Round 4 Preview – League One Men’s
As February turns into March, the FNSW League One Men’s season serves up another enticing set of fixtures in round four of the competition.
This weeks match of the round completes a tour of the new or in this case returning sides to the division as Mounties Wanderers host UNSW FC. While elsewhere, a Macarthur Derby and important clash for Bankstown City serve as it’s supporting cast.
Match of the Round: Mounties Wanderers v UNSW FC; Saturday 1 March, 7pm, Wanderers Football Park
Our match of the round takes us to Wanderers Football Park where Mounties Wanderers host UNSW FC this Saturday night.
It’s been a tough start to the season for Mounties Wanderers who have lost their opening three games, while in contrast UNSW come into this one on the back of two victories over Dulwich Hill and Newcastle Jets.
Granted the draw hasn’t exactly been friendly, but it’s been a slow start to the 2025 season for Mounties Wanderers after their promotion. After losses to Canterbury Bankstown and Northern Tigers in the opening two weeks, things didn’t go there way against Bonnyrigg White Eagles last weekend.
They were right in that contest before the score blew out in the second half. In terms of players to watch out for, Fikret Berisha and Mitchell Gibbs could be players who could trouble the students defence but they’ll need to step up defensively.
Safe to say this will be a tall order though against the side who broke the Newcastle Jets unbeaten run last weekend. Yes, UNSW proved their credentials with a 3-1 win away from home last weekend against Newcastle Jets after a 5-1 victory over Dulwich Hill the weekend before.
Let’s focus on last weekend though as it was a performance which pleased the UNSW coaching staff. Jack Fulton continued his scoring run with a goal but it feels unfair to single players out after a performance like that. And with fitness and confidence building, they could well make it three in a row here.
Macarthur Rams v Bulls FC Academy; Saturday 1 March, 5pm, Ron Dine Memorial Reserve
Our first Macarthur derby takes place at Ron Dine Memorial Reserve as Macarthur Rams host Bulls FC Academy.
It’s been a tough start to the season for both these sides with one win between them both across the first three rounds. That win taking place last weekend as Bulls FC Academy got the better of Bankstown City while Macarthur Rams went close to a result against SD Raiders.
We’ll start with the Rams who are a work in progress on the park after bringing in plenty of new faces in the off season. Against SD Raiders, they played themselves into the game after a shaky start and were quite unlucky to not get an equaliser in the second half.
William Miranda will miss this one due to a red card while Carlos Ruiz Cantillo is a player to keep an eye on going forward for the Rams.
Bulls FC Academy went through a roller coaster of emotions in their win against Bankstown City last weekend. They had the chance to do it more comfortably with two first half penalties, however one was saved. On three points after three rounds, they’ll be looking to use that result as a springboard up the table.
Samuel Bosnjak unfortunately went down with what looked like a serious injury (All the best with the recovery), while Levi Sciuriaga and Will Mckay both opened their season accounts. The second from a well worked team goal we’ve come to expect from this side.
Bankstown City v Dulwich Hill; Saturday 1 March, 5pm, Jensen Park
Bankstown City return home to host Dulwich Hill in a particularly important game for the hosts at Jensen Park.
With one win in their first three games, you’d be forgiven for a sense that history is repeating itself after a slow start cost them last season. While Dulwich Hill secured their first win of the season last weekend against Blacktown Spartans.
Rewind the clock by a year and Bankstown City were sitting bottom with three loses to their name so in a sense they are in a bit better position. But they’ll be looking at this one as an important game after they went down narrowly to Bulls FC Academy last weekend.
Shun Maeta played an important role in that match, while Mario Aleksik turned the tide for a period with a penalty save.
Their opponents Dulwich Hill scored a pressure relieving result at home last weekend. Showing plenty of heart against the Spartans, they kept their first clean sheet of the campaign while doing so at the picturesque Arlington Oval.
Daniel Fornito played an important role in that one scoring in the 10th minute before a pure team effort saw them take the points.
Quickfire Previews
Blacktown Spartans v Bonnyrigg White Eagles; Friday 28 February, 8:15pm, Blacktown Football Park
It’s been a tough start to the season for Blacktown Spartans in 2025. One point from three games, they will be looking for a first victory this weekend. Last week against Dulwiich Hill, there was definitely effort in their performance but not that clinical touch in front of goal. So it’s the attacking third who’ll need to step up here.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles have made a positive start to the campaign with two wins in their three fixtures. A 4-0 victory at home over Mounties Wanderers has spirits high at the club. Tristian Vidic was a key part in the victory, with Aaron Peterson also contributing scoring two goals. This is a good opportunity for their first away win of the season.
Newcastle Jets v Hills United; Saturday 1 March, 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Looking to bounce back from a round three defeat, Newcastle Jets have another interesting test ahead of them this weekend. Going down 3-1 to UNSW, Will Dobson scored their equaliser last weekend before they conceded a couple of disappointing goals in the second half. With the pressure of their unbeaten streak behind them, we could well see a response here.
Hills United suffered a similar defeat to their hosts last weekend. Going in having won their first two games, they went down at the hands of Northern Tigers at North Turramurra. They also suffered a blow with the early substitution of Walid Moutaouakkil in the first half. We’ll learn a lot about the visitors come this weekend.
Inter Lions v Northern Tigers; Saturday 1 March, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
Two wins out of three, Inter Lions are looking like a refreshed outfit in 2025. On the back of a 3-1 win against Rydalmere in round two, they backed it up with another over Canterbury Bankstown in our match of the round. After an early wake up call, the found the back of the net through four different goal scorers. Sam Armson is our player to watch here after a goal and positive midfield play.
This stands as a big test with Northern Tigers winning all three of their fixtures this season including one last week which raised a few eyebrows. Taking control of the fixture via another Lachlan Lloyd goal, Kai Denton then found the back of the net, ominous signs given we know his ability to string goals together on a weekly basis.
SD Raiders v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 1 March, 7pm, Thomas Hassall Anglican College
There was some good and bad for SD Raiders last weekend in a narrow win over Macarthur Rams. Firstly the good, they showed some an ability to control the game and play some good football throughout the first half. But they lost some control of it in the second half when they were reduced to ten. Experienced attacker Noah Chianese is definitely a player to watch here after playing a role in the setting in motion and scoring the winner.
Rydalmere Lions bounced back in style last weekend with a 5-1 win over Hakoah FC at home. In that, they were simply too good in the second half scoring four unanswered goals. Both Robert Eremugo and Ahmad Taleb scored braces in the game as they secured their first win of season 2025. Can they go back to back here?
Hakoah FC v Canterbury Bankstown; Sunday 2 May, 4:30pm, Hensley Athletic Field
It’s a testament to their recent success that last weeks Hakoah FC result stood out. They were simply outplayed by Rydalmere on the road in a 5-1 defeat. In amongst the negatives, Nikolas Loe saved a penalty in the second half but there’s no doubt that they’ll need to improve across the board when they take to the field for this one.
Canterbury Bankstown were perhaps a little unlucky to have gone down to a heavy defeat last weekend. They took a lead against Inter Lions through another Christian Torrelli goal before conceding just before half time that changed the game as they never really recovered in the fixture. They have enough about them to make life difficult for their hosts Sunday afternoon.
