Round 11 Preview – League Two Men’s
With a third of the season done, every team in the Football NSW League Two Men’s competition will know where they stand to improve, and that action continues in Round 11.
The Match of the Round this week sees bottom-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic and 6th-placed Central Coast United FC do battle with both sides hoping to pick up a big victory for their respective seasons.
Saturday, 20th April 2024
Match of the Round: Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Central Coast United FC, 5pm at Christie Park
These two teams did not meet last season.
A crucial clash between two sides on different ends of the ladder holds much importance as bottom-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic hosts 6th-placed Central Coast United FC.
With both sides having lost their last match, both will hope to return to the winner’s circle this week to further their own agendas in the league.
15th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic succumbed to a fifth-straight loss after they conceded late to lose 3-2 away to Hawkesbury City FC last week and will be desperate to end that losing streak in Round 11.
The Magic showed their competitive edge in their last match and will hope that is a good sign they will end their losing streak, where a win could help them rise as many as three positions on the ladder.
Look for Gladesville to once again use their youthful exuberance to lift them – the team has conceded the most goals in the league this season at 38, so if they can remain solid at the back, that will hold them in good stead in this match.
6th-placed Central Coast United FC, meanwhile, had their four-match unbeaten streak end on Tuesday, 16th March after a 2-1 loss away to Camden Tigers FC in their Round 9 catch-up match; despite taking the lead through Alex Arbelo in the 62nd minute, the Pirates conceded to an 86th minute Abdu Elmir penalty and an 88th minute goal from Jack Harris to lose at the death.
A third match in a week will test the fitness and depth of the Pirates’ squad as they look to keep up pace with the top sides in the league, given they are three points behind 5th.
The Pirates have scored in each of their past five matches – look for them to continue their scoring streak as they hope to avoid back-to-back defeats.
With the Magic hoping to gain a valuable win and the Pirates hoping to not let one loss turn into two, expect the first goal scoring team in this match to gain the confidence they need to go on with the job.
Sydney University SFC vs Hurstville FC, 5pm at Sydney University Football Ground
Last season: Hurstville FC 2-0 Sydney University SFC, Sydney University SFC 1-2 Hurstville FC
An intriguing clash awaits when 14th-placed Sydney University SFC hosts 10th-placed Hurstville FC in a match between two sides in opposing form.
Last season, Hurstville did the league double over the students; the hosts will hope to end that head-to-head losing streak, while the visitors will hope that it continues in their climb up the ladder.
The 14th-placed students fell to a fourth-straight loss after they went down 5-0 at home to the ladder-leading Newcastle Jets last week and will hope to snap that losing streak against a formidable Hurstville side in Round 11.
University have struggled for goals this season, scoring a league-low nine from their opening eight matches, but will be hopeful of finding their clinical edge soon to regain their form from earlier in the season.
Look for University to hunt down only their second home win of the season in what will be their third-straight match at home this week with a strong focus on scoring the first goal.
10th-placed Hurstville FC, meanwhile, have found a vein of form with three wins from their past four matches and they will hope to continue their hot streak in Round 11.
Playing a third-straight home match will not worry Hurstville, who have won back-to-back matches on the road, a feat which they also accomplished in Rounds 28 and 29 last season; the visitors will be confident to make that a third-straight win when they travel this weekend.
With players set to come back soon to add more fresh legs to the mix of players, expect Hurstville to be full of confidence as they look to continue their strong run of form with good defence – only three teams have conceded less goals than Hurstville this season.
Both sides will be desperate for a win which could be crucial for their momentum heading into the second third of the season; expect both sides to play attacking football as they hunt down the three points.
Inner West Hawks FC vs Fraser Park FC, 7pm at Arlington Oval
Last season: Inner West Hawks FC 1-2 Fraser Park FC, Fraser Park FC 1-0 Inner West Hawks FC
Two sides who are coming of much different results will hope to push forward when 5th-placed Inner West Hawks FC hosts 13th-placed Fraser Park FC.
Last season, Fraser Park did the league double over the Hawks, with tight one-goal-margin victories in both matches helping them seal a top five finish and condemned the Hawks to a last-placed finish – this season could see a different story.
