Round 25 Preview – League Two Men’s

a man holding a football ball

Another big round of action will see top teams tangle, legends leave their mark and the competition take another step towards a tight finish as Round 25 of the 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s season arrives.

The Match of the Round this week is a special one for multiple reasons, with the Stroke Recovery Cup being played between Gladesville Ryde Magic and Hawkesbury City FC, while it is also the retirement match of Magic goalkeeper, Kyriakos Tohouroglou.

 

Saturday, 20th July 2024

Match of the Round: Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Hawkesbury City FC, 5:30pm at Christie Park

Previous Meeting: Hawkesbury City FC 3-2 Gladesville Ryde Magic

A big Match of the Round sees Gladesville Ryde Magic take on a new opponent for the Stroke Recovery Cup in Hawkesbury City FC in what is also stalwart, 51-year-old goalkeeper Kyriakos Tohouroglou’s final match in his long, illustrious career.

The last time these two teams met, Hawkesbury scored a late goal while down to ten men to claim a big 3-2 victory at home and with more than just pride on the line this time, expect this match to be just as tight as the two teams chase a bit of silverware.

Last-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic fell back to the bottom of the ladder after they lost 3-0 away to now-14th-placed Sydney University SFC in a midweek Round 20 catch-up match and will hope to respond quickly as they look to end a four-match losing streak.

The Magic will hope to retain the Stroke Recovery Cup, which they won after a 4-3 win over Bankstown United FC last season, when they take on Hawkesbury at the weekend and will have extra motivation to do so with it being Tohouroglou’s final match in football.

Expect the hosts to come out with plenty of energy as they look to retain the Cup against a new opponent in a match which will also be attended by their 2012 State League 1 NSW Championship-winning team to celebrate the whole occasion.

12th-placed Hawkesbury City FC, meanwhile, drew 1-1 at home to Fraser Park FC in their Round 20 catch-up match midweek and will hope to complete the league double and claim a bit of silverware this season in the process.

Harry Drew scored his second goal in three matches following the catch-up match and will hope he and his teammates can bring with them plenty of determination to pick up not only the three points, but also an important piece of silverware.

A win for Hawkesbury could also put them back into the mix in the mid-table battle, which they will want to be in come the final rounds of the season as they look to end the season strongly.

With a new era for the Stroke Recovery Cup starting and both teams wanting to put together their best performances in an important match for the cause, as well as the retirement of Tohouroglou at the end of it, expect both sets of players to be fired up and take the match to each other for the full 90 minutes as they hunt down the silverware.

 

Friday, 19th July 2024

Hurstville FC vs Camden Tigers FC, 8pm at Penshurst Park

Previous Meeting: Camden Tigers FC 1-2 Hurstville FC

Another big match for mid-table positions sees 8th-placed Hurstville FC host 13th-placed Camden Tigers FC in another big match for positions this season, with the mid-table pack continuing to be tight towards the end of the season.

Hurstville held off Camden and scored a quick-reply goal to come away 2-1 winners in the reverse fixture and with both sides looking to finish the season strongly, will hope to take home the three points in this match.

Hurstville ended their three-match losing streak with a strong 3-1 home win over Prospect United SC last week and will hope to build on not only the result, but also the performance as they look to complete a league double over the Tigers.

The hosts utilised their tactics to their advantage last week to take down Prospect and will hope to hurt Camden on the counter, as well as in wide areas, as they look to deal without a few key players.

A win for Hurstville could see them close the gap to three points to 7th-placed Granville Rage, while a loss could see them drop one place to 9th.

Camden, meanwhile, lost a fourth-straight match and went a ninth-straight match without a win after their 6-0 loss away to Central Coast United FC last week.

The Tigers will hope to end their rough run of form lately with a positive performance this week – they have not scored in their past three matches, which goes against their high-scoring nature from the rest of the season beforehand.

A win for Camden could see them rise to as high as 9th on the ladder, while a loss would keep them in 13th – expect the tide to turn at some point for Camden as they look to end the season on a positive note.

With plenty of positions up for grabs, neither side will take this match lightly as they hunt down the three points in a big midfield battle.

