Round 19 Preview – League Two Men’s
The matches keep coming quick and fast as the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season reaches Round 19.
The Match of the Round this week sees Sydney University SFC look to end their winless run and hope to upset a South Coast Flame FC side looking to keep up with the top teams this season.
Saturday, 8th June 2024
Match of the Round: Sydney University SFC vs South Coast Flame FC, 5pm at Sydney University Football Ground
Previous Meeting: South Coast Flame FC 4-0 Sydney University SFC
Both last-placed Sydney University SFC and 5th-placed South Coast Flame FC will want to fight hard for the win in Round 19, with positions and plenty of pride up for grabs in Round 19’s Match of the Round.
The Flame ran out 4-0 winners in the reverse fixture – they will hope to double that dose, while University will hope to cause a big upset this weekend.
University fell to a fourth-straight loss and went a 13th-straight match without a win after their 2-1 home defeat to Granville Rage mid-week and they will hope to put a big dent in the Flame’s top-two hopes this season this weekend.
After putting in a positive performance mid-week but still falling, University will hope to turn their good play in matches into a win which would change the complexion of the seasons for both sides moving forward.
Expect University to build play well through the midfield and if their forwards can receive the ball in good areas up front, they will hope to put out the Flame’s fire early.
South Coast Flame, meanwhile, had their four-match unbeaten run end abruptly mid-week with a 3-0 home loss to Hurstville FC – that was their first home loss of the season and came just four days after their 6-0 away win over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
The Flame have picked up three wins from their six away matches so far this season and will hope to improve that tally if they are to keep up with the top four sides this season – look for the league’s equal-top scorer this season in Michael Trajkovski to look to add to his 19 goals for the year.
The Flame remain in a unique position on the ladder – a win could see the Flame rise back up into 4th place on 34 points, while a loss would see them remain in 5th, at least seven points ahead of 6th.
With Sydney University looking to play well and cause and upset and South Coast Flame hoping to gain ground on the top four, expect both sides to attack with purpose as they chase the three points.
Friday, 7th June 2024
Granville Rage vs Fraser Park FC, 8pm at Rydalmere Park
Previous Meeting: Fraser Park FC 2-4 Granville Rage
Two teams who were in opposing form until their mid-week fixtures meet when 10th-placed Granville Rage host 13th-placed Fraser Park FC to open Round 19.
Granville prevailed 4-2 the last time these two teams met, where the Rage withheld a comeback from Fraser Park twice to come away with a big 4-2 win in Round Four – expect another match with plenty of chances which could go either way this week.
Granville Rage responded to four-straight losses with a big 2-1 away win over Sydney University SFC mid-week and will hope to use that momentum to potentially return to the top half of the table this weekend.
Nikola Todoroski continued his fine scoring season with his 12th goal of the season last week, which means he currently sits 5th for the top scorers this season – look for his combination with Ante Tomic to be vital up front, while he will also hope to challenge Fraser Park’s forward, Alexander Nicolosi, who is on nine goals for the season.
Expect a rejuvinated Rage to build on their win last week as they look for a win which could take them as high as 7th on the ladder, while a loss could drop them to as low as 12th.
Fraser Park, meanwhile, had their four-match unbeaten run end mid-week after they loss 3-1 at home to Bankstown United FC in Round 18’s Match of the Round and will hope to respond quickly.
Despite positive periods of play mid-week, Fraser Park were unable to find the clinical edge in front of goal and will hope to take a chance early to put the pressure on the Rage.
With plenty of players in the squad who will hope to make a difference for Fraser Park, expect them to respond positively in this match – a win could see them rise one spot to 12th on the ladder, while a loss would see them remain in 13th.
With both teams having had big results mid-week for better or worse, and with a forward on either team who could be the difference-maker, expect both sides to bring their share of positive play when they meet.
Saturday, 8th June 2024
Inner West Hawks FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm at Arlington Oval
Previous Meeting: Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-3 Inner West Hawks FC
Both Inner West Hawks FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic will look for respective big wins when they meet this weekend.
The last time these two sides met, the Hawks held off a comeback from the Magic twice and came away 3-2 winners after a frantic first half – expect both teams to want to highlight their attacking flair in this match.
The Hawks won a fourth-straight match after their 2-0 away win over Prospect United SC mid-week and will hope to continue their charge near the top of the league, where they will hope to capitalise on any mistakes above them.
They currently sit on 33 points, three behind 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC, five behind 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC and eight behind the league-leading Newcastle Jets.
Expect the Hawks to continue to play with pace up front, marshals in midfield and a defence which is the most in-form in the league following four-straight clean sheets thanks to defenders Lawrence Claxton, Tomohiro Ishii, Christopher Phillips, captain Sidhya Malhotra and goalkeeper Matthew Cuda.
Gladesville Ryde Magic, meanwhile, won their first match since Round Five after their 2-1 away win over Granville Rage last week and will hope to build on that this week.
They showed how competitive they could be last week and had plenty of chances throughout the match – they will hope to do the same this week when they travel away.
Expect the Magic to utilise their experienced players with the likes of Chris Gaitatzis among their youth as they look to stay away from the bottom of the league and shake up the top-end.
With the Hawks firing on all cylinders and the Magic buoyant after a big last start win, expect plenty of enthusiasm from both sides as they chase the three points.