5th-placed Inner West Hawks FC ended a run of back-to-back losses in convincing style after a 4-2 away victory over Granville Rage and will hope to win a fourth match from their past six this weekend.
Takuma Hirano’s two goals sent him to 15 for the season and he leads the golden boot race ahead of South Coast Flame’s Michael Trajkovski – look for him to light up as he looks to set his sights on eclipsing last season’s golden boot winner tally of 23 sooner rather than later.
Expect the Hawks to play high pressure football, with pace in behind and willing runners forward, as they look for a win which could move them up to third place.
13th-placed Fraser Park FC, meanwhile, lost a tough first match following the departure of Head Coach, Alex Araujo, 6-1 away to South Coast Flame FC, and will hope to quickly forget that defeat to move on.
The harsh loss for Fraser Park meant they moved to be the third-worst defensive side this season, while they will hope a new coach will bring with it a change in fortunes moving forward.
Expect Fraser Park to put up a lot of fight as their tough run of fixtures continues – if they can hold out for the first half, they will give themselves a big chance of claiming all three points in a matchup where they picked up the league double last season.
An entertaining match should be expected with both sides looking to climb towards the top and escape from near the bottom of the league, respectively – the question is whether form will prevail, or whether recent history will triumph.
Bankstown United FC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 7pm at Padstow Park
Last season: Bankstown United FC 2-1 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 2-2 Bankstown United FC
Two sides who have picked up big victories in recent weeks will hope to grab another as Bankstown United FC hosts Hawkesbury City FC in what should be a tense Round 11 matchup.
Last season, Bankstown went undefeated against Hawkesbury, thanks in large part to Mitchell Cross, who scored in their win and then equalised in stoppage time in their second matchup last season.
4th-placed Bankstown United FC picked up a sixth win from their past seven matches after a strong 5-2 away victory over 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC and will be full of confidence to continue their strong form so far this season against Hawkesbury.
Mitchell Cross’ hat-trick last week brought him up to 11 goals for the season and he is proving to be quite the task for many teams to handle, scoring in seven of Bankstown’s nine matches so far this season – look for him to be a big threat up front for the hosts this week once again.
With a win against Mounties under their belt, Bankstown proved they are well and truly in the hunt among the top sides this season and will hope to continue that with a seventh win from their past eight matches this week.
11th-placed Hawkesbury City FC, meanwhile, will be buoyed after a second win from three matches after they overcame Gladesville Ryde Magic 3-2 at home last week.
They might prepare for a different type of match to last week, where away from home against a strong Bankstown side they may hold less of the ball, particularly early on, while they will also be missing Ethan Payne following his red card last week.
With confidence returning among the Hawks’ playing group, expect them to put up their fair share of fight as they hunt a third win in four matches, which could help them rise to within a point of the top half of the ladder.
Two sides who will be beaming after strong victories will hope to claim another in a match where the first half could set up either team for success.
Prospect United SC vs Parramatta FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Prospect United SC 2-0 Parramatta FC, Parramatta FC 0-1 Prospect United SC
A Western Sydney derby sees two sides looking to bounce back from tough last-start losses in 9th-placed Prospect United SC and 12th-placed Parramatta FC.
Last season, Prospect did the league double over the Parramatta, holding the Eagles scoreless on both occasions on their way to big derby victories – they will hope to do that again this season, while Parramatta will hope to buck the trend.
9th-placed Prospect United SC return after their bye in Round 10, refreshed and ready to take on their local rivals in Parramatta FC.
The hosts will welcome back in-form striker Anthony Idehen for this match after his suspension for his fifth yellow card of the season the week before and will hope his re-inclusion can help them in front of goal once more.
Look for Prospect to be fired up against their local rivals as they look to win a third match from their past four – if they can stick to their principles across the park, they will be hopeful of picking up the three points.
12th-placed Parramatta FC, meanwhile, lost a third match from their past four after a 3-2 home defeat to Central Coast United FC and will hope to refocus to take on Prospect this week in a tough away derby clash.
