Round 7 Review – League Two Men’s
A weekend full of many tight matches saw multiple heroes for many teams, with comebacks and clean sheets the order of Round Seven.
The Match of the Round this week saw South Coast Flame FC come from behind to secure a big win away over their coastal rivals in Central Coast United FC.
Saturday, 22nd March 2025
Match of the Round: Central Coast United FC 1-2 South Coast Flame FC
South Coast Flame FC came from behind to grab points for a third week in a row, this time to overcome Central Coast United FC 2-1 away at Pluim Park.
The hosts took the lead following the first corner of the match in the 6th minute when the Flame could not clear the ball in from the corner, which resulted in the ball falling to Jay Goodwin, who lined up his shot from 20 yards and found the back of the net with a strong right-footed shot to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
The Pirates continued to attack the Flame with attacks in behind, with shots by Cayleb Murray and Haydn Harris going wide and being saved, respectively.
The Flame fought back with three shots following that period and restored parity in the match in the 27th minute.
A through ball from the Flame looked to be cut out by the Pirates’ Mark Partridge, but the Flame’s Adam Timpano-Voloder pinched the ball off him and calmly found the back of the net from close range to level the contest for South Coast.
Both teams traded shots for the rest of the half, with Central Coast having shots going high and wide, and the Flame having shots blocked and saved.
In first-half stoppage-time, the hosts had a shot cleared off the goal line by Flame defender Luke Hoefsloot.
Both teams had their share of possession and chances, with ten shots to nine, respectively, and went into half-time level at 1-1.
The two sides traded shots to start the second half with the Flame’s Takayuki Kayano and Alexander Alston firing over and wide from range, respectively, while for the Pirates Harris put two shots wide left in the 52nd and 57th minutes.
The biggest chance of the second half came in the 61st minute when Micheal Singh fired a shot from range and forced a big diving save from Flame goalkeeper Nenad Vekic.
The Flame also looked dangerous through substitute Kade Kinsella, who had a shot from inside the box saved well down low to his left by Pirates’ goalkeeper Zayd Husain.
South Coast took the lead for the first time in the match when Kinsella and Jyden Harb combined well, with the ball left by Kinsella to Harb outside the box, who placed a precision effort into the bottom-right corner of the goal to give the Flame the advantage at 2-1 up.
Harb troubled Husain with another shot from inside the box in the 73rd minute but Husain saved the effort well.
Central Coast looked to get in behind the Flame defence twice in the 76th minute but Vekic came out to block efforts on goal and clear the ball.
Harb continued to be a threat for the Flame when he got in behind the Pirates’ defence in the 83rd minute, but his shot low to the bottom-right corner was saved well by his legs by Husain.
The Flame had a shot blocked off the line late and had consecutive efforts for Harb go over the Pirates’ goal as the visitors pushed for a third goal.
In the 90th minute, Harb continued to be the main threat when he had a shot from point-blank range saved by Husain, who kept his side’s hopes of a late comeback alive.
The Pirates thought they had the equaliser in the third minute of stoppage-time, but a header from a corner went wide left of the goal.
That was the final action of the match as the Flame held on for another comeback victory, this time 2-1 away over the Pirates in a contest which saw 24 shots to 21.
Speaking post-match, South Coast Flame head coach Andrew Paine was happy with the quality of the match.
“It is actually quite nice to have those types of games where both teams are playing.”
As for next week, Paine will know the challenge of Inner West Hawks FC after they were beaten twice by them in the 2024 season.
“Last year, Inner West was the team I thought gave us the most trouble, by far, we just could not deal with them… we will just go and play our footy and see what happens.”
The loss for Central Coast was their sixth in a row, while the win for the Flame saw them go a fourth match unbeaten as their strong start to the season continued.
The Flame also progressed to the fourth round of Australia Cup preliminaries after a 6-0 home win over St Mary’s Eagle Vale, with four goals to William Provino, and a goal each for Ben Caroutas and Jyden Harb.
The Pirates will hope to turn their fortunes around when they travel to face Prospect United SC in Round Eight, while the Flame will look to win a fourth match from their past five when they host Inner West Hawks FC next week.
Central Coast United FC 1 (Jay Goodwin 6’)
South Coast Flame FC 2 (Adam Timpano-Voloder 27’; Jyden Harb 66’)
Friday, 21st March 2025
Hawkesbury City FC 2-0 Dunbar Rovers FC
Hawkesbury City FC went a fourth-straight match unbeaten after they secured all three points late in a 2-0 home win over Dunbar Rovers FC.
Dunbar were sharp early and pressured the Hawks into some errors but after the opening 20 minutes, the Hawks looked to take control.
Raymond Miller played some passes in for Vincent Dermilio in the first half, but Dunbar goalkeeper Benjamin Wrigley made some strong saves to deny the hosts to keep the match scoreless at the break.
The Hawks took the lead in the 65th minute when good hold-up play from Duncan Stewart saw him play Harry Drew in behind, who finished low past Wrigley to give the hosts the 1-0 lead.
