Round 6 Review – League Two Men’s
With scorching heat across the state, luckily it was raining goals in Round Six of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s competition, with a mammoth 28 goals scored across the seven matches.
The Match of the Round this week saw Bankstown United FC come from behind and hold on late for a big win over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Saturday, 15th March 2025
Match of the Round: Bankstown United FC 3-2 Gladesville Ryde Magic
A hot day in Padstow saw a delayed kick-off and multiple drinks breaks which produced a match which had a bit of everything as Bankstown United FC came from behind and then held on late for a big 3-2 win in their first home match of the season.
A tame start to the contest saw neither team create big chances, with long shots and blocked shots the early highlights.
That changed in the 19th minute, however, when Marie Gauthier was brought down by the last man in the Magic defence, Matthew Jacobs, with Jacobs being shown a red card for his challenge, meaning the Magic had to play 71 minutes with ten men.
The numerical disadvantage did not deter Gladesville however and in the 28th minute they took a 1-0 lead when a ball over the top to the right saw the ball passed inside for Genki Kohyama – he forced a save from Bankstown onto the post, but the ball was put in on the follow-up by Bonmyeong Koo.
Bankstown looked to hit straight back and Anthony Proia forced a strong save from Magic goalkeeper Lucas Mazereeuw behind for a corner in the 35th minute.
From that resulting corner, the ball was delivered into the box was not dealt with by the Magic defence, where Daniel Slane pounced for the hosts and headed the ball home to level the match at 1-1 at half-time.
Bankstown took the lead for the first time in the match less than two minutes after the break when a ball from the right from Nathan Manno found Mitchell Cross in the box – he had his effort saved but Anthony Proia was there on the follow-up, scoring to give Bankstown a 2-1 lead.
From there, Bankstown looked to continue their pressure with shots from Marie Gauthier and Mitchell Cross missing and then hitting the right post, respectively, in the ten minutes following the goal.
The hosts continued their pressure with more shots, this time from Gauthier again who fired over goal just after the hour mark, before Proia hit the side netting a few minutes later.
The Bankstown pressure told in the 66th minute when a smart diagonal ball from Slane was pinpoint and found the head of Gauthier in behind, who headed the ball into the goal down the right to put Bankstown in a commanding position just before the second drinks break at 3-1 up.
Gladesville thought they pulled a goal back in the 70th minute but the goal was disallowed for offside in the build-up as they looked for a way back in the match.
Following that, more strong work from Bankstown’s Gauthier saw him hit the crossbar from a tight angle before he also set Cross up for a chance, but the latter saw his header saved and then cleared off the goal line.
Proia hit the crossbar with an effort in the 80th minute as the hosts looked to close out the match late, before Cross got on the end of a precise ball over the top and rounded Mazereeuw but saw his effort from a tight angle go across the face of goal.
Gladesville found a way back into the match in the 86th minute in spectacular fashion when a free-kick taken by Sidhya Malhotra from 20 yards saw him curl the ball over the wall, into the top-left corner of the goal to give the Magic a bit of hope for a late comeback.
The rest of the match was tense and saw Bankstown hold on for a big win at home against the Magic, taking out the contest 3-2.
Speaking post-match, Bankstown head coach Luke McGuire was pleased to get the win at home but knows his side can do better to finish off the chances they create.
“We made it harder for ourselves than we probably needed to… we probably could have had a few more, but a win is a win, three points is three points.”
After their first loss of the season last week, McGuire was proud of his side for bouncing back at home.
“Playing at home is always a benefit for us, there was a decent crowd tonight, so hopefully we can continue that on but it was good to bounce back from last week.”
The win for Bankstown was their third in five matches as they look to continue their fight near the top, while the loss for Gladesville saw them go three matches without a win.
Bankstown will hope to build off their win when they host Sydney University SFC next week, while Gladesville will hope to win their first match in four when they host Inner West Hawks FC in Round Seven.
Bankstown United FC 3 (Daniel Slane 36’; Anthony Proia 47’; Marie Gauthier 67’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Bonmyeong Koo 28’; Sidhya Malhotra 86’; Matthew Jacobs 19’ red card)
South Coast Flame FC 4-4 Hawkesbury City FC
A hot Saturday afternoon saw an unbelievable scoreline with South Coast Flame FC coming from three goals down to earn a 4-4 draw at home to Hawkesbury City FC.
The Hawks started the match strongly within 90 seconds when Vincent Dermilio pounced on a loose ball in midfield, ran down the field and scored his fifth goal of the season to give the visitors an early 1-0 lead.
