Round 27 Preview – League Two Men’s

The 2024 Football NSW League Two Men’s title could be decided in Round 27, with the Newcastle Jets just one win away from securing the title and promotion to the League One Men’s competition.
With that being a possibility, the focus for the Match of the Round shifts to the battle for 2nd, with three teams battling it out but as many as five teams still mathematically in the running – 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC will hope to continue to be in pole position for it when they travel to face 14th-placed Sydney University SFC.
Saturday, 3rd August 2024
Match of the Round: Sydney University SFC vs Bankstown United FC, 5pm at Sydney University Football Ground
Previous Meeting: Bankstown United FC 3-0 Sydney University SFC
With only four rounds left and the three teams battling it out for 2nd separated by just two points, every match is crucial for Bankstown United FC as they travel to face Sydney University SFC, with promotion on the line for the former and the avoidance of last place on the line for the latter.
Bankstown ran out 3-0 winners in the reverse fixture in Round 12, with a goal each to Marie Gauthier, Mitchell Cross and Jovan Blagojevic – they will hope to put in a similar performance as they look to take advantage of their newly-gained 2nd place.
Bankstown survived a scare with ten men last week to hold off Hawkesbury City FC for a 4-3 win away from home and will hope to continue their hot streak in front of goal this week.
Mitchell Cross scored a hat-trick last week, which put him on 29 goals for the season, four ahead of Mounties Wanderers FC’s Yuki Kanai in the race for the Golden Boot – with his pace, power and precision up front, expect him to be the main outlet for Bankstown against University as he chases his own personal accolade, too.
A win for Bankstown could put them five points clear of Mounties in 3rd and Inner West Hawks FC in 4th, who both also still need to play each other, while a loss could see them drop to 3rd – Bankstown will hope to put the pressure on and continue their charge to 2nd with a league double over University.
Sydney University SFC, meanwhile, fell to late heartbreak away to Hurstville FC last week in a 2-1 loss and will hope to bounce back quickly as they look to finish the season with pride.
University have shown stark improvement lately, with wins over Camden Tigers FC and Gladesville Ryde Magic in their past five matches, with the other three of those matches only being defeats by a one-goal margin.
A win for University would be another step for them to see their improvement this season, while a loss could open them to falling to last place, behind Gladesville Ryde Magic.
With promotion on the line for Bankstown and pride on the line for University, neither side will want to lose their focus when they meet in this important matchup for both ends of the ladder.
South Coast Flame FC vs Granville Rage, 3:15pm at Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Previous Meeting: Granville Rage 5-3 South Coast Flame FC
5th-placed South Coast Flame FC will hope to return to form and keep their mathematical hopes at promotion alive when they host 8th-placed Granville Rage.
Granville won a classic in the reverse fixture where they stunned the Flame with a 5-1 lead, before they ended up with the win, 5-3 – this match promises to deliver just as much action with the two teams looking to get back to winning ways.
The Flame have had their promotion hopes all-but extinguished lately, with one win from their past four matches after their 0-0 draw away to Fraser Park FC in Round 25, with their bye last week seeing them drop to nine points behind 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC.
They also face a team they have not beaten in their past three head-to-head matches in the Rage, who they drew with 0-0 and lost to 2-1 last season before their 5-3 loss to them this year – they will hope to reverse that trend as they look to consolidate their position on the ladder.
A win for the Flame could see them close the gap to just six points on 2nd, while a loss could see them drop to 6th below Central Coast United FC.
Granville, meanwhile, fell to back-to-back losses for the first time since Round 17 after their 4-1 loss at home to the Newcastle Jets last week and will hope to return to form as they look to finish the season strongly.
Ante Tomic has scored in back-to-back matches and leads the Rage as their top goal scorer this season following the departure of Nikola Todoroski, with 14 goals, and will look to lead the line for Granville once again.
A win for the Rage could see them return to 7th on the ladder, while a loss could see them fall behind local rivals Parramatta FC into 9th.
With both the Flame and the Rage hoping to get back into form, an attacking match can be expected with two clinical strikers at the forefront of the action.
Parramatta FC vs Hurstville FC, 5pm at Melita Stadium
Previous Meeting: Hurstville FC 3-1 Parramatta FC
Two teams in good form will face off, with positions for the end of the season up for grabs, when 9th-placed Parramatta FC host 7th-placed Hurstville FC.