From there, Dunbar pushed for an equaliser in the final twenty minutes, with Hawkesbury goalkeeper Daniel Schwarzer forced into a good save off a deflection and Dunbar missing another good chance late.
Hawkesbury secured all three points in the third minute of stoppage-time time when Drew won the ball off the Dunbar defence late and slotted the ball into the back of the net to give Hawkesbury a 2-0 home win.
The win for the Hawks was their third from their past four matches as their strong form continued, while the loss for Dunbar came following back-to-back wins.
Dunbar also went out of the Australia Cup mid-week, losing 3-1 in extra-time away to Sydney University SFC despite a goal for Kosei Fukuyoshi.
Hawkesbury will hope to continue their good form when they host Gladesville Ryde Magic in Round Eight, while Dunbar will look to bounce back against Camden Tigers FC at home next week.
Hawkesbury City FC 2 (Harry Drew 65’, 90+3’)
Dunbar Rovers FC 0
Hurstville Zagreb FC 2-1 Fraser Park FC
Hurstville Zagreb FC won a third-straight match and went a fourth match without defeat and remained unbeaten at home after they came away with a 2-1 home win over Fraser Park FC.
The hosts’ looked to threaten early and their best chance early came for Michael Neill, who got in behind the Fraser Park defence but hit his shot wide.
From there, the match opened up with Fraser Park playing direct and with physicality, while both teams turned the ball over in the first half.
Neill and Nikola Todoroski both had chances in the first half but could not score, while Declan Sheldon also looked dangerous in the first half for the hosts.
Neither side was able to find a first-half breakthrough, with the match scoreless at the break.
Hurstville won the ball high up the field in the second half and started to threaten, while Fraser Park looked to win the second ball from long passes.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute when Neill picked up the ball and beat his defender before he drove the ball low past Fraser Park goalkeeper Amaro Ferreira to give Hurstville a 1-0 lead.
On the hour mark, however, Fraser Park responded when an error from Hurstville saw Fraser Park’s Christian Dos Santos pick up the ball; he scored from long range with his shot dipping into the back of the net to give Hurstville their first goal conceded at home in the 2025 season to level the match at 1-1.
Hurstville re-took the lead in the 68th minute when substitute Hesan Soufi, less than two minutes after coming on, found the top corner from 30 yards with his weaker foot to give the hosts a 2-1 advantage.
Fraser Park looked for another equaliser late through long balls and deep throws into the box but could not find another goal, while Hurstville had their chances to add a third but couldn’t take them.
In the end, Hurstville held on to stay undefeated at home in a 2-1 win over Fraser Park FC.
The win for Hurstville was their fifth from their first seven matches this season as they moved to the top of the table, while the loss for Fraser Park saw them lose back-to-back matches after their bye last week.
Fraser Park also went out of the Australia Cup mid-week following a 2-1 away loss to Nepean FC.
Hurstville will look to take down Parramatta FC away in a big 1st vs 2nd clash, while Fraser Park will look for a response when they host Bankstown United FC in Round Eight.
Hurstville Zagreb FC 2 (Michael Neill 52’; Hesan Soufi 68’)
Fraser Park FC 1 (Christian Dos Santos 60’)
Saturday, 22nd March 2025
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2-0 Inner West Hawks FC
Gladesville Ryde Magic won their first match in four, both this season and in this head-to-head, after they took down Inner West Hawks FC 2-0 at Christie Park.
A tight first half saw few chances, but the Hawks did create opportunities through Alexander Nicolosi, who hit the post and missed a one-on-one chance.
The teams were also split equally in terms of possession as the two sides went into half-time scoreless.
The deadlock in the contest was broken in the 66th minute when a through ball found Genki Kohyama just outside the box, who rounded Hawks’ goalkeeper Gene Marantos and found the back of the net to score for a third-straight head-to-head match over the Hawks and give the Magic a 1-0 lead.
The Magic doubled their lead in the 77th minute when they won the ball in their half and finished off a team-worked goal through Yukihiro Ayukawa.
Inner West pushed late for a way back into the contest and created chances through Peter Yannopoulos and Lawrence Claxton but were unable to convert, with the Magic securing a 2-0 home win.
The win for the Magic was their first in four matches as they returned to the winners’ list, while the loss for the Hawks followed back-to-back wins.
Gladesville Ryde Magic also progressed to Round Four of the Australia Cup preliminaries mid-week after a 3-0 away win over Fairfield Bulls, with Jed Simmons, Yukihiro Ayukawa and Ewan Perrott all on the scoresheet.
Gladesville will look to win back-to-back matches for the second time this season when they travel to face Hawkesbury City FC next week, while Inner West will hope to respond when they make the trip down to face South Coast Flame FC.
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Genki Kohyama 66’; Yukihiro Ayukawa 77’)
Inner West Hawks FC 0
Bankstown United FC 1-0 Sydney University SFC
Bankstown United FC went a fourth-straight head-to-head match unbeaten against Sydney University SFC and kept a clean sheet for a third-straight head-to-head match against the students following their 1-0 home win.
