Round 23 Preview – League One Men’s
Two months of the season to go, Round 23 of the Football NSW League One Men’s competition features two games where teams in the bottom four face each other while two in form sides chase a top two spot.
Our match of the round takes us elsewhere though as Bulls FC Academy host Hills United.
A lot going on, lets take a look at the weekend to come.
Match of the Round: Bulls FC Academy v Hills United; Saturday 12 July, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
Our match of the round takes us to Sydney’s South-west as Bulls FC Academy host a resurgent Hills United at Sydney United Sports Centre.
This stands a big game for the hosts who have lost their last three games coming up against a resurgent Hills United side.
It’s safe to say that the squad rotation at Bulls FC Acadermy has had an effect in recent times as they have lost their last three games against Inter Lions, Blacktown Spartans and Newcastle Jets respectively. In third on 38 points, there’s a lot of teams around them in a congested upper table.
Last weekend, they went down to Newcastle Jets away from home with Atiya Waraga scoring from the spot as consolation. In squad news of late, they have added Ryley Hollingdale, Justin Cardozo and Prayaag Thapa from fellow A-league academies while Dimo Dimo has also joined from Blacktown City. .
Hills United have gone from strength to strength in recent times climbing up the table into ninth position. Since we last caught up with them a month ago against the Jets, they have won against SD Raiders, Inter Lions and Canterbury Bankstown.
In round 22 action, they managed to come from behind against the Berries with Lachlan Sepping and Walid Moutaouakkil scoring braces in the second half of that one. Overall it was a good performance from the side as they were able to translate possession into goals.
You can catch this game on the Football NSW youtube page this weekend both live and on demand.
Elsewhere
Blacktown Spartans v Bankstown City; Friday 11 July, 8:15pm, Blacktown Football Park
Blacktown Spartans stretched their winning run to four games with a narrow 3-2 victory over Hakoah last weekend. In second position as a result, they are right in the top two fight coming into this weekend.
Three players stood out in their home game last Friday night in Aedon Kyra who was tireless in his work up front, Riley Chapple who created numerous chances from midfield. While captain Peter Pelekanos was also crucial marshalling the defence.
They face a Bankstown City team who scored three goals for the third time in this season in round 22 action. Prevailing 3-0 at home against Inter Lions, they have looked to have turned the corner in recent times particularly from a defensive standpoint.
Last week saw Jonathan Grozdanovski add another three goals to take his season tally to 15 goals in 19 appearances. While Jason Cakovski and Shun Maeta also contributed to their victory. Will they be the side to break the Spartans recent run?
Newcastle Jets v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 12 July, 4pm, Rydalmere Park
On occasions like this, we like to pride ourselves on the big question like… Who gets the home dressing room for this game?
Newcastle Jets come into this game on the back of three straight wins over Dulwich Hill, Northern Tigers and Bulls FC Academy last weekend. Like their opponents, they sit on 37 points which is two behind the Spartans in second.
Last weekend, they were in full attacking flow against Bulls Academy, Xavier Bertoncello scoring a brace while Ethan Debono and Oliver Cockle also found the back of the net. A key aspect of the win their effective press which won them the ball up field numerous times.
They face a side who should be very familiar with their surroundings in Rydalmere Lions. The Lions have lost just the one game this season at the venue which came against this exact team back in round eight so could revenge be motivation here?
Of more recent note, they won 4-1 against UNSW last weekend in what is becoming a pretty typical performance at home. Adil Toska, Robert Eremugo and Ahmad Taleb all finding the back of the net. They are now six games unbeaten.
Northern Tigers v Hakoah FC; Saturday 12 July, 4:15pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
On the back of a disappointing cup final defeat last Wednesday, Northern Tigers secured a big win in the league against Macarthur Rams just three days later. Scoring three unanswered first half goals, they were in control from that point forward.
Central to that win was Lachlan Lloyd who scored the second and contributed to the first, while new acquisition Taiga Kawano looks a shrewd piece of business. Three point lead at the top, they will be keen to keep that in tact with a win here.
