Round 2 Preview – League Two Men’s
With the first round in the books, Round Two of the 2025 FNSW League Two Men’s season promises to deliver just as much action with more unpredictable results inbound.
The Match of the Round this week sees Dunbar Rovers FC get their first run of the season at home when they host Fraser Park FC in a local derby.
Saturday, 15th February 2025
Match of the Round: Dunbar Rovers FC vs Fraser Park FC, 7pm at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
These two teams did not meet last season
A big Match of the Round this week sees Dunbar Rovers FC look to kick-start their season at home as they host a Fraser Park FC side looking to bounce back in a local derby.
These two teams have not met in this competition before, but both will be raring to prove themselves against one another in this fixture.
Dunbar suffered a 2-0 defeat to a strong Hurstville FC side last week and will look to make amends in their bid to pick up their first points of the season.
They will be without Gianni Constantino after his red card last week, but will relish the opportunity to give more players a run-out early in the season as they look to have a proper 11v11 hit out.
Expect Dunbar to show just what they’ve been working on in pre-season in this match as they look to make their mark on the competition.
Fraser Park, meanwhile, went down 5-1 away to Camden Tigers FC last week and will hope the experience for the young squad will serve them well ahead of this grudge match.
The young Fraser Park defence, in particular, will look to show some maturity and hope to put in a big effort to keep out a strong Dunbar attack.
Expect the first-round nerves to have disappeared a little for Fraser Park as they look to eliminate mistakes and put together a complete team performance in Round Two.
Anything can happen in a derby and this one is shaping up to be one to watch in the early stages of the season.
Friday, 14th February 2025
Hurstville Zagreb FC vs Sydney University SFC, 8pm at Penshurst Park
Last season: Sydney University SFC 0-1 Hurstville Zagreb FC, Hurstville Zagreb FC 2-1 Sydney University SFC
Hurstville Zagreb FC will look to win back-to-back matches to start the season when they host a Sydney University SFC side hopeful of reversing their recent results against the hosts.
Last season, Hurstville won both head-to-head matches home and away, which made it four-straight wins against the students – they will look to continue that streak, while University will hope to end it.
Hurstville put in a controlled performance in their first round 2-0 win over Dunbar and will hope to shake off the rest of the pre-season rust as they look to continue their improvement.
Hurstville will hope to better their final pass and their decision making in the final third as they look to put together a complete performance following their first-round win.
Expect Hurstville to come out firing with the strength and speed of their attack leading the way early as they hunt another early-season scalp.
With Dunbar looking to make the most of their first home match of the season and Hurstville looking to prove themselves yet again against high-quality opposition, neither side will want to give up the fight easily in this contest.
Saturday, 15th February 2025
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Central Coast United FC, 5pm at Christie Park
Last season: Gladesville Ryde Magic 0-1 Central Coast United FC, Central Coast United FC 7-0 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Two teams coming off contrasting opening rounds sees Gladesville Ryde Magic look to get their first points of the season when they host a Central Coast United FC side hunting back-to-back wins.
Last season, the Pirates held the Magic scoreless in both of their matches, winning by a combined scoreline of 8-0 between the two matches – they will want to continue that strong record while the Magic will hope to break it.
The Magic will hope to make the most of their first home match of the season as they look to put together a complete performance for 90 minutes after they finished with ten men in their 2-1 loss to Nepean FC last week.
They will be without Mandlenkosi Ndlovu after his red card last week but will hope to once again give their young players some good experience as they hit Christie Park for the first time in 2025.
The Magic will take positives from their shape last week, where they held back Nepean for long periods of the contest with ten men and will hope to create more chances going forward playing at home.
Central Coast United FC, meanwhile, will look to win back-to-back matches to start the season after their 2-1 win over Sydney University SFC last week, where they showed resilience to come from behind and win.
Ben Flakus and Cayleb Murray showed early signs of what they produced last season in that win and will hope to be instrumental in their side’s play again this week.
Expect the Pirates to start hot as they look to win back-to-back matches to start the new season.
A match which the Magic will want to be up for and the Pirates will not take lightly will see plenty of action, where the winner will take a lot moving into Round Three.
South Coast Flame FC vs Bankstown United FC, 5pm at Sir Ian McLennan Oval
Last season: Bankstown United FC 1-1 South Coast Flame FC, South Coast Flame FC 2-1 Bankstown United FC
The red-hot South Coast Flame FC will look to reignite once again when they host a Bankstown United FC side looking to pick up all three points this week.
Last season, the Flame went unbeaten against Bankstown with a home win and an away draw – they will hope to continue that unbeaten run while Bankstown will hope to put an end to it.
The Flame were in seventh heaven after their 7-0 home win over Granville Rage in the opening round and will hope to put the rest of the competition on notice once again when they host Bankstown.
