Round 24 Preview – League One Men’s

League ONE Men's Round Preview 24

Approaching the time of the season where every result seems to mean that little bit more, round 24 of the FNSW League One Men’s takes place this Saturday night with a full slate of action.

With a couple of big fixtures at either end of the table, there’s plenty to look forward too in a big round of action. Check out the preview below.

Match of the Round: Bulls FC Academy v Bonnyrigg White Eagles; Saturday 13 July, 7pm, Valentine Sports Park

Two in-form sides face off in our match of the round as competition leaders Bulls FC Academy “host” Bonnyrigg White Eagles at Valentine Sports Park.

The in-form side in the competition, Bulls FC Academy have won their last six games while their opponents Bonnyrigg White Eagles have recently turned a corner with three wins in a week.

Despite their unblemished record, it hasn’t exactly been smooth sailing for Bulls FC Academy in recent weeks. They’ve had to come from behind in their last two fixtures after trailing at the break, most recently against Canterbury Bankstown last Sunday.

Still, they past both tests and took the competition lead in the process ahead of this one. One thing is for sure, there is quality across the board in this side with the likes of Flynn Madden, Zane Helweh and Dean Bosnjak worth keeping an eye on come Saturday night.

This is definitely a tricky task for the Bulls however with Bonnyrigg White Eagles finding their groove in recent times. Yes, it’s nice to be talking about this weeks visitors in a positive light after three straight wins at home last week.

Coming into their fixture with Macarthur Rams on the back of back-to-back wins, Radovan Pavicevic scored a first half brace to put his side in control before Mason Versi added an exclamation mark before the hour. Indeed with the pressure off this side, there’s a freedom to be had and they will be a dangerous proposition for Bulls or any side going forward.

Bulls FC Academy took out the first meeting between the two back in round nine, can they complete the season double over Bonnyrigg here? You can catch the live stream of this one on the Football NSW Youtube page under the live tab.

Dunbar Rovers v Dulwich Hill; Saturday 13 July, 7pm, Fraser Park

A big fixture in the context of these two sides seasons, Dunbar Rovers host Dulwich Hill in a high stakes contest at Fraser Park.

Both sides sitting in the bottom three while struggling to pick up three points, something has to give in this one, Saturday evening.

We’ll start with Dunbar Rovers who picked up an important point last weekend to halt their losing run. Two points behind Nepean in the pro/rel playoff spot, they won’t have many better opportunities to pick up three points than this one.

Back to last week and their draw against Inter Lions, they showed a lot of character to come from behind, something they will hope to utilise here. Alexander Nicolosi scoring the important goal in injury time. Also look out for Mondo Kagami who signed from the Illawarra Premier League in the window.

They face a Dulwich Hill side who themselves will be desperate for a win after being winless in their past six games . Holding a six point advantage over their opposition, they could put themselves almost beyond the reach of Dunbar Rovers with a win here.

There was reason to be encouraged last weekend though against Bankstown City in their narrow defeat. Dully on top for periods of that one creating many opportunities particularly from the set piece. They comfortably won the first meeting between the two back in round 9 with Daniel Fornito starring on that occasion.

Hakoah FC v Nepean FC; Saturday 13 July, 4:30pm, Hensley Athletic Field

Returning to winning ways, Hakoah FC kept their top two hopes alive last weekend with a victory over Rydalmere Lions. Two first half goals gave them their 14th victory of the season, of which nine have come at home. Stand in captain Connor Shaddock scored a rare goal last weekend and has played a key role in their defence this season.

Nepean FC will be eyeing some revenge in this one after a four goal defeat to this opponent earlier in the season. Four defeats in a row has halted their momentum which they had a month ago, last week beaten by Blacktown Spartans in our match of the round. They will be missing Darcy Ellem for this one due to suspension.

Previous Meeting: Nepean FC 0-4 Hakoah FC

Canterbury Bankstown v Mt Druitt Town Rangers; Saturday 13 July, 5pm, Jensen Park

After giving Bulls FC Academy a fright last weekend, Canterbury Bankstown could well fancy their chances against another top two side here. Marco Turpeinen gave them a lead in that one before they conceded twice in the second half. They should have a few players return from injury this weekend as they eye an upset.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers suffered a rare hiccup in round 23 with a defeat to Northern Tigers. The first time they have tasted defeat at home this season, a poor start ultimately cost them. Character wise, they have bounced back well from defeats this season. While it was also noteworthy that Marcus Lal appeared on their bench last weekend.

Previous Meeting: Mt Druitt Town Rangers 3-2 Canterbury Bankstown

Northern Tigers v Inter Lions; Saturday 13 July, 6:30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area

A third fixture in the space of a week for Northern Tigers, they claimed a surprise win over Mt Druitt Town Rangers last weekend. Both Ahmed Sweedan and Kai Denton found the back of the net in the first half hour, Denton scoring in his fifth straight game for Adam Hett’s side. You’d consider them favourites here.

They face a Inter Lions who weren’t quite at their best against Dunbar Rovers last weekend. In search of consistency, an own goal gave them the lead early in the second half before they conceded in injury time. They have only won twice away from home so far this season.

Previous Meeting: Inter Lions 3-1 Northern Tigers

SD Raiders v Blacktown Spartans; Saturday 13 July, 7pm, Ernie Smith Reserve

Three victories in a row, SD Raiders are showing what they have been capable of in recent times. Another side who has benefited from the pressure being off, they secured a 2-0 victory over UNSW FC last weekend. Charlie Ragg and Jairo Torne Fernandez are two players who have found the net frequently in recent weeks so keep an eye out for them.

Their opponents Blacktown Spartans are in good form themselves. They picked up a win over Nepean FC in our match of the round last week to extend their own winning run to three games. And once again it was Angus Chance who picked up the crucial goal, while George Timotheou made his debut for Ben Rollison’s side as well.

Previous Meeting: Blacktown Spartans 0-0 SD Raiders

Rydalmere Lions v Bankstown City; Saturday 13 July, 7pm, Rydalmere Park

It’s been another tough month for Rydalmere Lions who have slumped to four successive defeats. Conceding 50 times this season which is the third worst record in the competition, they lost Hakoah FC last weekend. They added another familiar name to their ranks in Robert Eremugo who came off the bench in that one.

In contrast, Bankstown City have recovered from their form blip not too long ago. A game in hand which they’’ll play tonight, they will look to keep alive their faint promotion hopes. Last weekend they claimed a narrow 1-0 victory over Dulwich Hill courtesy of a Andrej Poljcic goal in the second half.

Previous Meeting: Bankstown City 3-0 Rydalmere Lions

Macarthur Rams v UNSW FC; Saturday 13 July, 7pm, Lynwood Park

Like many teams around them in the competition, Macarthur Rams are struggling to pick up some form with one point in their last five. Last weekend they tasted defeat at the hands of Bonnyrigg White Eagles, the rare highlight being a goal from new recruit Emmanuel Gonzalez against his former side.

Revenge could be the best motivation for UNSW ahead of this one after the first meeting between the two. They have struggled in their two most recent game against Blacktown Spartans and SD Raiders, last weekend against SD Raiders. They have strengthened their squad with the addition of Alex Malfara from St George FC.

Previous Meeting: UNSW FC 2-3 Macarthur Rams

By Justin Smith