Round 22 Preview – League One Men’s
The race for the top two positions takes the front seat with nine games left in Football NSW League One Men’s season with round 22 upon us.
Taking a look at how clubs have used the window, several teams in the top seven meet while Macarthur Rams host Rydalmere Lions in the match of the round.
Match of the Round: Macarthur Rams FC v Rydalmere Lions FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Lynwood Park
Our match of the round takes us to Sydney’s Southwest as Macarthur Rams take on Rydalmere Lions at Lynwood Park.
Macarthur Rams come into this after gaining a point from their trip to Central Coast United, while Rydalmere Lions were disappointing in their defeat to Mounties Wanderers last weekend.
Seven points in three games, Macarthur Rams are in a good spell of form. Two victories against Dunbar Rovers and SD Raiders followed by a point on the road against Central Coast United last weekend (longest trip in the league?).
Yes, consistency is the name of the game for Rydalmere Lions in the remainder of the season. After a good performance against Hills United in round 20, they were disappointing against Mounties Wanderers last weekend going down to a defeat.
Sitting in 9th and 10th respectively, it’s very much about building towards next season for these sides going forward.
For Macarthur Rams, they have been busy in the weekend. They have brought in Ryan Mrvcic, Seiya Miyamoto, Taeu Chang and Leandro Guzman.
While Rydalmere Lions have brought in a couple of players in Nikola Pintur and James Georgaklis to the fray.
An interesting game on paper, let’s hope this one delivers goals to warm the masses. You can catch it live or on demand on NPL.TV.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC v SD Raiders FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
If only there was a way more people could see this one… Bonnyrigg White Eagles host SD Raiders with both sides looking to return to winning ways.
Last weekend is exactly the kind of result which could derail a season, so the response here from Bonnyrigg White Eagles will be a telling one going forward. Six goals conceded without scoring at the other end, a response from this talented attack will be needed.
Anyway, there isn’t much to add about their fixture against Northern Tigers. Luke Turnbull perhaps had his best game of the season in goal reducing the damage but a reaction is needed from them this weekend. In signing news, Stefan Nikolic has joined the club in the window.
It’s a similar run of form for SD Raiders who have one draw in their past three games which has seen them slip to 5th position. Tasting defeat against Macarthur Rams the week before, they were the latest to fall victim to a Inter Lions late goal.
Sebastian Malfara thought he had taken a point for his side after knocking on the door throughout the second half but a late goal consigned them to defeat. A couple new faces have joined the side Charlie Ragg and Lachlan Mcgrath.
Hills United FC v Northern Tigers FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Landen Stadium
Hills United put their perfect home record on the line when they host Northern Tigers at Landen Stadium, Saturday night.
With ten of their fourteen victories coming at the venue, Hills United have down well to make it a hard place to visit. With a seven-point lead at the top of the table, they can almost see the finish line and a spot in the NPL.
Last weekend however, they were held by Dunbar Rovers away from home, Wade Giovenali finding the back of the net once again. As you probably would expect for a team in such a situation, there’s not much to speak of in terms of incomings. This one stands as a good test of their mettle, however.
Which brings us to Northern Tigers, a team I don’t think anyone would like to face at this stage of the season. Four victories in their past five games, they scored an emphatic win over Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend.
Yes, quite the statement. A game in which Shervin Adeli stole the limelight with a hat-trick, just reminding us how good he is. While Kai Denton also made sure his goal tally ticked over. In terms of window activity, Jakub Prajza has made the move from Bankston City and Matthew West has returned to the club.
St George FC v Dunbar Rovers FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Fraser Park
Back-to-back victories have eluded the St George FC in the past couple of months, they’ll be wanting to correct that when they host Dunbar Rovers at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
Not trying to jinx anyone or anything, but last weekends performance from St George FC was more like the side we saw in the opening stages of the season. They Saints were certainly marching their way to victory with a 4-1 victory over Blacktown Spartans.
Perhaps it’s no coincidence then that Conor Quilligan was a large part in the win after missing a significant chunk of the campaign. And we know the quality Jay Mcgowan possesses, Mcgowan picking up a hat-trick. Signings wise, Jesse Spang has joined from Mounties and Mohamed Ahmed from Rockdale Ilinden.
Dunbar Rovers nearly picked up the upset of the season last weekend against Hills United. In 14th position, they hold a four-point lead over Mounties Wanderers below them and could prove to be a difficult challenge for the hosts.
