Round 14 Preview – League Two Men’s
A big super Saturday of action will see every match played on the same day in what will be a jam-packed display of football in Round 14 of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s season.
The Match of the Round this week sees Gladesville Ryde Magic look to cause a stir when they host South Coast Flame FC.
Saturday, 10th May 2025
Match of the Round: Gladesville Ryde Magic vs South Coast Flame FC, 5pm at Christie Park
Last season: South Coast Flame FC 3-0 Gladesville Ryde Magic, Gladesville Ryde Magic 0-6 South Coast Flame FC
Gladesville Ryde Magic will hope to fire up in this home match against South Coast Flame FC, who themselves will aim to improve on their run of form.
Last season, the Flame completed the perfect league double over the Magic, winning the two head-to-head fixtures by a combined score of 9-0; they will hope to continue in that same vein while the Magic will hope to reverse their fortunes in this matchup.
11th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic surrendered a lead to draw 1-1 away to Sydney University SFC in last week’s Match of the Round but will hope to make amends back at home for the first time in over a month.
Their home form has seen them win three matches and lose two this season, but having not lost either of their matches since their bye will hope to turn the arctic circle into a fortress as the weather gets cooler.
Bonmyeong Koo has scored in three of his past four matches for the Magic and as their leading goal scorer for the season will look to add to that to bring his team more success against the Flame.
Gladesville Ryde Magic crashed out of the Australia Cup in the sixth preliminary round midweek, however, after a 2-1 away loss to fellow League Two Men’s side Granville Rage, despite a goal from Mandlenkosi Ndlovu.
4th-placed South Coast Flame FC, meanwhile, went a fourth-straight match without defeat after they came from behind twice to grab a 2-2 home draw with Dunbar Rovers FC last week and will hope to use that same fighting spirit to bring them a big away win.
Jyden Harb’s goal last week brought him to 14 for the season as the league’s leading goal scorer; he has scored in four-straight matches, bagging seven goals in that time, and will hope to be the main outlet for the Flame once again away from home, having scored in all-but one away match this season.
Having scored a league-high 32 goals this season, the Flame will hope to bring their clinical edge to Christie Park as they look for a win which could see them rise to as high as 2nd in the league as the competition nears the halfway point.
With Gladesville out to reverse a negative head-to-head record against them and the Flame hoping to win a third match from their past four, both sides will hope to bring their best in this clash.
Central Coast United FC vs Camden Tigers FC, 3pm at Pluim Park
Last season: Camden Tigers FC 2-1 Central Coast United FC, Central Coast United FC 6-0 Camden Tigers FC
Two teams who are near the bottom of the league and will hope to take a big step away from it meet when Central Coast United FC and Camden Tigers FC clash.
Last season, Camden came from behind late to grab a 2-1 home win before Central Coast hit them for six in the reverse fixture with a 6-0 victory; this clash will look to be just as unpredictable again with the two teams hunting down a big three points.
14th-placed Central Coast United FC could not back up their Round 12 win after they fell to a 4-0 away loss to the league-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC last week but will hope to bounce back against a Tigers side they have fond memories of at home.
Cade Mapu scored a double against the Tigers in that 6-0 win last season, while Ben Flakus also found the scoresheet along with Cayleb Murray; all three will line up for the Pirates this time around and will hope to bring that same energy to this clash.
Both of Central Coast’s wins this season have been 2-1 wins at home and they will hope Pluim Park will build into a base where they can look to salvage a positive season as it approaches the halfway point in a few weeks.
13th-placed Camden Tigers FC, meanwhile, went a fourth-straight match without a win and conceded six goals in back-to-back matches after their 6-2 away loss to Parramatta FC last week but will hope to get back to form soon.
The focus for the Tigers will be getting their defensive issues sorted, with last week’s match meaning they have conceded 34 goals in 12 matches, the most in the league, while they will hope to be more clinical with their high number of shots they are creating each week.
Expect Camden to show defensive impetus in this match as they look to grab a big three points against a Central Coast side they will want to get revenge on for their most-recent head-to-head result against.
