Round 1 Finals Series Preview – League Two Men’s
After 22 tough rounds of the regular season, we have finally arrived at the final series of the League Two Men’s competition.
The first game of Week 1 takes us to Pluim Park, as Central Coast United will look to defend their ten-game home unbeaten run against Rydalmere Lions.
Capping off the first week of action is Canterbury Bankstown hosting Macarthur Rams at Jensen Park, in the first elimination game
Elimination Semi Final
Saturday 13th August, 7pm, Jensen Park
Canterbury Bankstown FC vs Macarthur Rams FC
20’s: Bankstown United FC vs Inter Lions FC, 5pm
Canterbury Bankstown host Macarthur Rams at Jensen Park in the first of the elimination games in the 2022 finals series.
The Berries secured their spot in the finals after a late-winner against Dunbar last week, after a tiring end to the season.
The hosts played four games in the final two weeks of the season and impressively won three of those games, but have come out this period worse for wear.
Canterbury Bankstown ended the regular season in good from in front of goals, finish with the fourth best attack in the league, with Bonmyeong Koo finishing as the league’s equal top-scorer.
However, the injury concerns may force Wally Savor to field a rotated side in this critical fixture.
Although the Berries attack has been their biggest asset all season, defensively they’ve made some massive improvements, only conceding one goal in their last three games.
Without Gabi Lopez, Canterbury Bankstown have had a massive hole to fill in the middle of the park as the Spaniard’s presence will undoubtedly be missed in this crucial match.
With the game being moved from the Berries home at the Crest, it’ll be interesting to see if the change of venue will affect their preparations prior to the game.
The teams split the two regular season games, with the Berries walking away from Lynwood Park with a 3-2 victory, before going down the Rams 1-0 at the Crest.
Macarthur sealed their spot in the top-five with a spirited win over Rydalmere in the final round of the season.
The Rams looked stellar in defence and were able to frustrate their opponents on a regular basis throughout the game.
The keys to a Macarthur victory will be more of the same, taking their chances in attack whilst proving to their opponents why they left the regular season with the equal-best defence in the league.
The Rams will look to their experience in attack, with John Fahmi and Mark Symington set to lead the way for the youthful-looking side.
Much like their opponents, the Rams have struggled with injuries in the back part of the season and will be sweating on the return of a few of their first-team defenders for this match.
If they are to make a deep finals run Macarthur will be on the road for every game, however with four straight wins away from Lynwood Park they certainly look comfortable playing away from home.
It’s almost impossible to separate these two sides and with their seasons both on the line, it will likely come down to who wants it more on the night.
Preliminary Semi Final
Saturday 13th August, 5pm, Pluim Park
Central Coast United FC v Rydalmere Lions FC
20’s: Dulwich Hill FC vs Dunbar Rovers, 1:30pm at Valentine Sports Park
It’s a massive clash at Pluim Park as the form side of the league, Central Coast United battle an equally strong Rydalmere Lions side.
The hosts took down Inter last week to enter the finals series with the best home record in the league.
United’s win saw them steal the home advantage away from Rydalmere and with no loss in their last 10 games at Pluim Park it looks to be an uphill task for the Lions to secure a victory.
Central Coast’s all-around performances in recent week have put the league on notice, with three straight wins and no goals conceded in that time period.
The Pirates have tasted defeat just once in their last 13 games and also hold a victory over the Lions in their most recent fixture.
The crucial battle will likely be between the two captains, as both Daniel McFarlane and Alie McKie have been arguably their sides’ best players all year long.
Rydalmere enter this match on the heels of a tough loss to the Rams that saw them slip to third on the ladder.
The Lions have looked impressive away from home this season, losing just one of their 11 games on the road in 2022.
The visitors will be led in attack by the equal top-scorer in the regular season, Ahmed Taleb who finished off with 19 goals.
The two sides couldn’t be separated in the regular season, with both teams taking a 2-0 victory at home.
Rydalmere’s win over the Pirates came in the Round 2 fixture when Matthew West netted a brace, whilst United secured a two-goal victory at home courtesy of a Josh Swadling double.
In what will be one of the closest games of the season, Central Coast’s home ground advantage may swing the momentum into their corner.
By Football NSW Men’s League Two Writer, Dominic Criniti @DominicCriniti