 

Saturday, 20th July 2024

Central Coast United FC vs Parramatta FC, 5pm at Pluim Park

Previous Meeting: Parramatta FC 2-3 Central Coast United FC

Both 6th-placed Central Coast United FC and 10th-placed Parramatta FC will hope to build off big wins from the previous round as they clash in Round 25.

Central Coast overcame a scare from Parramatta in the reverse fixture to pick up a 3-2 win and will hope to complete the league double when they host the Eagles.

The Pirates have won four of their past five matches and after picking up their biggest win of the season last week, 6-0 over Camden Tigers FC, will be full of confidence heading into this week.

Central Coast’s strong defensive displays continued with the clean sheet, also, after they picked up their third clean sheet from their past five matches.

Expect the Pirates to come out quickly and full of confidence as they chase down a win which could see them close the gap on the top five to just three points, while a loss could see their three-point lead over 7th-placed Granville Rage disappear.

Parramatta FC, meanwhile, ended their six-match winless run with a big 2-1 away win over Sydney University SFC last week and will hope to build on that victory as they look to finish the season on a high note in the coming weeks.

The visitors will look to use their defensive strength in a formidable mid-block as they look to utilise their strengths in wide areas to bring some success.

A win for Parramatta could see them rise one spot up into 9th, while a loss could see them drop to as low as 13th as the points become crucial at this point of the season.

With positions looking like they will continue to be tight in the final matches of the season, both teams will hope to pick up a big three points in this contest.

 

Bankstown United FC vs Mounties Wanderers FC, 7pm at Padstow Park

Previous Meeting: Mounties Wanderers FC 2-5 Bankstown United FC

A crucial clash in the battle for the all-important 2nd-place position for the promotion playoff this season sees 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC host 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC in a big six-pointer, with the two teams separated by just one point.

Bankstown put in a five-star performance over Mounties in Round 10’s Match of the Round between the two teams and they will hope to complete the league double as they chase down that 2nd-placed finish.

Bankstown bounced back from their Round 23 defeat at home to the Newcastle Jets with a strong 3-1 win over fellow promotion-playoff contenders Inner West Hawks FC in last week’s Match of the Round and they will hope to take another step towards their goal for the season when they host another fellow top-of-the-table rival in Mounties.

Facing a third side from within the top four this season in the space of three weeks will test the resolve of Bankstown – the last time they met Mounties, a hat-trick from the league’s top goal scorer, Mitchell Cross, led them to victory and Cross will hope to add to his 25 goals for the season this week.

A win for Bankstown would put them in the box seat for the all-important 2nd-placed finish, while it would also keep their chances of winning the league alive, but they are currently nine points behind the league-leading Newcastle Jets with only 18 points left to play for this season.

Mounties, meanwhile, put in a five-star performance in their 5-0 home win over 5th-placed South Coast Flame FC last week and will hope to put in another robust performance as they look to overtake Bankstown into 2nd place on the ladder.

They will hope for another positive and fast start this week – if they can grab the first goal, they will be confident of overrunning Bankstown in the contest.

Following back-to-back clean sheets and having only conceded two goals from their past five matches, Mounties will hope to build on their previous performances as they look to continue their run to stay in the promotion hunt.

With two points separating the two teams in 2nd and 3rd, neither side will want to lose this match with 4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC and 5th-placed South Coast Flame FC hot on their heels, also.

 

Fraser Park FC vs South Coast Flame FC, 7pm at Fraser Park

Previous Meeting: South Coast Flame FC 6-1 Fraser Park FC

With 9th-placed Fraser Park FC in form and 5th-placed South Coast Flame FC looking to stay in the promotion hunt following a tough three weeks, both sides will be fired up as they take to the field this week.

South Coast Flame hit Fraser Park for six when they met in Round 10 and both sides will look to that match from earlier this season for some added motivation amid their respective results last week.

Fraser Park ran out big 4-1 winners over Gladesville Ryde Magic last week, while they came from behind to draw 1-1 away to Hawkesbury City FC in a midweek Round 20 catch-up match this week.

Stavros Palapanis scored his fourth goal in four matches since joining the club and will hope to continue to be the one to lead the charge in attack for Fraser Park when they host the Flame this week.

