Round 1 Preview – League Two Men’s
The 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season is one which is set to tightly contested and all the action starts in Round One!
The Match of the Round this week sees newcomers Mounties Wanderers FC look to begin a new challenge strongly at home to the formidable Granville Rage.
Elsewhere, Prospect United SC open the season at home to Bankstown United FC, before Parramatta FC host Fraser Park FC, while Sydney University SFC and Hawkesbury City FC look for opening round success when they clash.
Later, Inner West Hawks FC host new boys Central Coast United FC, while South Coast Flame FC look to ignite early against Gladesville Ryde Magic, before the Newcastle Jets host Hurstville FC to end the weekend.
Camden Tigers FC have the bye in Round One.
Friday, 16th February 2024
Match of the Round: Mounties Wanderers FC vs Granville Rage, 8pm @ Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
These two teams did not meet last season.
Mounties Wanderers FC will hope to begin a new season in a new league on the front foot as they host a rejuvenated Granville Rage in the first Match of the Round of 2024.
With no recent history to base this clash on, this will be a fresh experience for both of these sides, who have had their own changes in the off-season.
The Wanderers will want to start the season on the right foot and new head coach Milan Blagojevic will be under no illusions as to how tough the new competition will be for his side.
They have recruited well with attackers Brima Kamara and Yuki Kanai, who will hope to bring some firepower to the squad, while they will look to keep the ball to play football with their experienced base of players.
Look for the Wanderers to limit the threat of the Rage on the counter as they look to use their home advantage first-up to start the season with all three points.
For Granville Rage, after a positive second half of the 2023, season, they will hope to also have a good start to the 2024 season after finishing 12th in the last.
With the experience of George Issa captaining the side, as well as experienced attackers Ante Tomic and Nikola Tomorovski joining the side to add some pace and precision up front, the Rage will hope their all-round play will help them against the Wanderers.
With a tight group which has not had many changes to the squad, expect the Rage to give more than their share of fight in this contest.
With the Wanderers looking to have a strong start to the season following relegation and the Rage looking to build on the positives off the back of last season, this clash promises to be anything but predictable as both teams look to refine their styles and shake off the pre-season rust.
Thursday, 15th February 2024
Prospect United SC vs Bankstown United FC, 8pm @ William Lawson Park
Last season: Prospect United SC 1-0 Bankstown United FC, Bankstown United FC 2-3 Prospect United SC
Two teams with high hopes of having another positive season in the league in Prospect United SC and Bankstown United FC meet in the opening match of the 2024 season.
Prospect completed the league double over Bankstown last season and will be confident of starting on a positive note at home this season
The hosts will be buoyed by the return of goalkeeper Brendan Allen, as well as a slew of youth who will look to push for their place in the side this season.
With an average squad age of 21, Prospect are looking to once again use their youth to power them to success; their tireless legs throughout the season will aid them.
Look for Prospect, who finished 6th last season, to use their home pitch to their advantage, pressing well to hit Bankstown on the counter and hurt them with both sides easing into the season.
Bankstown will be hoping to start strongly; with a squad which is fair and ready to tackle the season, the main goal from the first Match will be ensuring everyone remains that way.
Look for Bankstown to make themselves a difficult side for Prospect to play first-up; Yohan Blageovic will be one to watch up front for the visitors.
If Bankstown can play well against Prospect, that will be the start to the season they would want, showing the progress from last early, where they finished 9th.
With two promising teams who have made important additions to their squads, who are all fit and ready, expect there to be plenty of action with an important opening three points up for grabs.
Saturday, 17th February 2024
Parramatta FC vs Fraser Park FC, 5pm @ Melita Stadium
Last season: Parramatta FC 2-2 Fraser Park FC, Fraser Park FC 3-2 Parramatta FC
Two teams who have made some changes in the off-season will hope to bring the energy to an exciting Round One matchup.
Fraser Park were undefeated against the Eagles last season, with one win and one draw, which sets the scene for both sides to fire up ahead of this clash.
Parramatta FC have made a few big changes in the off-season after finishing 14th, including the acquisition of former A-Leagues player Tarek Elrich joining as the Head of Football; he will have a big impact on the squad throughout the season.
With depth in numbers, youth, and the return of the prolific Marco Sama upfront, who had his season cut short halfway through 2023, expect there to be plenty of fluency from the Eagles in this clash.
Look for Parramatta to use a better execution of their game plan, utilising pace up front and youthful exuberance across the park to hurt Fraser Park in this clash.
Fraser Park finished 5th last season and will look to focus their energy on starting well against a Parramatta side which has made a lot of changes.
Look for their attack to want to fire early with new acquisitions Matt Lecce and David Ustimenko looking to get off to the perfect start for their new club.
Fraser Park will hope to press high to force Parramatta into mistakes early; look for them to play good football to start the season as they look to build a more-than competitive side.
With two teams with high hopes for the season ahead, look for a fiery first clash, where all the work in the pre-season will turn into more learnings.