The visitors added a second in the 15th minute when Dermilio beat his defenders and squared the ball for Caleb Micallef, who scored with a simple finish to double the Hawks’ lead.
The Hawks continued to fire and in the 22nd minute found a 3-0 lead when link-up play saw the ball played to Harry Drew on the edge of the box, who curled his effort beyond Flame goalkeeper Nenad Vekic to score his fourth goal in four matches against the Flame.
The drinks break followed that goal and from there the Flame looked to push for a goal back.
The hosts were awarded a penalty in the second minute of stoppage-time after Jyden Harb was fouled in the box; Kade Kinsella converted the spot kick to give a half-time score of 3-1, Hawkesbury in the lead.
After half-time, the Hawks had chances through Declan Cotter and Drew, but did score their fourth in the 67th minute when Dermilio once again got onto a loose ball, ran down the field and scored to give the Hawks a 4-1 advantage.
The Flame comeback started in the 71st minute when substitute William Provino sent Harb through on goal, the latter making no mistake to reduce the Flame’s deficit to two goals.
Three minutes later, Samuel Alston made a run down the right and scored with a chipped finish to make the scoreline read 4-3 in Hawkesbury’s favour.
The Flame scored a third goal in six minutes to complete the comeback when Provino scored with a tap-in to level the contest at 4-4.
Flame substitute Ben Caroutas came close late for the hosts, while Ray Miller had a chance for the Hawks to end the match but his square ball was deflected behind for a corner by the Flame defence.
In the end, neither side was able to find the decisive goal, with the match finishing in a 4-4 draw.
The draw for the Flame saw them go a third match unbeaten as they picked up a point following their bye, while the point for the Hawks saw them also go a third match unbeaten.
The Flame will hope to do well away from home in the battle of the coasts when they take on Central Coast United FC in Round Seven, while the Hawks will look to pick up the three points when they host Dunbar Rovers FC.
South Coast Flame FC 4 (Kade Kinsella 45+2’ pen; Jyden Harb 71’; Samuel Alston 74’; William Provino 77’)
Hawkesbury City FC 4 (Vincent Dermilio 2’, 67’; Caleb Micallef 15’; Harry Drew 21’)
Dunbar Rovers FC 1-0 Central Coast United FC
Dunbar Rovers FC won back-to-back matches for the first time in the 2025 season after they took out a tight 1-0 home win over Central Coast United FC.
Both teams had periods of momentum in the first half and created some chances but were unable to convert, with the sides locked at 0-0 at the break.
Central Coast created four good opportunities in the second half but were unable to score, which left the match open for either team late in the contest.
Late in the match, in the 86th minute, individual quality from Guilherme Mazurkievicz Pansonato saw him cut inside from the left wing and bend a shot into the far corner to seal a late victory for Dunbar, 1-0.
The win for Dunbar saw them grab back-to-back victories for the first time this season, while the loss for Central Coast was their fifth in a row.
Dunbar will hunt for a third-straight win when they travel to face Hawkesbury City FC next week, while Central Coast will hope to end their losing streak when they host South Coast Flame FC in a battle of the coasts.
Dunbar Rovers FC 1 (Guilherme Mazurkievicz Pansonato 86’)
Central Coast United FC 0
Nepean FC 1-3 Parramatta FC
Parramatta FC continued their strong form atop of the ladder and won a fourth-straight match after they came from behind late to secure a big 3-1 win in the western Sydney derby.
In hot conditions, Nepean started on fire when Harrison Fox scored a goal to put the hosts 1-0 up in the 8th minute, which was a lead they took into half-time.
Parramatta had a few chances to level the match to start the second half, while Nepean had shouts for a penalty waved away as both sides hunted for the next goal.
Parramatta fired up late and found a goal in the 74th minute through Marco Sama, who scored for the first time since Round Three to level the match at 1-1.
Eight minutes later, Parramatta hit the lead through Faraz Rahimi as they looked set to earn a hard-fought win over their local rivals.
In the 87th minute, Parramatta all-but secured their comeback victory when Navid Alizada found the back of the net for a second week in a row to give Parramatta a 3-1 win.
The loss for Nepean was their third in a row as they moved to four matches without a win, while the victory for Parramatta was their fifth in six matches to start the season as they sat atop of the table.
Nepean will hope to bounce back when they travel to take on Granville Rage in another battle of the west, while Parramatta will look to continue their winning run when they return after their Round Seven bye.
Nepean FC 1 (Harrison Fox 8’)
Parramatta FC 3 (Marco Sama 74’; Faraz Rahimi 82’; Navid Alizada 87’)
Inner West Hawks FC 3-0 Granville Rage
Inner West Hawks FC won a fifth-straight head-to-head match against Granville Rage after they came away with a 3-0 home win.
