Round 9 Preview – League Two Men’s
Round Nine of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season sees more top clashes amid sides looking to build some momentum going forward.
The Match of the Round this week sees Granville Rage look to get back to winning ways against last-start winners Hawkesbury City FC in a match which could provide anything.
Sunday, 7th April 2024
Match of the Round: Granville Rage vs Hawkesbury City FC, 7pm at Rydalmere Park
Last season: Granville Rage 1-3 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 1-2 Granville Rage
Two sides who are coming off varying results lately meet as Granville Rage host Hawkesbury City FC in a Sunday night matchup.
Last season, both away sides picked up the victory in the head-to-head in what could be a sign of what to expect this season.
Granville Rage had their three-match unbeaten run end at the hands of Prospect United SC last week and will hope to get back to their good play which saw them pick up seven points from the last nine available.
Timothy Borg-Williams scored two goals against Hawkesbury last season, one in each match, and will look to continue that scoring streak when the two sides meet this weekend.
Look for Granville to limit the opportunities for Hawkesbury early; if the Rage can take the first goal, it will go a long way to helping them win a third match in five weeks.
Hawkesbury City FC, meanwhile, picked up their second win of the season after a 3-1 away win over Hurstville FC and will hope to use that as a platform for more positive results.
Last season, Harry Drew scored three goals in two matches against the Rage and will be the main threat in attack for the Hawks again as they look to find some consistency in front of goal, with only eight goals scored so far this season.
If the Hawks’ backline can settle early, they will hope to withstand any early Rage pressure and use that as a platform for victory.
With two sides looking to find some consistency in terms of their play and results, both Granville and Hawkesbury will be hopeful of picking up a result in this match.
Friday, 5th April 2024
Mounties Wanderers FC vs South Coast Flame FC, 8pm at Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
These two teams did not meet last season.
A massive clash between 2nd and 3rd kicks off a big Round Nine as 2nd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC host 3rd-placed South Coast Flame FC.
These two sides have only lost one match each this season and will hope to keep up pace near the top of the ladder as the season progresses.
2nd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC responded from their Round Seven defeat with a determined 3-2 away win over 4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC and will need to bring their top game once again to take down another of the form sides in the early part of the competition.
Yuki Kanai has scored 11 goals this season and will be the big threat in attack for Mounties once again at home; look for him to assert his authority early.
With 28 goals scored so far this season, Mounties are the equal-top scoring side in the league and will hope to continue that streak when they face the third-best defensive side in the league in the Flame.
South Coast Flame FC, meanwhile, have only won one of their past four matches and have not won their past two after their 2-2 draw at home to Central Coast United FC last week.
The Flame will be determined to return to the form which saw them win their opening four matches of the season but face one of their toughest challenges so far this season in Mounties.
The visitors have scored in every match they have played in this season; if they can continue that attacking momentum against the second-best defensive side in the league, they will be hopeful of using their own tight defence to lead them to victory.
Two teams which have shown both attacking flair and defensive resilience will hope to take home the three points in a match which see a new leader of the competition arise come the end of the weekend.
Camden Tigers FC vs Central Coast United FC, 8pm at Ron Rine Memorial Reserve – Carbiz Stadium
These two teams did not meet last season.
Both Camden Tigers FC and Central Coast United FC will bring their attacking flair when they meet in an enticing matchup.
Both teams have found consistency in front of goal in recent weeks and will hope to continue that momentum as they look to push towards the upper half of the table.
Camden Tigers FC picked up another big victory last week after their strong 5-1 away victory over Sydney University SFC in Round Eight’s Match of the Round and will hope to build off scoring nine goals in two weeks.
The Tigers showed the worked they have put into their set pieces, attacking play and defensive resilience last week and will look to keep building in those areas as they look to catch more teams out with their attacking play.
Look for Camden to continue their fast, attacking play with the ball played along the ground, with pace to burn across the field, as they look to rack up a third-straight victory and continue their positive momentum.
Central Coast United FC, meanwhile, let a lead slip for the second time in three weeks after their 2-2 draw away to South Coast Flame FC last week and will hope to rectify that with a strong performance this week.
They will hope their physicality will give them an edge in this match as their strong attackers, with the likes of Ben Flakus and Zac Pezzutto, hope to break through and in behind a Camden defence which has found solidity recently.
Look for the Pirates to break through the Camden presss and attack with pace down the field as they look to go a fourth match unbeaten.
On what should be a cold and rainy night in Camden, focus will be very important; whichever side can keep their cool in their decision-making in tough conditions will come away with a positive result in this match.
Saturday, 6th April 2024
Fraser Park FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 5pm at Fraser Park
Last season: Fraser Park FC 3-2 Gladesville Ryde Magic, Gladesville Ryde Magic 5-0 Fraser Park FC
Two teams who have had a rough opening two months to the season will hope to turn their fortunes around when Fraser Park FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic meet in Round Nine.
Last season, both home teams picked up victories, Gladesville with their biggest win of last season at home to Fraser Park, 5-0 last year, while that result was also Fraser Park’s biggest loss of last season; expect last season’s results to be used as motivation for this clash.
Fraser Park FC return this week after their bye in Round Eight and will look to end a run of five-straight losses as they return home for the first time in three weeks.