Hakoah FC have proven that they aren’t an easy side to beat in recent times as they have well and truly found a way to find the back of the net in recent times. Last weekend, tasting a narrow defeat to Blacktown Spartans.
It would be safe to assume their will be a focus on not conceding late goals in upcoming weeks after conceding five after the 80th minute in three consecutive weeks. Nicholas Tooley our player to watch ahead of this one.
Macarthur Rams v Mounties Wanderers; Saturday 12 July, 5pm, Lynwood Park
Despite defeat last weekend against Northern TIgers, Rams coach Tim Aitken said he was proud of his sides efforts in the past couple of months since he took over and you can see why picking up fourteen points (or thereabouts) in that time.
Sitting on 22 points, they are four points clear of their opponents in this one. Quite the turnaround from where they were and a result here will push them a long way towards survival. They can also take confidence from their round one meeting where they won 1-0 over the Wanderers.
Speaking of, it will be interesting to see how Mounties Wanderers bounce back from a disappointing defeat last weekend against Dulwich Hill. Unfortunately it was a costly mistake in the first half which set the tone on the evening, an all too familiar story this season.
As such, this has become a pretty big game as they sit four points adrift of the Rams. If they are too win, you’d suspect James Cakovski will play a key role in it with four goals in his last four games. While also watch out for their set piece threat.
Canterbury Bankstown v SD Raiders; Saturday 12 July, 5pm, Jensen Park
Seven points above the bottom two, you’d think Canterbury Bankstown still need to pick up results to avoid the playoff spot. WInless since round 14, they tasted defeat against Hills United away from home last weekend.
In that one, John Fotopoulos opened their account early before Patrick Savor scored their second to bring it back to 3-2. They’ll be without James Ralston here who saw red for a second book able offence in the space of five minutes .
This is debatably the biggest game of the SD Raiders league season as they look to recapture form before it’s too late. Last week they took a 2-2 draw from their fixture against Bonnyrigg White Eagles coming from behind twice, so can they use that to spur them on?
They have conceded first in their last four fixtures however so that is cause for concern, last weeks goal-scorers Yuto Sugiura and Thomas Santarossa two players to watch ahead of this one. While Michael Figueira should be a key return this week.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Dulwich Hill; Saturday 12 July, 7pm, Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Another big fixture this weekend, it’s almost a must win for Bonnyrigg White Eagles in their effort to survive in season 2025. Five points behind 15th and nine behind 14th, it’s a tough assignment but there’s a new found belief after registration window acquisitions.
Yes, I think its safe to say that eyebrows were raised across the competition last week with the quality of player brought into Bonnyrigg. However it was two regulars throughout the season who scored the goals in Brad Bartels and Daniel Bittar to give them the lead twice.
Dulwich Hill will not be an easy opponent though having given themselves some breathing room with a big win over Mounties Wanderers last weekend. Sitting on 24 points, they could all but clear themselves of the threat of Bonnyrigg with a win here.
Last weekend, Mark Younes scored their first to put them in control. While ex-Bonnyrigg player Samuel Tzanakes and Jacob Palamidas both looked threatening down the right side in particular. Their first clean sheet since round 12, they will be confident heading into this one.
Inter Lions v UNSW FC; Saturday 12 July, 7pm, Majors Bay Reserve
Inconsistency is the word which comes to mind when thinking about Inter Lions of late. They have won two of their last five in which they’ve scored three goals while struggling to score in the other fixtures during this period.
Indeed, that was no more obvious than last weekend against Bankstown City, a game where they struggled to provide a threat while conceding three at the other end with Jonathan Grozdanovski haunting them with a hat-trick. This is a big game if they are to contest a top two position.
That last sentence not only applying to the hosts in this one as well with UNSW FC also going down to a round 22 defeat against Rydalmere Lions away from home. One win in their last five games, there’s a threat of falling out of contention if they don’t win here.
In that one, they also lost Charles Samushonga to a red card so he won’t feature in this one while they were also forced into two first half substitutions on a bad night for the students. They lost the first meeting between the two back in round eight.
By Justin Smith