Hurstville FC vs Bankstown United FC, 7pm at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Previous Meeting: Bankstown United FC 3-0 Hurstville FC
Both Hurstville FC and Bankstown United FC will be full of confidence when they meet in this big Round 19 clash.
The last time these two teams met, Bankstown ran out 3-0 winners at home – expect this clash to be much tighter with both teams in good form.
Hurstville picked up another big scalp as they continued to affect the race between the teams near the top of the table after a big 3-0 away win over South Coast Flame FC mid-week and will hope to cause more trouble for the teams at the top this week.
After beating Inner West Hawks, narrowly losing to the league-leading Jets, and beating the Flame mid-week, they will face a fourth opponent from within the top five this week as their credentials are tested, which they have passed so far.
Expect Hurstville to be full of confidence as they look for another big scalp and a win which could see them rise to as high as 6th on the ladder – a loss, meanwhile, could see them drop to as low as 11th.
Bankstown United, meanwhile, won a third-straight match and kept the pressure on at the top-end of the ladder after a big 3-1 away win over Fraser Park FC in the mid-week Match of the Round and will hope to continue to put the pressure on the teams either side of them.
A win for Bankstown would be big given they have their Bye in Round 20 – that would leave them with a lot of momentum heading into the final third of the season for them.
Expect Corey Freeman to cause problems down the right, for Marie Gauthier to get involved as much as he can and for Mitchell Cross to want to add to his 19 goals for the season so far – he currently sits joint-top in the golden boot race.
With Hurstville playing their role as a tough side for the top five to beat recently and with Bankstown looking to move a step closer to staying in the title fight when the business end of the season arrives, expect both sides to have their fair share of chances in a match which could prove to be unpredictable.
Sunday, 9th June 2024
Newcastle Jets vs Prospect United SC, 5pm at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Previous Meeting: Prospect United SC 0-2 Newcastle Jets
The league-leading Newcastle Jets will hope to keep their historic season going as they look to go an 18th match unbeaten when they host 9th-placed Prospect United SC.
The Jets picked up the three points in a 2-0 away win in the two sides’ Round 4 fixture thanks to goals from Xavier Bertoncello and Alex Nunes – expect the Jets to want to be ruthless and for Prospect to want to cause a massive upset this weekend.
The Jets kept their historic run going after they came from 2-0 down at home to Central Coast United FC mid-week to claim a 3-2 win which showed their resilience.
Without having an out-and-out goal scorer which has led them like so many sides have this season, the Jets have shown their proficiency in attack with 52 goals so far this season – only Mounties Wanderers FC have score more – and have only conceded 13 goals across their 17 matches.
Look for the Jets to display their attacking intent early with fluid player movements and a seamless nature of progressing the ball up the field as they look to continue their unbeaten season.
Prospect, meanwhile, continued their tough run of fixtures with a fourth-straight loss after they fell 2-0 at home to Inner West Hawks FC mid-week and will hope to cause a big upset this weekend.
After facing a fifth side from the top six in their past five matches this week, Prospect will hope to end that tough run of fixtures on a positive note against the Jets – Prospect were the only side to do the league double over the Jets last season and will hope to channel those thoughts into a positive performance this weekend.
A win for Prospect could see them rise to as high as 6th on the ladder, while a loss could see them drop to as low as 12th as the battle for places becomes tighter.
With the Jets continuing to fly high and Prospect having good history against them from last season, expect plenty of positive attacking play from the Jets and much belief from Prospect that they could get something out of this match.
Tuesday, 11th June 2024
Mounties Wanderers FC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 8pm at Cook Park (Mt Pritchard)
Previous Meeting: Hawkesbury City FC 0-4 Mounties Wanderers FC
Two teams who will be riding off the back of big wins meet when 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC host 11th-placed Hawkesbury City FC.
In the reverse fixture, Mounties recorded a strong 4-0 away win over Hawkesbury – expect both sides to have their fair share of chances in this match as they look to ramp up their play.
Mounties won a fifth-straight match and went to a seventh match unbeaten after their five-star, 5-0 home win over Prospect United SC last week, and they will hope for a win this week which could take them to 39 points and back up into 2nd place.
With eight days between matches for them, compared to just three days for Prospect, they will hope to start strong with fresh legs and take advantage of their stamina as the match wears on, wary of their upcoming mid-week match next week.
Look for Yuki Kanai to continue to fire as he looks to add to his 17 goals for this season – he sits two goals behind South Coast Flame’s Michael Trajkovski and Bankstown United FC’s Mitchell Cross in the race for the golden boot this season.
Hawkesbury City, meanwhile, picked up a big win mid-week after they held off Camden Tigers FC twice for a big 3-2 away win and they will hope to build on back-to-back wins this week – that was the first time this season they have won back-to-back matches.
Playing away from home once again this week, the Hawks will hope to add to their four wins away from home this week – they have won more matches away from home than at home this season.
Having scored three goals in a match for the fourth time this season, the Hawks will hope to make consistent scoring a habit as they look for a win which could see them rise as many as four places up into 7th on the ladder, while a loss could drop them to 12th.
With Mounties looking to keep up their title challenge and Hawkesbury looking to take a big step with a third-straight win for the first time this season, expect there to be plenty of chances for both sides in a match which should produce excitement.
6th-placed Central Coast United FC have a bye in Round 19.
Parramatta FC vs Camden Tigers FC was rescheduled due to wet weather and will be played at a future date.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
