Round 15 Preview – League One Men’s
Round 15 brings us the last set of games before the halfway point of the FNSW League One Men’s season and what better way to celebrate then a highly anticipated match of the round.
Yes, second faces third in our streamed match on Saturday, while SD Raiders and Hills United return to league action after progressing in the cup as well.
Match of the Round: Northern Tigers v UNSW FC; Saturday 17 May, 4:15pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
Finishing off the first round of fixtures in style, our match of the round sees second placed Northern Tigers host third placed UNSW FC.
The hosts come into this having lost two of their last three fixtures, while UNSW have won their last two to bring themselves within striking distance.
It’s been a shaky period of the season for Northern Tigers particularly on their travels. A two nil defeat to Canterbury Bankstown last weekend came in close proximity to their loss to Inter Lions a few weeks ago. While a 5-0 win against Dulwich Hill and cup progression came in between those two fixtures.
If they are looking for encouragement, their home record stands as one of the best in the league with five wins in seven. Whilst on the field, the big story is the scoring form of Kai Denton once again as such his the player to keep an eye on. While elsewhere Oliver Scott and Elliot Carwardine have both made appearances in the first team in recent weeks.
Opposed to their hosts who have been in contention for the top two since the early rounds, UNSW FC have emerged as a threat over the last couple of weeks. Two wins over SD Raiders and Bankstown City in the space of four days put them into third spot.
Key in both those was a fast start with all six of those goals coming in the first half. Jack Fulton will return to North Turramurra in form with a brace against Bankstown City, while Sean Woods also has three goals in those two fixtures. Key also in this run has been Thomas Quilligan so outside the scorers keep an eye on him.
You can catch this highly anticipated clash on the Football NSW youtube page under the live tab.
Elsewhere
Blacktown Spartans v Hills United; Friday 16 May, 8:15pm, Blacktown Football Park
Blacktown Spartans have made a habit of winning games against sides below them, while not having that much luck facing sides above them. So based on that, this stands as a potential for three points this weekend.
In saying that, on another day where they were more clinical against SD Raiders, they should have taken three points. As such, you’d imagine that’s where their focus will be approaching this Friday night as they host Hills United.
One of three sides to progress in the Australia Cup, Hills United will be hoping their cup form can translate to league success this Friday night against the Spartans. If not, they could be in a bit of trouble only outside the bottom two on goal difference.
We’ll focus on the positives here and their win over Shellharbor FC midweek, Noah Casserly scoring the winning goal with ten minutes left. Enough to lift their spirits and out of trouble in the league? We shall see.
Bankstown City v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 17 May, 5pm, Jensen Park
Back-to-back defeats has seen Bankstown City’s season stall sitting towards the bottom of a crowded mid-table. Last weekend saw them fall to defeat against UNSW FC unable to claw back a deficit in the second half.
Jonathan Grozdanovski seems to be the bright spot in their attack with five goals in their last three games. They have a mixed record at their Jensen Park home this season with three wins in their seven games at the venue.
They face the new league entertainers in Rydalmere Lions. Scoring seventeen goals in their last seven games, they have raced up the goals scored and competition table. With another win here potentially putting them well in contention for the top two.
Last weekend, they prevailed 4-1 over Bonnyrigg White Eagles. Outside of the scorers it was Conor Kerr and Kyle Sande who helped them to the three points dictating the tempo and territorial battle throughout.
Macarthur Rams v Hakoah FC; Saturday 17 May, 5pm, Lynwood Park
There were signs of encouragement for Macarthur Rams in their fixture with Newcastle Jets last weekend. On the back of a three points in their four games prior to it, they were perhaps a little unfortunate to walk away with nothing.
William Miranda scored twice for the Rams in that one including a goal of the season contender for his second goal. A performance which saw them score three goals for the first time this season.