Look for Fraser Park to return refreshed after their break and put pressure on the Magic early; they will want to spend plenty of time in their attacking third and utilise a high press to force Gladesville into mistakes early.
If Fraser Park can make the most of any early momentum they get in the match, they will be hopeful of picking up their second win of the season when they host Gladesville.
Gladesville Ryde Magic, meanwhile, lost a third match in a row after their 5-0 home loss to Parramatta FC last week and will hope to rectify that result with a good performance this weekend.
The Magic have the lowest goals-per-match average in the league so far this season with only nine goals scored from eight matches and will hope to fire up front early to help settle those nerves.
If the Magic can find the first goal in the match against a Fraser Park side which has conceded twenty goals in seven matches, they will hope that will help them earn a hard-fought victory this week.
With both sides looking to pick up a win, but more importantly pick up confidence, both sides will be eager to go at each other in a match which should provide plenty of drama.
Parramatta FC vs Sydney University SFC, 5pm at Melita Stadium
Last season: Sydney University SFC 1-2 Parramatta FC, Parramatta FC 1-0 Sydney University SFC
Two teams coming off contrasting results last week meet in a matchup which should provide plenty for both sides to ponder.
Last season, Parramatta did the league double over Uni and will hope to be on their way to repeat that dose this season, while Uni will hope to wrestle back the head-to-head momentum.
Parramatta FC responded to back-to-back defeats in a big way after their strong 5-0 away win over Gladesville Ryde Magic last week and will hope that can be the catalyst they need to pick up more results moving forward.
The change of playing Tarek Elrich in the No.6 role worked well for the Eagles, as he won tackles and broke up the play, while they also found their way in midfield and attack when they settled on the ball and moved their opposition around.
If the Eagles can settle early and take the match to a tough Sydney University outfit, they will be hopeful of picking up back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Sydney University SFC, meanwhile, lost a tough match 5-1 at home to Camden Tigers FC in last week’s Match of the Round and will hope to respond positively in Round Nine.
University is experimenting with a new formation and with different players in different positions to see what works best for them and have found some teething issues along with that they will hope to work on ahead of this match.
They will hope to outplay Parramatta as opposed to outrun them in this match in the hopes of picking up their first win in four weeks after losing three-straight.
With two teams coming into this match with contrasting results, expect Parramatta to come out with a point to prove as they look to power on, while Uni can be expected to keep trying to find the style that will work for them this season.
Prospect United SC vs Hurstville FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Hurstville FC 4-0 Prospect United SC, Prospect United SC 2-2 Hurstville FC
Two sides who have had a vastly different opening two months to the season will battle it out in what could be rainy conditions in Round Nine.
Last season, Hurstville picked up a big victory in the head-to-head, before a second-half strike from Jesse Gagro saved a point for Hurstville in their second encounter; they will hope to use those head-to-head results to lift them this week.
Prospect United SC have won three of their past four matches and will hope to continue that momentum at home to Hurstville this week.
They will hope to start strongly and hope their defence can step up once more; although they have failed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, they have found their firepower in attack.
Look for the likes of Anthony Idehen and Hristopher Neskovski to cause problems for the Hurstville defence as Prospect look to work their way towards the top four.
Hurstville FC, meanwhile, could not record back-to-back victories following their 3-1 home loss to Hawkesbury City FC last week but will hope to go again in Round Nine.
If they can finish the good chances they create and strong opportunities they find themselves in, they could be out of sight in this match, but need to overcome the mental side of the game to do so.
Look for Hurstville to show concentration early as they look to convert one of their early chances with strong attacking play, with last season’s positive results in mind.
Both sides will want this win for different reasons and with that, a competitive contest should ensue where whoever can be more clinical will pick up the three points.
Bankstown United FC vs Inner West Hawks FC, 7pm at Padstow Park
Last season: Bankstown United FC 5-1 Inner West Hawks FC, Inner West Hawks FC 1-0 Bankstown United FC
A clash between two sides battling in the upper half of the table, but following respective losses, sees 5th-placed Bankstown United FC at home to 4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC.
Last season, both home sides picked up the respective wins in the head-to-head and home advantage could prove to be valuable this season with the two teams both close in terms of league position and form.
Bankstown United FC lost by a big margin in their toughest match of the season last week, 6-0 away to the Newcastle Jets, and will hope to respond positively against a strong Inner West outfit.
The loss for Bankstown followed four-straight wins and so they will be hoping that was a one-off result as they look to continue their good results from prior, this week.
Look for Bankstown to put in a much stronger performance this week, where the likes of Mitchell Cross, Alex Salgueira and Corey Freeman will hope to have their say.
Inner West Hawks FC, meanwhile, had their six-match unbeaten streak end after their 3-2 home loss to Mounties Wanderers FC last week and will hope to respond quickly against another side around them on the table.
Hirano continued to fly the flag as the league’s top goalscorer last week with his 13th goal of the season and will once again be the main threat in attack for the Hawks.
If the Hawks can cut out any lapses in concentration and control the ball well across the pitch, they will set up well for success in this match against a side which will be fired up following last week.
With both teams coming off rare losses so far this season, expect both sides to be fired up and take the match to each other as they look to avoid back-to-back defeats for the first time this season.
The top-of-the-table Newcastle Jets have a bye in Round Nine.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