With both Central Coast and Camden hoping to pick up a big win near the bottom of the league, neither side will want to walk away from this match without having given their all.
Hawkesbury City FC vs Nepean FC, 5pm at David Bertenshaw Field
These two teams did not meet last season.
A match which brings with it a bit of history will see a bit of a grudge match reignite when Hawkesbury City FC hosts Nepean FC.
Despite not meeting last season, there is history between these two clubs, with Nepean beating Hawkesbury 3-2 after extra-time in Round 1 of the 2022 FNSW League Three Men’s finals; Nepean have won the past three head-to-head matches against the Hawks, whose last win against Nepean was in the 2022 regular season.
5th-placed Hawkesbury City FC will hope to return from their Round 13 bye with a win having lost two of their past three league matches.
The Hawks’ firepower up front will hope to lead them to a win this week, with Harry Drew and Vincent Dermilio hoping to get back on the scoresheet to add to their 12 and nine goals this season so far, respectively.
With the Hawks looking to find consistency, they will hope to grab a big home win against Nepean ahead of the halfway point of the season arriving on Sunday week.
10th-placed Nepean FC, meanwhile, scored a stoppage-time equaliser at home to Fraser Park FC last week and will hope to use that fight to grab their first away win of the season in their fourth attempt.
Nepean will hope to make the match difficult for the Hawks and take the result to the wire late if needed, having scored goals in the 85th minute and beyond in three of their past four matches since their bye.
A win for Nepean against a strong Hawkesbury side will give them confidence ahead of the final match before the halfway point of the season.
With Hawkesbury looking to bounce back after their week off and Nepean chasing their first away win of the season, both sides will hope to put together a strong performance in their pursuit of the three points.
Bankstown United FC vs Inner West Hawks FC, 7pm at Padstow Park
Last season: Bankstown United FC 4-0 Inner West Hawks FC, Inner West Hawks FC 1-3 Bankstown United FC
Two teams coming off contrasting last-start results will hope to grab a big win when Bankstown United FC and Inner West Hawks FC do battle at Padstow Park.
Last season, Bankstown did the league double over the Hawks; they have won five of the past six head-to-head matches against the Hawks and will hope to continue that trend, while Inner West will hope to grab a big win in this matchup.
7th-placed Bankstown United FC had their away match to Granville Rage washed out last week but will hope to return in this match refreshed as they look to win back-to-back matches for the first time since Round Seven.
Bankstown will hope the week off will aid them as they look to make a big step in the top half of the ladder ahead of the second half of the season.
Expect Marie Gauthier to be involved in this match for Bankstown as they look to grab a big three points.
12th-placed Inner West Hawks FC, meanwhile, fell 1-0 in a tight home loss to Prospect United FC last week but will hope to continue their strong away form to get back on the winners’ list this week.
In their seven away matches so far this season, the Hawks have a record of two wins, three draws and two losses; they will hope to go a fourth-straight away match without defeat, however, when they visit Bankstown.
Expect a spirited performance from the Hawks in this match as they look to reverse their head-to-head fortunes against Bankstown.
Both Bankstown and Inner West will be raring to get onto the pitch for different reasons as they look to pick up the win, respectively.
Prospect United SC vs Sydney University SFC, 7pm at Blacktown Exercise Sports and Technology Hub
Last season: Prospect United SC 3-1 Sydney University SFC, Sydney University SFC 1-0 Prospect United SC
A clash between two sides who have had contrasting seasons so far sees the high-flying Prospect United SC look to continue in that vein when they host a Sydney University SFC side hoping to build off a positive result last week.
Last season, the respective home sides picked up the head-to-head win in this fixture; that was also the case in the 2023 season in a show of the strength of the home advantage in this fixture.
2nd-placed Prospect United SC bounced back from their Round 12 defeat with a 1-0 away win over Inner West Hawks FC last week and will hope to continue in their pursuit to be a top side this season.
