three goals.
The Jets could potentially move up to the top spot on the ladder if Hawkesbury are to lose or draw, while a positive result will see them overtake UNSW FC.
Newcastle still has three games to play outside of their two matches in rounds 21 and 22 respectively, with seeing them once again take on Prospect United, who have won two of their last five matches in the league.
A victory for Prospect this weekend could make for a gargantuan final round of League Three Men’s action, with the title charge then becoming increasingly interesting, as well as the race for the fifth and final finals spot.
Bye: UNSW FC
By Football NSW League 3 Men’s Reporter, Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
