Round 13 Preview – League One Men’s
Quickly approaching the halfway point of the season, there’s plenty of FNSW League One Men’s round thirteen action to keep you warm this weekend
Our round thirteen match of the round takes us to Rooty Hill on Friday night. While don’t forget there’s a round six stream set to take place tonight.
Match of the Round: Blacktown Spartans v Mounties Wanderers; Friday 2nd May, 8:15pm, Blacktown Football Park
Our match of the round sees Blacktown Spartans host Mounties Wanderers at Blacktown Football Park, Friday night.
After a tough run of results, last weekend stabilised the season of Blacktown Spartans. In ninth, another win could see them move up a few positions, such is life in the mid-table of this competition. However to do so, they will need to improve on their less than ideal home record so far this season.
Mounties Wanderers on the other hand will be desperate to find a win from somewhere. One point in their last five games, their performances have unfortunately returned to the mean in recent weeks as they sit two points behind fourteenth.
Returning back to the Spartans, they got off to a positive start against Macarthur Rams which set them up for the win. Aedon Kyra scoring a brace before they confidently saw the game out. Elsewhere on the field, Josh Bortolotto has been a consistent presence so far this season in the midfield while further back Blake Illitch has also featured in every game so far.
For the visitors, they have been a particular threat from set pieces in recent times. Matthew Nikolovski in goal has been crucial this season. While further up field, Ejin Kishimoto has been a key feature so far this season. You’d suggest if they are going to win this, they’ll need to keep it tight having scored twice on one occasion this season.
You can catch this one on the Football NSW youtube page under the live tab this Friday night.
Northern Tigers v Dulwich Hill; Saturday 3 May, 4:15pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
A return home gives Northern Tigers the chance to bounce back from their heavy defeat to Rydalmere Lions last weekend. Still holding on to first position, they have three wins and two losses in their last five.
Back to last weekend, they found themselves two goals down at half time and it got ugly in the second half. The first time they’ve conceded three goals or more this season, they are one of the better sides on their own turf with four victories already this season.
Dulwich Hill will be quietly confident of getting a result however after edging out Hills United last weekend. Five games without defeat at the time of writing, they have picked up nine points in that time which has given them a two game buffer over the bottom two.
It was defensively where they impressed most last weekend and indeed this run giving away just three goals, the sides character notable as well. While Jack Mitsoulas has now scored in back to back games ahead of the weekend. Can they score an upset in this one?
Bankstown City v Hakoah FC; Saturday 3 May, 5pm, Jensen Park
Bankstown CIty came from behind to win their second straight home win last weekend. In similar circumstances as well, they sit in eighth position in a congested area of the table after twelve games, most recently taking seven points from their last three.
Last weekend saw perhaps their most impressive win of the season against Newcastle Jets. The star in that game being Jonathan Grozdanovski who scored a hat-trick on the night. One area of improvement however is defensively, the last clean sheet for the side coming back in round seven.
There was quite a bit of movement in the lower table last weekend and perhaps Hakoah FC benefited the most rising up twelfth with a win over Bonnyrigg White Eagles. Now a bigger test awaits them away from home.
Back to last week though and they were impressive throughout the ninety. George Tuson-Firth grabbed a hat-trick while Ben Fuchs and Valentin Cuny joined him finding the back of the net. If they can carry that scoring form into this one, they’ll be hard to beat.
Newcastle Jets v SD Raiders; Saturday 3 May, 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Another week, another top six clash awaits us as Newcastle Jets host SD Raiders at Lake Macquarie.
Both these sides come in after defeat last weekend, the academy side going down to Bankstown City, while SD Raiders lost just their second game of the season against Bulls FC Academy.
It’s been a mixed run of results for Newcastle Jets over the past month with one win, one loss and two draws. Against Bankstown City, they took the lead twice through goals to Oliver Cockie and Janni Rafty but ultimately fell to defeat thanks largely in part to Jonathan Grozdanovski. They’ll look to improve on their home record with a win here.
SD Raiders on the other hand have an almost spotless record on the road this season. However, two losses at home in the last three weeks could’ve hurt their confidence. Seb Malfara’s goal in the first half brought them level, but they will want to improve in the attacking third this weekend with three goals in their last three.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Canterbury Bankstown; Saturday 3 May, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Bonnyrigg White Eagles season hit a new low last weekend in defeat to Hakoah FC away from home. Hovering just above the bottom two, they have now lost five straight games, four of which on the road.
As such, a home game good be just the thing to inspire a pressure relieving victory, though it won’t be easy against the Berries. It’s defensively where things need to improve conceding 25 goals in their first dozen fixtures.
Canterbury Bankstown will be a tough team to beat however. They are unbeaten in their last five though three of those games have finished level. Sitting in mid-table, they have fewer worries than their hosts, so we can perhaps expect more freedom from Wally Savor’s side.
Last weekend against UNSW, they came from behind to take a point at the Village Green. John Fotopoulos scored a tremendous equaliser while they showed promise at either end of the field throughout. In saying that, this would be just their second win on the road if they are to take the three points.
Inter Lions v Macarthur Rams; Saturday 3 May, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
Round twelve saw Inter Lions continuing their rise up the table with a third straight victory taking them into third. Confidence growing by the week, they’ll be confident of another result here returning home.
Against the Mounties Wanderers last weekend, they kept another clean sheet while Sam Armson played an influential role. All this while missing a couple of regulars in Malcolm Ward and Mitchell Smith. This game giving them the chance to improve on their home record after two wins in five at the venue.
Macarthur Rams are still chasing their second win of the season. Sitting at the foot of the table, they have picked up three points in their last five games through three draws. Last weekend tasting defeat to Blacktown Spartans.
In that one, it was Emmanuel Gonzalez who got noted as their best on the field. The striker tireless leading the line, very much earning his goal late on. They will have to start better in this one though, a slow start ultimately costing them three points.
Bulls FC Academy v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 3 May, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
Two in form sides face off as Bulls FC Academy host Rydalmere Lions, Saturday evening.
The hosts come into this one on the back of a match of the round win over SD Raiders, while Rydalmere Lions also impressed with a 5-0 win over Northern Tigers.
We’ll start with the academy side who were definitely impressive against SD Raiders. The main talking point of which was the Zane Helweh goal to win it, a goal deserving of the occasion, he was joined by Atiya Waraga who opened their account. The challenge here being can they back it up after a mixed record after wins this season.
They face a Rydalmere Lions side who will be full of confidence. Three of their four wins have come in the past month, last weekends triumph over Northern Tigers their best of the season. Conor Kerr and Ethan Thomas stood out defensively while the combination of their front three was deadly at the other end.
Hills United v UNSW FC; Saturday 3 May, 7pm, Valentine Sports Park
Another side who are struggling in the league recently are Hills United. A slow side down the table now has them sitting in 13th just two points above the bottom two with just three victories all season.
Last weekend, they were edged out by Dulwich Hill away from home. Prior to that however, they progressed in the Australia cup with a 4-0 win over NPL side Manly United, Wade Giovenali scoring a brace on that occasion. Can they find a way how to translate cup form into three points in the league.
There was a sense of copy/paste in the performances of UNSW FC in recent weeks. Back-to-back one all draws has them sitting in fourth, six points behind the bottom two despite having the best defensive record in the league.
Indeed you could the students the outlier in the competition having the best goal difference in the competition. So there will be a focus of showing a bit more ruthlessness after the two draws in recent weeks. They will be favourites for this one.
By Justin Smith
