League One Men’s/League Two Men’s Leg 2 Playoff Preview
With Nepean FC and Mounties Wanderers FC deadlocked ahead of the second leg of the 2024 FNSW League Two Men’s/League One Men’s Promotion/Relegation Playoff, the final match of the year for the two teams could not be more dramatic.
Nepean FC will hope their hard work to keep a clean sheet away from home will do them good as they look to stay in the League One Men’s competition for 2025.
For Mounties Wanderers FC, meanwhile, they will hope their one-season stay in the League Two Men’s competition ends, with revenge against Nepean in mind and their eyes set on returning to the second division in NSW for the season to come.
The two teams who battled it out in the 2023 playoff will do battle in the second leg in 2024 – will history repeat itself or will there be a changing of the guard once again for 2025?
Here is what to look out for in the second leg ahead:
Friday, 6th September 2024
Nepean FC vs Mounties Wanderers FC, 8pm at Wanderers Football Park
Previous Match: Mounties Wanderers FC 0-0 Nepean FC
The tie remained in the balance at 0-0 following the first leg with both Nepean FC and Mounties Wanderers FC looking to secure a spot in the League One Men’s competition for 2025 in the second leg.
In the first leg, it was a tense and fiery affair where neither team was able to find a golden chance to take the lead – with everything at stake in the next 90 minutes, expect both sides to put in strong attacking displays.
Nepean FC will hope to fire up at home and convert the chances they create on their home ground as they look to stay in the League One Men’s competition for a second-straight season.
Luka Zepina was dangerous but could not find a goal last week against the ten men of Mounties, while Jack Hoban was also a danger man for Nepean – expect those two to continue to create in the second leg.
Nepean showed they have pace in behind up front and looked dangerous from set-piece situations, which they will hope to use to their advantage with their height in their team.
Daunte Cervo will hope to inspire his team’s attacking play at home, while in goal Justin Biega will hope to pull off some heroics to help Nepean on the defensive end once again.
Nepean’s playstyle at home may also change, with a synthetic surface which should help them transition the ball well across, as well as help players in their pursuit of balls in behind.
However, Nepean have not played at Wanderers Football Park since their first leg playoff match against Mounties last year, where they defeated Mounties 3-2, but they will hope that will also be a good omen for this match for them.
Matthew Crossley scored against Mounties in that match last season and will hope to return to the scoresheet once again for Nepean.
Eight of the starting eleven for Nepean last week also started in the second leg of the playoff match from 2023 and Nepean will hope that squad familiarity will aid them in this contest.
Having kept clean sheets in back-to-back matches for the first time this season, Nepean will be full on confidence in defence and will hope to convert that energy across the pitch into a performance which will see them stay up.
Expect Nepean to want to show intent early at home as they fight to retain their spot among the League One Men’s teams for 2025.
Mounties Wanderers FC, meanwhile, will hope to play in a more free-flowing match away from home as they look to return to the League One Men’s competition after one season away.
They will be without defender Eijin Kishimoto after his red card last week but will hope to replace him in the squad well as Mounties look to remain solid defensively.
Last week was the first time since Mounties’ Round 22 match against the Newcastle Jets they have failed to score, and they will hope to avoid consecutive matches without scoring as they hunt a return to the League One Men’s competition for 2025.
Playing on a synthetic pitch may also help Mounties’ playstyle, with the Wanderers looking to be sharp up front with the pace of Nikola Todoroski and Yuki Kanai.
Last season, captain Andre Shroeder scored against Nepean and will hope to be a rock in the heart of the Mounties team once again in this match.
Roberto D’Angelo will hope to continue strongly between the Mounties sticks, while Alistair Mckie will look to be a key player for Mounties across the field.
Fikret Berisha will hunt to be at his attacking best, while Brima Kamara will aim to join him as Mounties look to show how they scored 83 goals from their 28 regular season matches in 2024.
Only three of the starting eleven from their final playoff match against Nepean started last week in a show of the turnover and desire of the Mounties squad to hunt down promotion and they will hope that investment in the squad pays off come the final whistle on Friday.
Mounties will be full of confidence having also kept a clean sheet in their last match and will know they have more in their attacking arsenal to hurt Nepean, which they will hope to unleash in the second leg.
If Mounties can remain resolute at the back early, they will hope to gain confidence and score the all-important first goal in this contest to set themselves up for promotion to the League One Men’s competition for 2025.
With one of the results from last season’s playoffs between these two teams already repeated, Nepean will hope to continue to recreate history while Mounties will hope to create their own, instead, with both teams in the hunt for the second leg.
Expect both sides to continue to show defensive resilience but as the match wears on, expect fitness and substitutes to play their part as the attacking display of both sides will be on show, especially late in the match with the tensions high.
Will Nepean earn a second-straight season in the League One Men’s competition for 2025, or will Mounties end their one-year stay in the League Two Men’s competition and exact revenge on Nepean for their relegation at the hands of them last year?
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa (@_dylancosta)
