Round 5 Preview – League Two Men’s
Round Five of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season will see some of the most competitive matches yet, with teams looking hoping to make a statement early in the season.
The Match of the Round this week should be scintillating and sees top-of-the-table South Coast Flame FC look to defend their perfect record when they host the formidable, unbeaten Newcastle Jets.
Bankstown United FC have a bye in Round Five.
Before looking at the Round Five action, however, there were two mid-week Round Three matches to catch up on.
Tuesday, March 5th 2024
Bankstown United FC 3-1 Fraser Park FC
Bankstown United FC picked up back-to-back wins after a 3-1 home success over Fraser Park FC.
Bankstown got on the front foot early, with plenty of possession in the opening 35 minutes.
The hosts had a few chances before they broke the deadlock in the 18th minute; Jamie Dib crossed the ball in from out wide towards Mitchell Cross in the middle, who scored with a diving header for his fourth goal in four matches to start the season.
Cross had another chance for the hosts shortly after which he blasted wide as Bankstown looked to double their lead.
A few minutes later, Bankstown did add a second a ball into the box found Cross; he squared it to Jovan Blageovic who half-volleyed the bouncing ball into the back of the net from short range.
Fraser Park got into the match from there and created an even contest until half-time, where Bankstown led 2-0.
Alexander Nicolosi came off at half-time with an ankle injury for Bankstown, meaning they had to make a change at the break.
After the half, it was an even match where neither team created any shots for the opposition goalkeeper to save.
That changed in the 75th minute when Cross played Blageovic in for his second; the latter shot across Fraser Park goalkeeper, Patrick Ferrara, inside the box into the back of the net to give Bankstown a 3-0 lead.
Fraser Park struck back a minute later, however, when Teddy Kayombo dribbled the ball for 5-10 metres towards the Bankstown goal and took a speculative shot which took a deflection and looped into the back of the net to make the score 3-1, which is how the match finished.
Bankstown picked up the three points following a competitive physical match and banked the points ahead of their week off.
Bankstown moved to two wins, one draw and one loss to start the season, while Fraser Park moved to one win, one draw and two losses.
Bankstown United FC will hope to continue their momentum after their bye in Round Five, while Fraser Park FC will hope to back up quickly when they host Hawkesbury City FC in Round Five.
Wednesday, March 6th 2023
Granville Rage 0-2 Sydney University SFC
Sydney University SFC showed a good reaction from their last-start loss to South Coast Flame FC with a 2-0 away success over Granville Rage.
Wanting a reaction from their 4-0 loss to the Flame, University changed how they wanted to play against the Rage and executed their game plan in the first half.
That was shown in the 21st minute when Jesse Hirschowitz scored to put the students ahead in a first half where the Rage could not strike back.
Granville started the second half strongly, however, and were awarded a penalty in the 50th minute.
University were fortunate to not lose their lead when the Rage’s Nikola Todoroski missed the target past the left post, with University goalkeeper Harrison Walsh nowhere near it.
The Rage had a few half-chances from outside the box after that, with one pulled wide of the target.
Two debutants entered the field for University after that – former Northern Tigers under-20s player Jasper Teggins, as well as Joshua Maharaj.
They made an immediate impact when, after a few successive corners, Teggins won the ball on the right at the top of the box and played a ball across the box to Maharaj, who finished the chance first-time on his weak foot across the goalkeeper to give University a 2-0 lead.
A player-led intensity saw University play physically and win the moments in the match.
Following six changes from their last match, including the introduction of Harrison Walsh in goal, who kept University’s first clean sheet of the season amid a strong goalkeeper union at the club, University picked up a strong 2-0 away win over the Rage.
The loss for the Rage moved them to one win and three losses for the season, while University moved to two wins, one draw and one loss.
Granville Rage will hope to bounce back quickly at home against a winless Hurstville FC in Round Five, while Sydney University travel to face Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Now, onto the preview for the Round Five matches.
Saturday, March 9th, 2024
Match of the Round: South Coast Flame FC vs Newcastle Jets, 3:15pm @ Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Last season: Newcastle Jets 0-1 South Coast Flame FC, South Coast Flame FC 0-3 Newcastle Jets
The Match of the Round this week sees the South Coast Flame FC with four wins from their first four matches as they host the formidable Newcastle Jets.
The two teams finished with a win each in the head-to-head last season and will be raring to knock off a big win against a form side early.
Top-of-the-table South Coast Flame FC are flying after their biggest win of the season last week, a 4-0 success over Sydney University SFC.