Praneet Singh scored his seventh goal of the season, which was his third goal from his past four matches; he and Anthony Idehen will hope to lead the line well for the hosts once again as they look for their ninth win from 13 matches this season.
Having picked up their fifth clean sheet of the season, the best defensive side in the league in Prospect, with only ten goals conceded so far, will hope to make that a priority once again as they chase back-to-back wins.
Last-placed Sydney University SFC, meanwhile, grabbed their third point of the season last week following their 1-1 home draw to Gladesville Ryde Magic in the Match of the Round and will hope that draw can give them confidence to chase their first win of the season.
The students played a positive match last week, creating 13 shots and threatening on many occasions; they will hope to build on that performance ahead of this match.
Expect University to bring plenty of fight to this match as they look to cause an upset against Prospect.
With Prospect hoping to continue to fire at the top and University hoping to grab their first win of the season, both sides will bring plenty of fire to this clash.
Dunbar Rovers FC vs Parramatta FC, 7pm at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
These two teams did not meet last season.
A resurgent Dunbar Rovers FC will hope to continue their strong run of late when they host a Parramatta FC side looking to get back on track following their last-start win.
With no recent head-to-head history between these sides, both teams will hope to get a fresh start against the other in this matchup.
8th-placed Dunbar Rovers FC went a fifth-straight match without defeat after their 2-2 draw away to South Coast Flame FC last week and will hope to continue their strongest run of the season.
With players in the squad finding form amid the return of key players now injury-free, Dunbar will hope to have high ambitions against a top Parramatta side in this match.
Paul Gautier has scored in his past three matches for Dunbar, scoring four goals in that time; the hosts will hope to look to him once again as Dunbar chase a third win from their past four matches.
3rd-placed Parramatta FC, meanwhile, won their first in five matches in a big way after their 6-2 home win over Camden Tigers FC last week and will hope to build on that result.
Parramatta will welcome back Navid Alizada and Faraz Rahimi, while they have gotten their squad depth back with the likes of Christopher Arditti and Jacob Basden having recently returned.
The Eagles will hope to find some squad stability with the worst of their injuries in the squad over and will hope to make the most of their chances against Dunbar in this match.
With Dunbar unbeaten in five and Parramatta hoping to build off a big last-start win, both sides will be hopeful of picking up the three points in this clash.
Fraser Park FC vs Granville Rage, 7:30pm at Valentine Sports Park
Last season: Fraser Park FC 2-4 Granville Rage, Granville Rage 5-2 Fraser Park FC
Fraser Park FC will hope to get back to winning ways when they host a Granville Rage side hoping to find some consistency to close out Round 14.
Granville completed the league double over Fraser Park last season and will hope to grab a third-straight head-to-head win, while Fraser Park will look to end that streak at two.
9th-placed Fraser Park FC played out a second-straight 2-2 draw in their match away to Nepean FC last week and will hope to turn their lead into a win this week having given up their lead in back-to-back weeks.
Fraser Park have created many chances in recent weeks and will hope to find consistency in front of goal, while in defence they will hope to tighten up having conceded the second-most goals in the league.
Unbeaten at Valentine Sports Park this season, Fraser Park will hope to continue that strong home form as they look to work their way towards the top half of the ladder approaching the halfway point of the season.
6th-placed Granville Rage, meanwhile, had their match at home to Bankstown United FC washed out last week and will hope to grab a big win against Fraser Park this week.
The Rage have lost their last three away matches but will hope to have a return to form away this week against a Fraser Park side they had success against last season.
Expect the Rage to return from their impromptu break with plenty of energy as they look to continue their charge in the top half of the ladder.
Granville also progressed as the only remaining League Two Men’s side left in the Australia Cup mid-week after a 2-1 home win over fellow League Two Men’s side Gladesville Ryde Magic, with a goal each from Nikiti Andricopoulos and Asmir Kadric helping them progress to the seventh and final preliminary round.
With both Fraser Park and Granville hoping to find consistency, both teams will look to take the match to the other in the pursuit of the win.
League-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC have a bye in Round 14.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