Jyden Harb scored against Bankstown last season and will hope to get on the scoresheet again after his Round One brace, while Adam Timpano-Voloder and Jade Kinsella will also hope to continue their form from last week after their two goals in the opening round.
With the Flame showing up in all areas of the pitch last week, they will hope to make the most of their home advantage once again when they take on Bankstown.
Bankstown United FC, meanwhile, will be buoyed by their 85th minute equaliser in their 2-2 draw away to Hawkesbury City FC last week but will hope to take all three points in Round Two.
Last season’s Golden Boot winner, Mitchell Cross, scored against the Flame last season and after already getting off the mark in the opening round, will hope to inspire his side away from home.
Expect Bankstown to put together a complete performance in what will be their second-straight away match to start the season.
With the Flame firing and Bankstown looking to build into the season, expect a contest which is hotly-contested until the final whistle.
Granville Rage vs Parramatta FC, 7pm at Rydalmere Park
Last season: Granville Rage 2-1 Parramatta FC, Parramatta FC 0-2 Granville Rage
A western Sydney derby will bring plenty of fight and energy to Round Two when Granville Rage host Parramatta FC, with bragging rights on the line.
Last season, Granville claimed ultimate bragging rights with a league double over the Eagles and will hope to continue that this season, while Parramatta will hope to end that trend early.
Granville suffered a big 7-0 away loss to South Coast Flame FC in the opening round but will hope to forget that match quickly and make amends in Round Two.
With the likes of Ante Tomic and Asmir Kadric up front, both of whom scored in the Rage’s wins against Parramatta in 2024, Granville will be hopeful of putting together a different performance to Round One.
Expect Granville to set up tight at the back in their first home match of the season as they look to make up for Round One.
Parramatta FC, meanwhile, picked up a big 1-0 win over Inner West Hawks FC in the Round One Match of the Round to start the season and will hope that form continues against their local rival.
Head Coach Stamati Glaros will look to get his side firing after their many offsides denied them many chances in the opening round, with the positive signs there early in the season for the Eagles.
Expect Parramatta to show their improvement from the opening match as they look to claim back bragging rights over the Rage in what should be an exciting contest.
Matches between the Rage and the Eagles are never dull and are always unpredictable, with this one early in the season promising to be just as much.
Nepean FC vs Camden Tigers FC, 7pm at Cook Park
These two teams did not meet last season.
Nepean FC will hope to win back-to-back matches to start their term back in the League Two Men’s competition when they host a local rival, of sorts, in Camden Tigers FC.
The last time these teams met was in the 2023 season, where Camden picked up a 1-0 win before Nepean won 5-0 in the reverse fixture.
Nepean started their season on a positive note after their 3-1 home win over Gladesville Ryde Magic to start the season and will hope to make the most of their early home ground advantage.
Nepean showed patience to work their way around the Magic defence and earn a few penalties – they will hope to exercise that patience once again as they look to go back-to-back to start the new season.
Matthew Crossley scored two goals in the opening round, picking up where he left off in this competition in 2023 and will hope to be a threat against the Tigers once again.
Camden Tigers FC, meanwhile, scored a big 5-1 home win over Fraser Park FC to kick off their season and will hunt down another big win against Nepean.
The Camden squad will be hungry to get back out and play, with plenty of positions still up for grabs among the side.
Expect Camden to put up a good fight against Nepean, where they will be tested across the park.
With Nepean and Camden both looking to win back-to-back matches to start the season, neither will want to give up the fight as they chase the perfect start.
Sunday, 16th February 2025
Prospect United SC vs Hawkesbury City FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Hawkesbury City FC 1-4 Prospect United SC, Prospect United SC 0-1 Hawkesbury City FC
The final match of Round Two sees the first Sunday action of the year, with Prospect United SC playing their first match of the season against a Hawkesbury City FC team looking forward to their second hit-out of the season.
In 2024, both away teams won with Hawkesbury picking up a 4-1 win, before Prospect earned a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture.
Prospect will look to start their season strongly and will hope their key players and new signings can step up to start the new year.
Among those key players is Anthony Idehen, with the forward looking to get off to a strong start on 2025, while the many new additions to the Prospect squad will hope to make their mark early.
With a week off to see how the other teams have fared before they hit the field, expect Prospect to show plenty of firepower across the park with a revitalised team in Round Two.
Hawkesbury City FC, meanwhile, will be buoyed by their performance against Bankstown but will be hunting the three points away to Prospect in Round Two.
Harry Drew and Vincent D’ermilio showed their scoring edge to start the season and will hope to provide more in the second match week.
With the squad showing a bit more experience, Hawkesbury will hope to put that into play when they travel to face Prospect.
With Prospect ready to take on the new season and Hawkesbury looking to get their first win, both sides will be ready for the fight in this contest.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