Michael Trajkovski has led the line with aplomb for the Flame, with six goal from his opening four matches, and will be hoping to fire the Flame towards a big victory over a tough Newcastle Jets side this week.
Look for the Flame to start strongly in defence in what will be a hot early kick-off at Kembla Grange as they look to make it five wins from five to start the season.
The Newcastle Jets have started the season undefeated with three wins from four matches but face their toughest challenge yet as hey make the long trip down to the south coast from the Hunter region.
Look for Xavier Bertoncello and Alex Nunes to be the main threats in attack for the Jets, who will set up to attack quickly with an organised front-line.
The Jets have scored in each match they’ve played this season, like the Flame, and will hope their attack can catch out the Flame defence in the heat.
The winner of this clash will hope to start to build a gap to the rest of the competition early in the season; will the Flame fire or will the Jets fly?
Friday, March 8th 2024
Mounties Wanderers FC vs Central Coast United FC, 8pm @ Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
Last season: Central Coast United FC 1-1 Mounties Wanderers FC, Mounties Wanderers FC 2-1 Central Coast United FC
A clash between the two League One Men’s sides from last season promises to deliver something special as Mounties Wanderers FC face off against each other.
The two teams played out a stalemate in Round One of the League One Men’s competition last season, while Mounties prevailed in the reverse fixture at home thanks to a second-half strike from Bruno Pivato; look for this clash to be similarly close.
Mounties have had a strong start to the season with three wins from four matches – they have scored 19 goals across those matches.
The standout player for them from the opening round has been Yuki Kanai, who has scored seven goals in the opening four matches of the season – expect him to have a big impact on the outcome of this match.
Look for the Wanderers to come out with attacking intent at home as they look to potentially go top-of-the-table after the weekend.
Central Coast United have also started the season strongly, with two wins and a loss from their opening three matches, and will hope to respond from their last-start loss to the Newcastle Jets.
They will look to have shots following decent spells of possession away from home and will look for the likes of Ben Flakus to lead in attack.
Expect the Pirates to prioritise a strong defensive start away from home as they look to build into the match to break down a strong Mounties side.
With plenty of quality across the park, expect lots of good one-versus-one battles as both sides look to take down a familiar opponent early in the season.
Fraser Park FC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 5pm @ Fraser Park
Last season: Fraser Park FC 2-1 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 1-0 Fraser Park FC
An intriguing battle awaits when Fraser Park FC host Hawkesbury City FC in Round Five.
Both teams picked up respective home wins in their fixtures last season and a similarly close battle will be expected this time.
Fraser Park FC lost a tough match mid-week away to Bankstown United FC and will hope to regroup quickly to earn their first home win of the season.
Look for David Ustimenko to get back to his scoring ways and lead the Fraser Park front line as they look to utilise his quality to put together another competitive match.
In a match where the margins will be tight, expect Fraser Park to offer much more going forward as they chase victory at home.
Hawkesbury City FC lost a third match in a row to start the season and will hope to turn their fortunes around against Fraser Park.
They have lost back-to-back matches 4-0 but will hope to regroup with strong training to focus on the issues preventing them from scoring and leaking goals at the back.
Expect a much more solid display defensively this week from Hawkesbury, who should make good use of the pace in their squad on the synthetic Fraser Park surface.
With two sides desperate to kick-start their season, expect a tense opening before the contest evolves to be competitive and open late as both sides look to return to the winner’s circle.
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Sydney University SFC, 5pm @ Christie Park
Last season: Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-0 Sydney University SFC Sydney University SFC 3-3 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Two sides with plenty to prove this season meet in Round Five when Gladesville Ryde Magic host Sydney University SFC.
The Magic took out the first head-to-head clash last season 2-0 thanks to goals from Kohki Hiyaoka and Christopher Guyot, while the honours were shared in their second encounter; expect to see a similarly lively encounter this time.
The Magic will hope to respond from back-to-back losses against tough opponents as they host a side which has only lost one match so far this season.
With 12 goals conceded from their opening four matches, defence will be the focus for the Magic at home; they have only played one home match this season and picked up their only win of the season there.
With a tough run of away matches both behind them and to come, expect the Magic to make the most of their home advantage this week as they look to take down the students with strong play on the counter, especially.
Sydney University, meanwhile, won their second match of the season last week, 2-0 away to Granville Rage, and are confident they can take down the Magic this week.