Marco Sama is once again leading Parramatta for scoring this season and will hope to add to his tally this weekend.
Given recent history against Prospect has not been kind to them, the away side will need to focus their energy on themselves and put in a strong performance across the pitch if they are to come away with a positive result in this clash.
A Western Sydney derby is sure to provide plenty of fire and both sides will be willing to run from the beginning in this clash, where the winner will be the hungrier of the two teams.
Camden Tigers FC vs Mounties Wanderers FC, 7pm at Ron Dine Memorial Reserve – Carbiz Stadium
These two teams did not meet last season.
Both 7th-placed Camden Tigers FC and 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC have won some good matches lately, but both will be cautious given recent losses as they meet in a big Round 11 matchup.
These two teams have both proven to be attacking forces so far this season with 23 and 30 goals, respectively, while their defences had stood solid with only 16 and 13 goals conceded, respectively.
7th-placed Camden Tigers FC are flying high after an 86th minute Abdu Elmir penalty and an 88th minute goal from Jack Harris saw them come from behind in a 2-1 home win over Central Coast United FC in their midweek Round 9 catch-up match – they will hope to use the momentum and adrenaline from that win to their advantage in a short turnaround.
The Tigers have proved they have multiple players capable of hitting the back of the net, with 23 goals scored this season but not one player having scored more than four of those – expect the Tigers to continue to work hard for each other as they hunt their biggest scalp of the season so far.
Expect to see Camden full of confidence and with their strong attacking intent, to cause problems for the Mounties defence early in this contest.
3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC, meanwhile, suffered their biggest loss of the season, 5-2 at home to Bankstown United FC last week, and will hope to forget that result quickly as they continue to want to chase down the top two – they are currently four points behind league leaders, the Newcastle Jets.
Mounties will welcome back Fletcher Williamson after his suspension for five yellow cards but will be without Alistair Mckie after his straight red card last week.
Expect a strong response from Mounties, who will hope to avoid a third loss in four matches, as they look to avoid slipping down the ladder.
With Camden in form and Mounties out of form, this matchup should provide one of the more unpredictable results of the season where both sides will fight hard to claim the three points.
Sunday, 21st April 2024
Newcastle Jets vs Granville Rage, 5pm at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Last season: Granville Rage 0-1 Newcastle Jets, Newcastle Jets 0-0 Granville Rage
The ladder-leading Newcastle Jets host 8th-placed Granville Rage to round out Round 11 in a match between two sides which proved to be quite tight last season.
The Jets were victorious 1-0 away from home against the Rage thanks to a stoppage-time winner from Ben Van Dorssen, while the two sides could not be separated in the reverse fixture in a scoreless draw – expect a similarly-close match this time around, too.
The 1st-placed Newcastle Jets have shone and soared ahead of the pack, not only to be top of the table but with the manner of their victories lately – they have kept three-consecutive clean sheets, a feat they also accomplished last season, and have scored 12 goals in those three matches.
The Jets have shared the goals, and plenty of them around, with Justin Vidic leading the pack with eight goals, followed closely behind by Alex Nunes, Janni Rafty and Xavier Bertoncello on six – expect their attack to continue to be fluid as they look to potentially extend their three-point lead at the top of the table this week.
The only unbeaten side left in the competition will hope to extend that run to ten matches as they continue to fire at the top of the league.
8th-placed Granville Rage, meanwhile, will hope to bounce back swiftly after their 4-2 home loss to Inner West Hawks FC last week and will be ready to take the fight to Newcastle.
Despite the loss, Ante Tomic continued to show his quality up front with his fifth goal of the season, while their leading goalscorer, Nikola Todoroski, moved into double figures after he scored his 10th goal of the season last week – look for this duo to cause problems for the Jets’ defence away from home.
Facing their biggest and toughest challenge of the season, Granville will not back down and will hope to catch the Jets out with their pace and precision, while they will also hunt their first clean sheet of the season.
Two teams who have proven goal scorers and have shown their high quality this season will hope to pick up big wins for their respective goals.
2nd-placed South Coast Flame FC have a bye this round.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
