Round 3 Preview – League Two Men’s
With teams getting into the rhythm of the 2025 season, Round Three of the Football NSW League Two Men’s competition promises to deliver even more unpredictable action.
The Match of the Round this week sees Prospect United SC look to win back-to-back matches to start their season against a South Coast Flame FC side looking to bounce back from a loss.
Saturday, 22nd February 2025
Match of the Round: Prospect United SC vs South Coast Flame FC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Prospect United SC 0-1 South Coast Flame FC, South Coast Flame FC 2-1 Prospect United SC
A match between two teams coming off contrasting weekends sees Prospect United SC and South Coast Flame FC in a contest which promises to be a competitive affair.
Last season, the Flame won home and away against Prospect, extending their unbeaten streak against them to four matches – the Flame will look to extend that streak and Prospect will hope to end it.
Prospect picked up the three points in their first hit-out of the season in Round Two after their comeback 2-1 win over Hawkesbury City FC and will look to make the most of their early home advantage.
A new team meant a new system for Prospect, with new signing Jamie Dib making his mark early along with Prospect talisman Anthony Idehen – expect these two players to have their say in this match, too.
With a squad full of players looking to stake their claim for spots early, expect Prospect to show plenty of energy at home once again as they chase back-to-back wins to start their season.
South Coast Flame FC, meanwhile, could not back up their strong Round One performance after a 3-2 loss in Round Two against Bankstown United FC and will hope to make amends in Round Three.
Jyden Harb has scored a double in both of the Flame’s matches to start the season and will hope to continue his good form, while they will be without Alexander Alston after his red card in the last match.
With two contrasting results to start the season, expect the Flame to tighten up in defence as they look to find some consistency.
With Prospect hoping for back-to-back home wins to start the season and the Flame hoping for a positive result in their first away match of the season, expect both sides to test each other early in what has been a tight matchup over the years.
Friday, 21st February 2025
Central Coast United FC vs Fraser Park FC, 7:30pm at Pluim Park
Last season: Fraser Park FC 4-0 Central Coast United FC, Central Coast United FC 4-1 Fraser Park FC
With both Central Coast United FC and Fraser Park FC coming off losses, both sides will want to bounce back when they meet to kick off the Round Three action.
Last season, the respective home sides scored four goals in big home wins, potentially showing the strength of the home advantage in this matchup.
Central Coast United FC lost to Gladesville Ryde Magic 1-0 in a tight match in Round Two and will hope to control possession at home to break down Fraser Park in Round Three.
Caylen Murray and Ben Flakus scored against Fraser Park in 2024 and with both players having scored in Round One, will hope to replicate that when the hosts take to the field against Fraser Park.
Expect Central Coast to be more clinical against Fraser Park as they look to win consecutive home matches.
Fraser Park FC, meanwhile, have lost back-to-back away matches to start the season and with a third-straight away match incoming will hope to gain some confidence.
Fraser Park showed their competitive edge in what was a tight 2-1 loss to Dunbar Rovers FC in Round Two and will look to continue playing quality football to break down their opponents as they look to take all three points in this away trip.
Expect Fraser Park to continue to show grit as they aim to hunt down Central Coast in their third of six-straight away matches to start the season.
With both Central Coast United and Fraser Park hoping to respond from tight losses in Round Two, expect this match to provide plenty of entertainment with the three points up for grabs.
Hawkesbury City FC vs Granville Rage, 8pm at David Bertenshaw Field
Last season: Granville Rage 6-1 Hawkesbury City FC, Hawkesbury City FC 1-3 Granville Rage
A matchup which always promises to deliver plenty of goals sees Hawkesbury City FC meet Granville Rage in a match of real promise.
Last season, the Rage did the league double over Hawkesbury and will hope to make it four-straight head-to-head wins when they meet the Hawks in Round Three.
Hawkesbury City FC suffered their first loss of the season, 2-1 at the hands of Prospect United SC, and face a bit of a shuffle for their clash against the Rage.
They will be without James Thurtell and Tobias Elliott-Orr after their respective red cards in Round Two, so will need to blood new players to fulfil their roles in this matchup.
With Hawkesbury facing a reshuffled line-up and wanting to make the most of their home advantage, expect the hosts to play with high intensity as they look to pick up their first win of the season.
Granville Rage, meanwhile, responded in a big way to their opening round loss with a 6-3 win over Parramatta FC in the western Sydney derby and will hope to carry that momentum into Round Three.
Timothy Borg-Williams scored two goals in Round Two and also scored two goals against Hawkesbury in 2024 – expect him and his fellow forwards to want to make their mark in this match.
With contrasting results to start the season, Granville will hope to build off their big derby win in this away match.
With both sides coming off contrasting weeks, expect this match to be filled with plenty of players from both sides hoping to prove themselves early in the season.
Saturday, 22nd February 2025
Gladesville Ryde Magic vs Hurstville Zagreb FC, 5pm at Christie Park
Last season: Hurstville Zagreb FC 9-0 Gladesville Ryde Magic, Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-0 Hurstville Zagreb FC
A clash which could provide a bit of everything with its unpredictability sees Gladesville Ryde Magic host Hurstville Zagreb FC.
Last season, Hurstville picked up the biggest win of any team last season with a 9-0 home victory, before Gladesville got revenge in the reverse fixture 2-0 – with results like that, this contest could provide anything in Round Three.