University will expect to hold more of the ball away from home and will hope to move it around well to break down a well-drilled Magic defence.
Look for University to manage the transition moments as they look to win back-to-back matches.
With a side which has quality but has given up a lot of goals early in the Magic up against a side which has tweaked a few tactics and gained confidence, expect to see an intriguing match where the winner will look to keep pushing forward.
Parramatta FC vs Inner West Hawks FC, 5pm @ Melita Stadium
Last season: Parramatta FC 2-1 Inner West Hawks FC, Inner West Hawks FC 0-2 Parramatta FC
Two teams who have picked up results early in the season will clash in Round Five when Parramatta FC host Inner West Hawks FC.
Parramatta picked up the league double over the Hawks last season and will hope to use that recent history to their advantage in this clash.
Parramatta FC picked up their first win of the season after their come-from-behind 3-2 success away to Camden Tigers FC in last week’s Match of the Round and they will hope to back that up with a strong performance this week.
Parramatta will hope to use their success over the Hawks last season as a springboard for more confidence ahead of the match and will come out firing in this contest.
They will hope to have 11 fit and firing players out on the field and will be confident of picking up a result if they can take their chances – look for Marco Sama to be the one to lead that charge.
Inner West Hawks FC, meanwhile, moved to three matches unbeaten after their hat-trick hero Takuma Hirano took them to a 3-2 away victory over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Look for Hirano, who has scored a league-high eight goals from his first four matches, to be the catalyst for everything positive in the Hawks’ attack in this match.
With recent head-to-head battles against the Hawks, look for them to fire up in a new season and take a close look at the tactical battle as they hunt a move towards the top three early in the season.
The battle of the Eagles vs the Hawks will be an intriguing one, where the two fit and firing forwards in Sama and Hirano will look to play their part.
Camden Tigers FC vs Prospect United SC, 7pm @ Lynwood Park
Last season: Camden Tigers FC 1-3 Prospect United SC, Prospect United SC 2-4 Camden Tigers FC
A battle between West and South-West Sydney will see Camden Tigers FC host Prospect United SC in match which should bring plenty of fireworks.
The spoils were shared between these two sides last season with a win each and both sides will be confident of picking up a victory this week.
Camden have started the season in indifferent form with a win, draw and loss from their opening three matches, but can be confident in their scoring ability with nine goals from three matches.
Following a week of training where they would have focused on this upcoming match and put last week’s 3-2 Match of the Round loss to Parramatta behind them, expect Camden to stick to their game plan and put in a strong effort this week.
If they can stick to their strengths in their squad, which is plenty of firepower up front, then Camden should be able to play well at yet another different home ground this season at Lynwood Park.
Prospect United, meanwhile, lost a tough match to the Newcastle Jets 2-0 last week and will hope to build on positive signs this week.
With Tallon Zahra and Jahnbek Bulut both missing through long-term injuries, Prospect are having to rely on others to step up in their injuries and will hope their match exposure will help them moving forward.
Look for Prospect to fight hard as they look to find some consistency this season, where they will hope to break down Camden this week.
With two teams figuring out how to attack the season, expect a strong attacking display from Camden and a strong defensive display from Prospect as the two teams battle it out for the three points.
Sunday, March 10th 2024
Granville Rage vs Hurstville FC, 7pm @ Rydalmere Park
Last season: Granville Rage 0-0 Hurstville FC, Hurstville FC 2-3 Granville Rage
Two teams who are hoping to pick up much-needed wins early in the season when Granville Rage host Hurstville FC to close out Round Five.
Granville took out the second encounter between these two sides last season after a stalemate in the first and will hope this match-up will give them a boost they need this season to carry on.
The Rage have one win, zero draws and three losses to start the season but have shown some positive play in those matches.
Their focus will be on defence where they believe if they are able to tighten up, they will gain confidence from that – look for them to want to gain confidence from their defence first.
If they can be strong at the back, the confidence will come from taking the lead for the young side – the biggest challenge for the Rage is the mental side.
Hurstville FC, meanwhile, have lost their opening four matches and will hope to turn their fortunes around this week against the Rage.
They will hope to create more chances after a tough match last time out against Bankstown United FC, where they lost 3-0.
Expect a much improved attacking display from Hurstville; if they can take the lead against the Rage, that will play into their hands and go against how the Rage will want to start.
With two teams needing wins for confidence at the start of the season, look for both sides to want to hunt the first goal, which could prove the difference in this matchup.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa @_dylancosta
