Round 14 Preview – League One Men’s
With a chaotic weekend of action behind us, attention now turns to round fourteen of the FNSW League One Men’s Competition as we approach the season’s halfway point.
Mounties Wanderers host Bonnyrigg White Eagles in our match of the round while seven simultaneous kick offs take place Saturday night.
Match of the Round: Mounties Wanderers FC v Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC; Sunday 7 May, 3pm, Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
Headlining our weekend of action is the meeting of two local rivals in Mounties Wanderers and Bonnyrigg White Eagles in Sydney’s South-West.
When Mounties Wanderers get it together, it really comes together. The challenge now is doing it on a more consistent basis to avoid finishing in the bottom two come seasons end.
In a remarkable stat, 13 of their 20 goals this season came in the month of April in just two fixtures. The first at the beginning of the month against Macarthur Rams before backing it up in last weekend’s match of the round over Hakoah FC.
It was a quality performance across the board, but it’s hard to go past Jesse Spang if we are singling out a player to watch. Spang picking up a hat-trick last weekend taking his season tally to seven goals. If they are to succeed again this weekend, it will have to be without Andre Schroeder who picked up a red card in that one.
Like another side we will be covering later in the preview, there’s not a lot to bring you up to date in regards to Bonnyrigg White Eagles since our last preview at the time writing.
Sitting in ninth position currently, a win against Inter Lions tonight followed by another here could see them as high as third by the end of the weekend. However that is a bit of an if considering they went down to Inter Lions in their cup meeting.
It’s a big couple of games for the visitors on this occasion which could well decide their fortunes going forward.
Dulwich Hill FC v St George FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Arlington Oval
Fresh off a round 13 victory, Dulwich Hill host St George FC who are winless in two at Arlington Oval.
It’s the first time this season that Dulwich Hill have picked up points in consecutive games as they begin to build momentum under Tony Valavanis.
Central to the victory last weekend over SD Raiders was their penetration in front of goal scoring three goals in the first half including a brace from Jamison Power before finding the eventual winner in the second through Harry Browell.
Confidence is sure to be building at Dulwich and they will relish the chance to face one of the stronger sides in the competition this weekend.
In contrast to their hosts, one point from their past two fixtures will feel underwhelming for St George FC despite their four-point gap over third place.
Following on from a defeat to Hills United in round twelve, the Saints seemingly bounced back well going out to a three goal first half lead, Anthony Morabito scoring two of them. However, things went pear shaped in the second half with Central Coast United staging a remarkable comeback for the game to finish 4-4.
We’ve seen this St George side bounce back well before and they’ll be favourites going into this one.
Hills United FC v Hakoah FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Landen Stadium
Our competition leaders Hills United return home for their clash with Hakoah FC at Landen Stadium, Saturday evening.
Yet to drop a point at home this season, Hills United have built a fortress in the first half of the season in 2023 with six victories from six games at Landen Stadium.
Away from home, points have been a little harder to come by for Luke Casserly’s side drawing their last two games 1-1. Last weekend, that result coming against an impressive Canterbury Bankstown side at Jensen Park.
Nathan Rayner opened the scoring in the first half before they were pegged back in the second half. The question this week being, can they extend their gap over the midtable with a victory here?
It is a big game for Hakoah FC if they are holding hope of a top two finish. Sat in tenth position with as many losses as draws, they find themselves 12 points behind their opponents this weekend.
And last weekend was a tough watch from the sideline, a slow start putting them on the back foot against Mounties Wanderers, Craig Sharpley’s side just unable to take their chances early in the second half before the scoreline blew out.
It was a rough evening for Hakoah last weekend, but a bright spot did emerge off the bench in Ben Fuchs, can he have an impact here?
SD Raiders FC v Northern Tigers FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Ernie Smith Reserve
Two sides desperate to return to winning ways lock horns at Ernie Smith Reserve as SD Raiders host Northern Tigers.
Sat in 7th and 8th respectively, a victory here could see either side kickstart their second half of the campaign with just two weeks to go in the first go around.
One victory in their last five games, SD Raiders will be hoping to put a halt to their recent woes in this one.
Last weekend they suffered a tough loss at the hands of Dulwich Hill in a first half goal-fest. Having held the lead twice in that one, walking away with nothing was tough to take.
On the field, Noah Chianese had his best performance of the season in front of goal picking up a brace while Luca Cerva joined him on the scoresheet.