Hurstville held on for a 3-1 win when these two teams met in their Round 12 matchup and will hope to do so again as they look to continue their strong second half of the season.
Parramatta have found their form in the past four matches after their 5-1 home win over Prospect United SC last week, while the also defeated Gladesville Ryde Magic 5-0 in a Round 23 catch-up match, with goals a goal each for Marco Sama, Jordan Parfait and Bret Sibanda, as well as two goals for Ali Chamsin.
They have rocketed up the ladder in recent weeks and sit in 9th, three points behind Hurstville, who they will hope to chase down come the end of the season.
A win for the Eagles could see them rise to 7th depending on the margin, while a loss could leave them exposed to the four teams just behind them on the ladder.
Hurstville, meanwhile, have also found form lately and picked up a third-straight win last week after their 2-1 home success over Sydney University SFC.
The visitors will look to control the match with their possession and limit the chances for Parramatta on the counter, while they have scored in all-but five matches so far this season, with much improvement shown in the second half of the season.
Before this match, however, they play a Round 23 catch-up match away to Hawkesbury City FC – Therefore, a win for Hurstville in both matches could see them potentially close the gap to 6th-placed Central Coast United FC to just two points.
With the mid-table tight, every match is crucial and both Parramatta and Hurstville will fight hard to gain the three points in their pursuit of a strong finish to the season.
Hawkesbury City FC vs Central Coast United FC, 5:30pm at David Bertenshaw Field
Previous Meeting: Central Coast United FC 0-2 Hawkesbury City FC
With 11th-placed Hawkesbury City FC looking to get back into form and 6th-placed Central Coast United FC flying in form, this match between the two will provide intrigue.
Two late goals for Hawkesbury saw them come away with a 2-0 away win in the reverse fixture and they will hope to complete the league double to strengthen their finishing position this season.
Hawkesbury fell in a tough 4-3 home loss to Bankstown United FC last week and will hope to instead chase a third win in five matches when they host the Pirates on the weekend.
They will come into this match as their third match in a week, given they have a Round 23 catch-up match at home to Hurstville FC to play mid-week – expect Hawkesbury to utilise their squad and use their energy wisely to pick up the three points in these two matches.
Wins in both matches for Hawkesbury could see them rise to as high as 9th on the ladder, while losses could see them drop to as low as 13th in the tight mid-table pack.
Central Coast United, meanwhile, picked up their sixth win from their past seven matches as their form continue to fly to end the season following their 7-0 win at home to Gladesville Ryde Magic last week and they will hope to continue that run with the slightest hope of a 2nd-placed finish still mathematically possible.
The visitors will hope to take the initiative and take the match to Hawkesbury when they travel to face Hawkesbury as they look to prevent the hosts from completing the league double.
A win for the Pirates could see them rise to 5th on the ladder and could keep them in the hunt for higher-placed finishes this season if other results go their way.
Both Hawkesbury and Central Coast United will hope to attack well to tear the other down in a match which should bring with it plenty of action.
Prospect United SC vs Fraser Park FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Previous Meeting: Fraser Park FC 1-4 Prospect United SC
With 13th-placed Prospect United SC on a five-match winless streak and 10th-placed Fraser Park FC on a four-match winless streak, both teams will hope to end those runs this week when they clash.
Prospect ran out 4-1 winners in the reverse fixture and will hope to return to that form as they look to make up positions on the ladder late in the season.
Prospect lost a fourth match from their past five after their 5-1 loss away to local rivals Parramatta FC last week and will hope to end their poor run of form when they host a side they beat earlier in the season in Fraser Park FC.
Prospect will hope to adjust to their big squad turnover of recent weeks, with the key losses of Anthony Idehen and Hristopher Neskovski, and will hope to bring some positive results with the trust they put into their younger players to step up to the task.
A win for Prospect could see them rise as many as three spots to 10th on the ladder, while a loss would extend their winless streak to six matches.
Fraser Park FC, meanwhile, lost back-to-back matches for the first time since Round 19 after their 4-0 home loss to Inner West Hawks FC last week and will hope to return to the form which saw them go five matches unbeaten not too long ago, soon.