An even first half saw University’s best chance come through Charles Hely-Hammond have a shot blocked in the 35th minute.
The opening 45 minutes saw University look to play direct and get in behind Bankstown, while the hosts looked to work the ball wide for crosses, but neither side was able to break the deadlock by half-time.
In the second half, Bankstown’s best chance came from a header, while for University they were caught offside or unable to get on the end of balls in behind, with Bankstown sweeping well.
Bankstown attacker Mitchell Cross left the field shortly after the resumption of the match in the second half, with Bankstown looking to their other attackers to step up with him off.
However, as the match was nearing its end in the 88th minute, Bankstown were awarded a penalty when a Bankstown attacker was fouled while attempting to head the ball; Marie Gauthier stepped up and converted from the spot for the hosts to give Bankstown a late 1-0 win.
The win for Bankstown saw them win back-to-back matches for the second time this season, while the loss for Sydney University saw them unable to build on their draw last week as they remained winless.
Bankstown also progressed to the next round of the Australia Cup mid-week after a 3-2 home win over Lilli Pilli FC, with Matthew Ward, Raoel Yakub and Connor Khoury on the scoresheet.
Sydney University also had Australia Cup success mid-week, taking down Dunbar Rovers FC 3-1 with Charles Hely-Hammond grabbing a double and Hamza Sweedan securing the win in an extra-time success.
Bankstown will hope to win a third-straight match when they travel to take on Fraser Park FC next week, while Sydney University will hope to win their first match of the season when they take on Nepean FC away from home.
Bankstown United FC 1 (Marie Gauthier 84’ pen)
Sydney University SFC 0
Granville Rage 1-0 Nepean FC
Granville Rage bounced back from their last start defeat and took down Nepean FC 1-0 at home, the Rage defeating Nepean for the first time in over three years.
Nepean had an early goal disallowed as they looked to put the pressure on the Rage early, but neither side could make the most of their first-half chances, going into the break scoreless.
A tight second half saw the Rage create four chances to Nepean’s five, but the Rage took theirs in the 53rd minute through Jad Moussa, who scored to give the Rage a 1-0 win over Nepean, their first win over their local rivals in this competition.
The win for the Rage was their fourth of the season as they look to continue to rise, while the loss for Nepean was their fourth in a row as they went a fifth-straight match without a win.
Nepean did, however, progress to the next round of the Australia Cup after a 2-1 home win over Fraser Park FC, with Kye Hickman and Alexander Purves on the scoresheet.
Granville will look to win back-to-back matches for the second time this season when they return after their bye in Round Eight, while Nepean will hope to end their losing streak when they host Sydney University SFC next week.
Granville Rage 1 (Jad Moussa 53’)
Nepean FC 0
Camden Tigers FC 1-4 Prospect United SC
Prospect United SC won a third-straight head-to-head match over Camden Tigers FC after they recorded a 4-1 away win.
Prospect took an early 1-0 lead in the 3rd minute when Anthony Idehen was put through on goal and after a mis-timed clearance by Camden goalkeeper Michael O’Rourke, slotted the ball home for the visitors for his fifth goal in three matches against the Tigers.
Prospect continued to push and had a goal disallowed for offside, before Idehen had a header from point-blank range saved with a brilliant effort by O’Rourke flying at the bottom corner to keep Prospect out.
Camden restored parity at half-time when Bailey Simpson got on the end of a free-kick into the box in the 44th minute and slotted the ball home to level the match at 1-1.
In the second half, Prospect re-took the lead in the 49th minute when Praneet Singh found some space just inside the box and curled a shot into the bottom-right corner to give the visitors a 2-1 advantage.
Idehen scored a double, and his sixth goal in three matches against the Tigers, in the 58th minute when he got on the end of build-up play from Reo Hirose and Andre Cavallaro, who found Idehen in the box to score for a 3-1 Prospect lead.
Prospect rounded out the scoring in the 90th minute when build-up play from substitute Tallon Zahra saw Jacob Micallef get in behind; the latter then found substitute Jakob Petterson, who scored to give Prospect a 4-1 away win.
The loss for Camden saw them go six matches without a win, while the win for Prospect saw them win a fourth match from six this season.
Prospect also progressed to Round Four of Australia Cup preliminaries after a 4-0 home win over Sans Souci FC mid-week, with a goal to Tallon Zahra, two goals for Corey Smith and one for Jonathan David Munoz Robertson.
Camden will hope to turn their fortunes around when they travel to face Dunbar Rovers FC next week, while Prospect will look to win back-to-back matches when they host Central Coast United FC.
Camden Tigers FC 1 (Bailey Simpson 44’)
Prospect United SC 4 (Anthony Idehen 3’, 58’; Praneet Singh 49’; Jakob Petterson 90’)
Parramatta FC had a bye in Round Seven, but progressed to the next round of the Australia Cup after a 6-1 away win over Waratah Seniors, with two goals each for Yusuf Aydin and Ali Chamsin, while Navid Alizada also found the scoresheet, along with an own goal from Waratah.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