Sydney University SFC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 5pm @ Sydney University Football Ground
Last season: Sydney University SFC 0-0 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 5-1 Sydney University SFC
Two teams with completely contrasting player movements in the off-season meet in Round One as Sydney University SFC and Hawkesbury City FC look for a bright start to the new campaign.
Hawkesbury put Uni to the sword with a 5-1 victory in their second matchup last season, but this clash will prove to be unpredictable to call with the hosts fielding a completely different side to last season.
Uni finished 13th last season and have thirteen new players in their squad as they look to reset the culture at the club to build success for the future.
Against Hawkesbury first up, Uni will hope to bed in their pre-season progress, find where they are at physically and will hope to start well at home with a tough away schedule early.
With a positive squad in good spirits to start the season, expect Uni to play their tweaked system of football against Hawkesbury in Round One.
Hawkesbury, by contrast, have eighteen of the same players from the end of the 2023 season and will hope that stability will help them get off to a strong start against Uni.
With a few key additions, including Duncan Stewart at striker, expect a younger-looking Hawkesbury to play with a more fast-paced style of play to start with against Uni.
With a positive mindset around the side, Hawkesbury will be positive to get a good result first-up against Uni after finishing 8th in 2023.
In a battle of new players vs retained, this matchup promises to provide nothing less than entertainment and much for both teams to ponder after Round One.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Central Coast United FC, 7pm @ Arlington Oval
These two teams did not meet last season.
An intriguing matchup in Round One sees two teams who finished in last place in their respective leagues last season meet in the opening round of fixtures in 2024.
With both sides entering the season with new coaches and plenty of other new faces, both will hope to reset and build anew for what will be an exciting 2024 season.
Inner West Hawks FC finished bottom of the League Two Men’s ladder last season but with former Socceroo Jim Patikas as the new head coach, along with quality and experience added across the park, will be hopeful of a strong start.
The Hawks are expecting a contest against Central Coast filled with plenty of energy, with two very fit squads coming up against each other first-up.
Look for the Hawks to utilise their experience throughout the squad to help them navigate through a tough first match of the season.
Central Coast United finished bottom of the League One Men’s ladder in 2023 but following the appointment of former A-Leagues player Shannon Cole, will be confident of using plenty of local talent to start strong against the Hawks.
They will look to control the ball as much as possible away from home, with fun, flowing football the new mantra for the Pirates.
The performance will matter as much as the result for the Pirates; look for them to come out firing in Round One, with plenty of quality additions across the park to aid them from the beginning.
Both teams will have nothing to lose in the first round of the season; expect there to be plenty of attacking flair from both sides, who will hope for a positive result to start the season.
South Coast Flame FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm @ Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Last season: Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-2 South Coast Flame FC, South Coast Flame FC 2-4 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Two teams with contrasting seasons in 2023 will hope to have a strong start to their 2024 campaigns in what should be an attacking first matchup.
The Magic won and drew their matches against the Flame last season, with ten goals between the two matches; expect there to be plenty of attacking flair this time around, too.
South Coast Flame FC will hope new head coach Andrew Payne, along with some new exciting signings, will lead the Flame to a fruitful season, starting with success against the Magic.
They will look to play open, possession-based football, especially at home, and will hope their added quality will give them the upper hand in Round One.
Look for the Flame to stick to their gameplan against a tough side in the Magic.
Gladesville will hope the loss of plenty of their experienced players will not hinder them as they look to rely on more youth to step up this season.
They will look to start the season will the same energy they want to end the season with – lots of high energy.
Look for the youth, particularly, to put in strong performances as they look to impress in Round One and earn a starting spot for the season ahead.
With two teams full of youth ready to fight in the upper ends of the ladder in 2024, expect an exuberant start to the season from both sides in a match which should provide plenty of chances.
Sunday, 18th February 2024
Newcastle Jets vs Hurstville FC, 5pm @ Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Last season: Newcastle Jets 4-0 Hurstville FC, Hurstville FC 1-6 Newcastle Jets
The final match of the opening weekend sees the Newcastle Jets and Hurstville FC meet with plenty of changes for the new season.
The Jets scored plenty of goals last season and found success against Hurstville on both occasions; in the opening match, expect the match to not only be tighter score-wise, but also in play between the two teams.
The Newcastle Jets had an exodus of a lot of their young talent in the off-season with plenty making step-ups in their career, but they will hope to once again develop more young talent to be competitive in 2024.
Their playstyle is in synergy with their A-League Men’s side, meaning they will hope to unearth more A-Leagues-level players throughout the season to aid in their bid to win more matches.
The Jets will be confident against Hurstville first-up given their positive results against them last season, but will be expecting a tough contest; look for Newcastle to use their pace out wide and technically gifted youngsters in the middle to create success.
Hurstville have recruited across the park and will be hopeful of putting in a strong showing against the Jets first-up.
They will look to control the ball as much as possible away from home and with plenty of leadership in the group, will look to start the seasons strongly to set up for success.
Look for the new players across the Hurstville squad to step up in Round One to cement their place and show they can compete among the best of the competition’s teams this season.
A new season brings new opportunities and for both Newcastle and Hurstville, they will hope one of those opportunities is a win in the opening round.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa @_dylancosta