After a hot streak of scoring 15 goals over four matches, Fraser Park have failed to score in their past three matches and will hope to end that trend when they travel to face Prospect this weekend.
A win for Fraser Park could see them close the gap to 9th-placed Parramatta FC to just one point, while a loss could see them drop to as low as 13th on the ladder.
With both teams struggling in recent weeks, both with hope to end the trend when they take to the field in this matchup.
Camden Tigers FC vs Gladesville Ryde Magic, 7pm at Ron Dine Memorial Reserve – Carbiz Stadium
Previous Meeting: Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-4 Camden Tigers FC
With 12th-placed Camden Tigers FC on a high after their big win last week and last-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic more desperate than ever to pick up the three points, this matchup promises to provide plenty of drama.
Camden came away with the three points in the reverse fixture after a 4-2 away win and will hope to complete the league double over the Magic, just as the Magic did to them last season.
Camden are on a big high after their come-from-behind 2-1 away win over promotion-chasing Mounties Wanderers FC last week and will hope to build on their first win since Round 15 this week.
Camden will hope to win back-to-back matches for the second time this season when they host the Magic, while they will also hope to complete one of only two league doubles still available to them this season.
A win for Camden could see them rise to as high as 10th on the ladder, while a loss could see them fall one spot to 13th – expect the Tigers to show their claws as they hunt down a big win.
Gladesville Ryde Magic, meanwhile, fell to a seventh-straight loss after their 5-0 defeat in a mid-week catch-up match away to Parramatta FC, which followed their 7-0 loss away to Central Coast United FC last week, and they will hope to end that poor run of form away to Camden this week.
The Magic have only scored seven goals in their 11 matches in the second half of the season and will hope to end their losing streak when they travel to Camden this week.
A win for the Magic could see them rise off last-place ahead of Sydney University if results go their way – expect the young Magic side to want to continue to show improvement as the season nears closer to a conclusion.
Both the Tigers and the Magic will hope their young squads can keep improving and will hope to showcase that when they face each other in this match.
Sunday, 4th August 2024
Newcastle Jets vs Inner West Hawks FC, 5pm at Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Previous Meeting: Inner West Hawks FC 1-1 Newcastle Jets
The best is saved until last this week when the unbeaten, league-leading Newcastle Jets host 4th-placed Inner West Hawks FC, with the league title on the line for Newcastle and promotion hopes hanging in the balance for the Hawks.
The two teams could not be split in the Round 12 reverse fixture, with Lawrence Claxton’s early strike for the Hawks cancelled out just before half-time by the Jets’ Janni Rafty – with so much on the line in this match, expect this contest to be just as tight.
The Newcastle Jets are one win away from guaranteeing the league title this season and promotion to the League One Men’s competition for 2025 after their 4-1 away win over Granville Rage last weekend and will hope to continue their unprecedented unbeaten season when they host the Hawks this weekend.
In 24 matches so far, the Jets have won 19 of them and drawn five, with one of those draws coming against the Hawks earlier in the season – the Jets will hope to continue their quest for history when they take to the field this weekend.
Sitting on 62 points, 11 ahead of 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC, a win would mean they would be a minimum of 11 points clear with only nine points left to play for; theoretically, a draw would all-but seal the title for them with their +35 goal differential as it stands currently, but the Jets would love to seal the deal with a win this weekend.
Inner West Hawks, meanwhile, would love to play spoiler to the Jets’ fairytale season and break their unbeaten streak to keep their hopes of a top-two finish going, which gained a massive boost after their 4-0 away win over Fraser Park FC last week.
They sit on 49 points currently, just two points behind 2nd-placed Bankstown United FC and given they still need to play 3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC this season, would love to give themselves the best chance of pinching 2nd with a win over the unbeaten league leaders this weekend.
Look for the Hawks to be strong defensively and limit chances for the Jets early, given they have kept three clean sheets from their past five matches, as they look to grab one of the biggest wins of not only their season, but the season as a whole.
With the Jets one win away from the ultimate glory this season and the Hawks looking to spoil the party in their own pursuit of promotion, themselves, expect this match to provide plenty of memorable moments as both teams go searching for their goals, both literally and figuratively.
3rd-placed Mounties Wanderers FC have a bye in Round 27.
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)