Gladesville Ryde Magic won their first match of the season 1-0 at home to Central Coast United FC in Round Two and will hope to build on back-to-back home matches.
With the Magic looking to focus on defence and make matches tight, they will hope to grind out a strong performance at home once again.
A win for the Magic against a strong Hurstville side would build confidence and they will hope to devise a game plan to take down a strong side near the start of the season.
Hurstville Zagreb FC, meanwhile, won back-to-back matches and kept back-to-back clean sheets to start their season after their 3-0 home win over Sydney University SFC in Round Two but face a different challenge in their first away match of the season.
Hurstville have emphasised control in their matches to start the season and will hope to keep on refining their clinical edge as they work their way into the season.
With a strong defence as their base, expect Hurstville to continue to show that as they look to refine their attack and hunt down a third-straight win and clean sheets to start the year.
With the Magic making matches tight and Hurstville looking to continue their improvement in 2025, no result is guaranteed as these two teams do battle.
Parramatta FC vs Sydney University SFC, 5pm at Melita Stadium
Last season: Parramatta FC 3-1 Sydney University SFC, Sydney University SFC 1-2 Parramatta FC
Parramatta FC will hope to bounce back from their first loss of the season, while Sydney University SFC will hope to attain their first win when the two teams clash at Melita Stadium.
In 2024, Parramatta FC completed the league double over the students and having won the past four head-to-head matches will hope to continue that run, while the away side will hope to end that trend.
Parramatta will hope to bounce back from their 6-3 derby defeat away to Granville in Round Two and will look to make amends in Round Three.
Having kept a clean sheet in their opening match, then conceding six in their second but finding their own clinical edge in front of goal, Parramatta will hope to find that balance between the two this week.
Marco Sama will be the key man for the Eagles, having scored two goals last week and also netting twice against the students in 2024 – Parramatta will hope to get him involved as much as they can as they chase their second win of the season.
Sydney University SFC, meanwhile, lost 3-0 to a strong Hurstville Zagreb FC last week and will hope to put together a strong performance in their third-straight away match when they take on Parramatta.
University will look to trust their whole squad as they hunt for the winning formula, hoping to build confidence going forward.
If the students can make the most of any early chances, they will hope to set themselves up for victory in a match which could see plenty of chances.
With both Parramatta and Sydney University looking to bounce back from tough losses, both sides will want to put in plenty of effort in attack when they clash.
Camden Tigers FC vs Bankstown United FC, 7pm at Ron Dine Memorial Reserve
Last season: Bankstown United FC 4-1 Camden Tigers FC, Camden Tigers FC 1-4 Bankstown United FC
Camden Tigers FC and Bankstown United FC had contrasting Round Two results but will look to make the most of what is usually an exciting matchup when the two sides meet in Round Three.
Last season, Bankstown did the league double over Camden, winning 4-1 in both matches, but with Camden having scored a big 6-3 win back in the 2023 season, the only thing guaranteed is goals when these two teams meet.
Camden will hope to bounce back from their 2-0 away defeat to Nepean last week and return to the form which saw them pick up a 5-1 win over Fraser Park in Round One.
Looking to continue to play their free-flowing style of football, the Tigers will hope to learn their lessons from the week before and be able to adapt to the conditions on the day, while still maintaining the style they would have worked on in training.
Expect Camden to put together a smart performance against Bankstown, where they will hope their home advantage will play its part.
Bankstown, meanwhile, will look to build off their first win of the season when they travel for their third-straight away match to start the year.
Last season’s Golden Boot winner Mitchell Cross will hope to score for a third-straight match this season – he has scored seven goals in his past four matches against the Tigers and will hope to continue that strong scoring run in 2025.
With Bankstown picking up early-season results away from home, they will hope to build off their first win of the season and win a third-straight head-to-head match against Camden.
With Camden wanting to bounce back from a loss and Bankstown hoping to build off a win, plenty of goals can be expected in this match where the winner will take plenty of confidence moving forward.
Nepean FC vs Inner West Hawks FC, 7pm at Cook Park
These two teams did not meet last season.
Nepean FC will look to continue their perfect start to the 2025 season when they host an Inner West Hawks FC side hoping to make the most of their break after their bye.
These two teams did not meet last season, but when they did in the 2023 season both sides picked up a home win each – Nepean will hope to continue that trend while the Hawks will hope to bounce back in their second-straight away match to start the year.
Nepean recorded their first clean sheet of the season following their 2-0 home success over Camden Tigers FC last week and will hope to build on that performance as they hunt down a third-straight win to start the year.
Playing a third-straight match at home to start the year, Nepean will hope to make the most of that early home ground advantage and play their way around the Hawks’ defence to create chances.
Mathew Crossley has scored four goals in two matches so far for Nepean this season and will look to continue to be the main threat, with the Nepean side looking to also stay tight defensively to build towards a third-straight win.
Inner West Hawks FC, meanwhile, will hope to respond to their 1-0 away loss against Parramatta FC in Round One and will hope the bye early in the season will do them some good.
Having had two weeks to prepare for this match, the Hawks will hope to have improved in front of goal, while they will be without Angelo Pezzano after his red card in the opening round.
Expect the Hawks to put in a strong performance, where they will hope their work in training and the week off will help them in this contest in their hunt for their first win of the season.
With Nepean flying early and the Hawks hoping to use their wings, plenty of action can be expected in this matchup to close out Round Two.
Dunbar Rovers FC have a bye in Round Two.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