In contrast, following Northern Tigers this season must feel a bit like being on a rollercoaster. Win and they go one to win more, lose and well…
In round 13, they went down to Macarthur Rams at home, most disappointing in that defeat was the fact they couldn’t maintain an advantage for longer than a minute. Lachlan Lloyd and Cole Mutton both found the back of the net, but you can be sure that Scott Browning will be a welcome addition in upcoming weeks.
Macarthur Rams FC v Blacktown Spartans FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Lynwood Park
Two round 13 victors face off as 11th placed Macarthur Rams host 3rd placed Blacktown Spartans at Lynwood Park.
Three points can sometimes feel like a bit more and there’s no doubt that Macarthur Rams felt that with a victory away from home last weekend against Northern Tigers.
Their first under the coaching duo of Darren Jones and assistant Stan Pappas, it wasn’t a perfect performance and there’s plenty to improve on, but it sets the tone going forward.
Christian Torrelli was probably the standout in a performance where they showed significant character with Jarrad Wiley and Daniel Bittar also finding the back of the net.
And to be fair, probably a similar feeling at Blacktown Spartans right now after they cracked the winning formula once again after three draws and a defeat previous.
The Spartans weathered an early storm before proving too strong for a Rydalmere side who had played in the cup midweek. Jovan Blagojevic opened the scoring before Riley Chapple added the second.
Now it’s their turn to back up from a midweek cup fixture against Central Coast United, a win certainly would show their intent approaching the second half of the campaign.
Inter Lions FC v Dunbar Rovers FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
The second of three games in seven days, Inter Lions host Dunbar Rovers at Major’s Bay Reserve in Sydney’s Inner-West.
There isn’t much to catch you up on regarding Inter Lions when it comes to the league. We’ll have a review of their midweek match this weekend. But for now, let’s focus on the cup.
In that competition, they prevailed over Bonnyrigg White Eagles away from home. An impressive scalp which builds on their league momentum. And in a change of the script, they scored twice in the opening half through Thomas Quilligan and Owen Duke before holding on.
Depending on a midweek result, they could draw very close to St George FC with a victory here in a game they will be favourites for.
Two draws in their past three fixtures, Dunbar Rovers will be hoping to convert a result into a win in this one.
Last weekend they had to dig deep for their point against Bankstown City in torrential conditions. Scoring with two minutes remaining through Reece Berelowitz for the point. Far from scoring freely with nine goals in fourteen games, their defense has showed signs of improvement in recent times.
The Rovers sit just two points behind 14th place and a win here could see them off the bottom again. Can they spring an upset here?
Rydalmere Lions FC v Central Coast United FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Rydalmere Park
Fresh off their miraculous comeback and a cup tie, Central Coast United make the trek to Sydney’s West to take on Rydalmere Park.
Make no mistake, three games in a week against good opposition is a tough ask for anyone in the FNSW system as Rydalmere Lions found out last week.
Coming into it with victories over Dulwich Hill and Northern Tigers, they walked away from it bowing out of the cup at the hands of Rockdale and a 2-0 loss against Blacktown Spartans.
So, hitting the training pitch will be a relief as they look to build upon those two victories mentioned previously in a game they will be favourite for.
Their opponents, Central Coast United were able to develop some momentum just when they needed it last weekend.
In the comeback of the season so far, the Pirates were all at sea three goals down at the break. However they were able to add some shore-ity to their second half and caught a tailwind to bring them home for a 4-4 draw.
A second half performance which comes just before a cup tie against Blacktown Spartans and this one here, are the waters calming ahead?
Bankstown City FC v Canterbury Bankstown FC; Saturday 6 May, 7pm, Jensen Park
Finally it’s time for another derby as Bankstown City host Canterbury Bankstown at Jensen Park.
It’s getting pretty hard not to be repetitive when it comes to the fortunes of Bankstown City in season 2023.
Let me explain. They are good at taking the lead in their fixtures, but not so good at capitalizing on such a lead as they struggle to put sides to bed. Last weekend, the story continued against Dunbar Rovers in which they took the lead against Dunbar Rovers but couldn’t hold on.
Regarding who to watch out for, Jeffrey Issa has done well to play apart in a few goals recently so keep an eye on him. Surely another win is just around the corner?
Their opposition this weekend Canterbury Bankstown did their reputation no favours last weekend with a draw against Hills United.
In truth, they probably deserved more from the fixture, on top for large periods of the match yet unable to capitalize. That leading to a few nervy moments at the end which could have seen them get nothing from it.
Jairo Torne Fernandez is the player to watch for the Berries here with plenty of goal contributions to his name in recent weeks.
By Justin Smith