A win for Fraser Park could see them rise another spot to 8th on the ladder, while a loss could see them drop to as low as 13th as points become more important in the latter stages of the season.

South Coast Flame, meanwhile, had their promotion hopes take another hit last week after they fell to their second loss in three weeks with a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Mounties Wanderers FC.

They have struggled for goals lately, with only one goal scored from their past three matches, and they will hope to get back to the form which has seen them challenge near the top of the table for a large part of the season when they take on the in-form Fraser Park this weekend.

A win for the Flame could see them rise one spot into 4th on the ladder, while a loss could see them be just three points ahead of 6th-placed Central Coast United FC, results pending.

The ladder and form guide tell different tales for Fraser Park and South Coast Flame – the winner of this match will take a lot of confidence heading into the final five rounds of the season.

 

Inner West Hawks FC vs Granville Rage, 7pm at Arlington Oval

Previous Meeting: Granville Rage 2-4 Inner West Hawks FC

With 4th-placed Inner West Hawks looking to keep up their promotion hopes and 7th-placed Granville Rage hoping to continue their strong second half of the season, both teams will look to bring their best when they clash this weekend.

The Hawks picked up the three points in the reverse fixture and will hope to complete an important league double as they look to keep up with 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC and 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC ahead of them.

Inner West Hawks FC had their eight-match unbeaten streak end after their 3-1 home loss to Bankstown United FC last week and will look to hunt a swift response to keep their hopes of promotion alive this season.

Last week was the first time since Round 9 the Hawks had conceded more than two goals in a match this season and they will hope to keep their defensive resilience this week, while their leading goal scorer Takuma Hirano will look to add to his 19 goals for the season.

A win for the Hawks could move them back up into 3rd place, and with both 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC and 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC playing each other this week, the result of these two matches will be crucial going forward.

Granville Rage, meanwhile, won a fifth match from their past seven after they overcame Hawkesbury City FC 3-1 away from home last week and will hope to continue their strong run of form against a formidable Hawks side this week.

The Rage will look to Ante Tomic and Adrian Neoklis for goals as they look to win their 11th match of the season and put a big dent in the promotion hopes of the Hawks.

A win for the Rage could see them move level on points with 6th-placed Central Coast United FC, while a loss could see their lead over 8th-placed Hurstville FC cut to just two points.

With plenty to play for, the Hawks will hope to keep their promotion charge going, while the Rage will hope to put an end to it when they meet this week.

 

Sunday, 21st July 2024

Newcastle Jets vs Sydney University SFC, 5pm at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility

Previous Meeting: Sydney University SFC 0-5 Newcastle Jets

The top-of-the-table Newcastle Jets return to action as they look to continue their unprecedented season going when they host 14th-placed Sydney University SFC.

The Jets put on a five-star performance when these two teams met earlier in the season and will hope to replicate that form as they look to continue their unbeaten season into a 23rd match.

The Newcastle Jets had their bye last week and will hope to be ready to take on University this week as they look to close in on the league title and promotion – they are only a maximum of 11 points away from the title, with 18 points left to play for this season.

Newcastle have not conceded a goal in their previous three league matches against University, stretching back to last season, with 2-0, 3-0 and 5-0 wins in that period.

A win for the Jets could put them 11 points clear at the top of the table, while a loss could see their lead cut to as little as six points – expect them to want to put in another formidable performance as they look to continue their unbeaten season.

Sydney University SFC, meanwhile, won a second match from their past three after they defeated Gladesville Ryde Magic 3-0 at home in a Round 20 catch-up match midweek and will look to cause one of the biggest upsets of the season when they travel to face the Jets this weekend.

Having kept two clean sheets from their past three matches, University will hope to bring some of that defensive confidence into their match against the Jets and would love to be the first team to knock them down this season.

A win for University would see them stay off the bottom of the ladder, while a loss could see them drop down to last if Gladesville Ryde Magic can win their match.

With the Jets looking to continue their unbeaten season at the top of the table and University looking to play spoiler to their season, this match should provide plenty of open, attacking play as both sides hunt the win.

 

11th-placed Prospect United SC have a bye in Round 25.

 

By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)