Hakoah FC weren’t far away from making it three straight wins last weekend in their fixture against the rampaging Bulls academy. Sitting in eleventh, they are a few wins away from catching up the mid-table with fears of the bottom two perhaps behind them.
Nicholas Tooley was the goalscorer against the Bulls but the academy side just had a bit too much in the finishing department. Another bright spot being Valentin Cuny who started his second game in a row up top. /
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Inter Lions; Saturday 17 May, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
The draw gets no easier for Bonnyrigg White Eagles who are still chasing their fourth win of the season. Equal on points with two other sides, their goal difference isn’t doing them many favours in the standings.
Last weekend, they did put together a determined first half performance against Rydalmere Lions. Stefan Nikolic drawing them level after a Daniel Bittar assist. They’ll need more of that as they return home for this one.
Inter Lions are one of the form sides in the competition with four wins in their last five games. Just four points behind second, they could well be a team to challenge for promotion in the second half of the season if results keep coming.
Last weekend they played out a thriller against Dulwich Hill scoring four goals in the second half. Led by Owen Duke with a brace, confidence is high at the Lions and they have a few players set to return in the near future.
Mounties Wanderers v Bulls FC Academy; Saturday 17 May, 7pm, Wanderers Football Park
We’ve been waiting for a side in the bottom four to make their move in recent weeks and that side was Mounties Wanderers. Bringing themselves level on points with Hills and Bonnyrigg above them with a win over Hills, can they back it up this weekend.
Looking back on that one, it was James Cakovski’s goal just before half time which separated the sides. However there is still room for improvement in the final third having just scored nine goals so far this season.
Bulls FC Academy continued their encouraging run of form with their third straight win last weekend which put them three points behind second placed Northern Tigers. Prevailing over Hakoah FC on the road, they’re looking a significant threat heading into the second half of the campaign.
Crucial to that win was Ante Vojvodic who had to step up defensively in a pre-game reshuffle. While Frans Deli and Oliver Randazzo were crucial in their control of the midfield. It will be intriguing to see whether the conclusion of the A-league season has an effect on this academy side.
Newcastle Jets v Canterbury Bankstown; Saturday 17 May, 7pm, Lake Macquarie Regional Football Facility
Another academy side who probably won’t be as affected as the Bulls are Newcastle Jets who secured their first win in a month over Macarthur Rams last weekend. In eighth position, they are five points behind third in the standings approaching round fifteen.
In a good attacking performance, Christian Bracco stood out with a brace scoring a goal either side of half time. Joined by Xavier Bertoncello and James Rafty who scored off the bench. They will need to improve defensively if they are too challenge the top two going forward.
This looks like a true test of their ambitions against a Canterbury Bankstown side who side above them in the standings. A win against then competition leaders Northern Tigers was quite the statement from Wally Savors side after two draws in the weeks previous.
Playing what was described as their best half of the season, they took the lead through Christian Torrelli who scored his sixth goal of the season before they held out defensively scoring their second on the counter, John Fotopoulos also finding the back of the net.
SD Raiders v Dulwich Hill; Saturday 17 May, 7pm, Ernie Smith Reserve
Returning to the top of the table last weekend, this game will mark the end of a busy couple of weeks for SD Raiders with consecutive midweek matches in the league and cup respectively. In which they progressed via penalties against Rockdale Ilinden midweek at the same venue.
Refocussing on the league though and they once again did it the hard way against Blacktown Spartans. There’s no doubt about the character in this team, but they still haven’t put the pieces in place consistently across the ninety minutes.
Looking to take advantage of the extra minutes in their opponents legs, Dulwich Hill will be chasing their first win in four against the hosts after three straight defeats. Still with breathing room over the bottom two, points would be a bonus with an extensive injury list.
Last week there was plenty to be proud of in their 4-3 defeat to Inter Lions. Playing themselves into a winning position with twelve minutes to go courtesy of goals to Mark Younes and Daniel Fornito, they were unfortunate to go down to a defeat.
By Justin Smith