The Hawks opened the scoring in the 26th minute when a quick throw-in from Jeremy Siarakas to Peter Phillips saw the latter drive a cross low to Alexander Nicolosi, who scored to give the Hawks the 1-0 lead at half-time.
After the break, Phillips was the provider once again, this time cutting the ball back to Peter Yannopoulos on the edge of the box; Yannopoulos found the top corner of the goal to score in back-to-back matches and to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute.
The 3-0 win for the Hawks was wrapped up by Jacob Palamidas in the 84th minute, who found the back of the net with a low driven shot from outside the edge of the box for the hosts.
The win for the Hawks saw them pick up back-to-back wins for the first time this season, while the loss for Granville was their first since the opening round of the season.
Inner West will hope to win a third-straight match when they travel to face Gladesville Ryde Magic next week, while Granville will hope to respond when they host Nepean FC in a western Sydney derby.
Inner West Hawks FC 3 (Alexander Nicolosi 26’; Peter Yannopoulos 63’; Jacob Palamidas 84’)
Granville Rage 0
Sunday, 16th March 2025
Sydney University SFC 2-2 Camden Tigers FC
Camden Tigers FC took an early lead and then came from behind very late to snatch a 2-2 draw away to Sydney University SFC, who grabbed their first point of the season.
Joseph Roddy had the first big chance of the match for University when he broke in behind for a one-on-one chance but had his shot saved well by Camden goalkeeper, Michael O’Rourke.
Camden took a 1-0 lead in the 11th minute in a transitional moment when a shot from the edge of the box from Bailey Simpson looped over University goalkeeper Jasper Sarkies and into the back of the net.
University equalised in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when Charles Hely-Hammond scored for a second-straight week, following in his own shot to get the students level on the brink of half-time.
The hosts took the lead for the first time in the match less than sixty seconds into the second half when Jesse Hirschowitz scored for a 2-1 University lead.
The match became physical from there with Camden looking to fight back and the Tigers did just that in the 89th minute when substitute John Fahmi found the back of the net in the 89th minute to level the contest for the visitors.
University had a chance to win the match in stoppage time when Isaac Folkes was put through on goal but his shot went the wrong side of the post, the match ending in a 2-2 draw.
The draw for University saw them pick up their first point of the season, while for Camden it was their second draw of the year.
University will hope to build off this result as they prepare to take on Bankstown United FC away in Round Seven, while Camden will hope to take down Prospect United SC at home.
Sydney University SFC 2 (Charles Hely-Hammond 45+3’; Jesse Hirschowitz 46’)
Camden Tigers FC 2 (Bailey Simpson 11’; John Fahmi 89’)
Prospect United SC 1-2 Hurstville Zagreb FC
Hurstville Zagreb FC came from behind to secure back-to-back victories in a 2-1 away win over Prospect United SC.
Prospect moved the ball well in the first half, playing direct and winning second balls, as they forced a save from Hurstville goalkeeper Michael Rutherford.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 40th minute when Shaan Birring made the most of a corner kick, getting to the ball ahead of the Hurstville players who had stepped up and tapping the ball home to give Prospect a 1-0 lead at half-time.
Hurstville brought on Michael Neill at half-time and he made a difference for the hosts just after the hour mark when he chipped a ball in behind to Nikola Todoroski, who then chipped Prospect goalkeeper Brenden Allen and headed home on the goal line to level the match at 1-1 for Hurstville.
Hurstville had momentum and created a few chances from set pieces, with Allen saving a few of them to keep the visitors at bay.
Hurstville took the lead for the first time in the match in the 76th minute when a free-kick from substitute Andre Guzman saw the Prospect defence head the ball into the back of Prospect defender Blake Steward, which sent the ball into the back of his own goal to give Hurstville a 2-1 lead.
Hurstville had a few shots blocked after that but Prospect pushed late, with Rutherford forced into a good save to his left late off a shot from Praneet Singh; that save secured the three points for the visitors in a 2-1 win.
The loss for Prospect saw them lose after back-to-back wins, while the win for Hurstville saw them win back-to-back matches for the second time this season.
Prospect will hope to bounce back when they travel to face Camden Tigers FC in Round Seven, while Hurstville will hunt a third-straight win when they host Fraser Park FC.
Prospect United SC 1 (Shaan Birring 40’)
Hurstville Zagreb FC 2 (Nikola Todoroski 63’; Blake Steward 76’ own goal)
Fraser Park FC had a bye in Round Six.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