Daisuke Yamaguchi continues to prove his quality in the league, scoring a stunning goal last weekend while they could possibly have had another. They have boosted their ranks with Aram Tayebi, Ethan Dosanjh and Malek Domkoc all appearing on the bench last weekend.
Inter Lions FC v Hakoah FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
Fresh off finding out their Australia cup fate, Inter Lions host Hakoah FC at Majors Bay Reserve.
After a month without a victory in the league, Inter Lions were able to recapture some late magic to overcome SD Raiders away from home in round 21 action. Sitting in 8th position, they still have an outside chance on a top two finish but they could be forgiven for looking towards the cup right now.
Anyway back to last weekend, they took the lead through Alex Becerra in the first half before Thomas Quilligan made another valuable impact of the bench with the game winner. While keeper Patrick Fouracre was also singled out to praise. Yet to reveal a signing in the window, they’ll be hoping stability serves them well here.
Sometimes as a writer you get the response you were hoping for from a team. That certainly was the case for Hakoah FC who won big in their round 21 clash with Bankstown City, easing any fears of being caught by teams below.
It was a dominant performance welcoming Yianni Spyrakis back into the team with four different goal scorers finding the back of the net. While Jamie Masson made a starting debut for the club coming in from local association side Coogee United.
Blacktown Spartans FC v Canterbury Bankstown FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Blacktown Football Park
Two top six sides meet as Blacktown Spartans welcome Canterbury Bankstown to Blacktown Football Park.
The inconsistent run of the Blacktown Spartans continued last weekend with a defeat to St George FC while Canterbury Bankstown moved up to 2nd position with a victory over Dulwich Hill FC.
With seven points in their last five games, it’s not bad form for the Spartans but it’s probably not going to see them make inroads on the teams above if it continues. Last weekend was a bit of a wake-up call and Ben Rollison will be wanting a response here.
The story is completely different for Canterbury Bankstown who have four victories in a row and may be just starting to believe that they can finish in a top two position. Last weekends victory was highlighted by the performance of Jairo Torne Fernandez with a hat-trick leading them to a comeback win.
In terms of squad changes in the window. Dale Howarth (Coogee) and Sebastian Pena joined the Spartans. While Robert Fanella has joined the Berries from Mt Druitt Town Rangers.
Bankstown City FC v Central Coast United FC; Saturday 1 July, 7pm, Jensen Park
One win between them in the past five rounds, something has to give when Bankstown City host Central Coast United.
Back to earth with a thud, things didn’t go to plan for Bankstown City last weekend losing their 9th game of the season. Any positivity from their round 20 victory was knocked out of them early against Hakoah FC.
Sitting on 24 points, they are relatively safe at the moment but coach Sasha Tirovski will want to see a response from his side. In the window they have picked up the experience of Asmir Kadric, so we could see his first start here.
Central Coast United will hopefully come into this one buoyed by their first competition point in a while. After a close call against the Spartans the week previous, they shared the points with Macarthur Rams at home.
Luke Corcoran was able to find the back of the net but on a more positive note, they managed to tighten things up defensively conceding just the one goal. Like their hosts, they also have picked up a player we know well in this division in Louis Bozanic from NWS Spirit.
Mounties Wanderers FC v Dulwich Hill FC; Sunday 2 July, 3pm, Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
A six pointer for one side at least, Mounties Wanderers will be wanting to peg back Dulwich Hill in their clash Sunday afternoon.
A seven-goal turnaround saw the horizon just get a little bit brighter for Mounties Wanderers in 15th position. Backing up from a disappointing defeat to Dunbar Rovers, they were able to score three while keeping a clean sheet against Rydalmere Lions away from home.
The goal now will be to use that confidence for another positive performance here. Look out for Matthew Self who scored a brace last weekend. While Nick Perroca hasn’t been shy to implement changes in the window with Anthony Vastag, Marko Filipovic and Raimond Coletta all making a starting debut last weekend.
Occasionally in football, you look back on a game and conclude there wasn’t much you could do. As such the challenge for Dulwich Hill this weekend will be bouncing back positively after a round 21 defeat to Canterbury Bankstown.
For the first half at least, it was all going to plan with Goncalo Paradanta and Daniel Fornito both finding the back of the net. But they then ran into a Jairo Torne Fernandez shaped obstacle. In terms of signings, they have complimented their team with the acquisitions of Yoel Silvestre and Alexander Nicolosi.
By Justin Smith
