Round 24 Review – League Two Men’s
Some big results shook up the race for the promotion-playoff in Round 24 of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s season, with this season’s top side also taking another step towards confirming their champion status.
The Match of the Round this week, however, focused on Fraser Park’s homecoming match, where Inner West Hawks FC looked to spoil the celebrations in what was a frantic clash.
Sunday, 20th July 2025
Match of the Round: Fraser Park FC 1-2 Inner West Hawks FC
With Fraser Park FC hosting a day of celebration to commemorate the re-opening of their home ground following stadium upgrades, Inner West Hawks FC scored a late stoppage time winner to spoil the Fraser Park FC homecoming celebrations in a frantic 2-1 away win.
Fraser Park had the first big chance of the match in the 11th minute when Matthew Lecce received the ball just outside the box and fired a shot low and hard towards the left post, but the ball was saved by Hawks’ goalkeeper Gene Marantos onto the post and behind for a corner.
Following that, Inner West took control and had a header from Alexander Nicolosi cleared off the line by the Fraser Park defence in the 13th minute.
Six minutes later, the Hawks’ Hesan Soufi had a headed attempt at the back post from a cross which struck the crossbar as the visitors pushed for the opening goal.
The Hawks continued to attack and had the next three notable attempts in the match without troubling the Fraser Park defence.
In the 35th minute, the Hawks’ Peter Kontis let a shot fly from range which forced Fraser Park goalkeeper Jude Azar into a diving save to his left to put the ball behind for a corner.
From that corner, Hawks’ captain Christopher Phillips almost scored but his header and resulting scramble for the ball was cleared off the line by Fraser Park.
Fraser Park had three of the next four chances to end the half, but neither side was able to break the deadlock in the first half, the match level at 0-0 at the break.
The two teams traded shots after the break, with Fraser Park’s Lecce and Inner West’s Soufi finding the target and firing over, respectively.
Fraser Park had a big chance in the 58th minute when Harry Skotadis passed the ball to Riki Sheather inside the box, where the latter fired a shot on target and had the ball saved well down low by Marantos.
Two minutes later, strong build-up play from, the Hawks saw them play the ball to Soufi just outside the box, but his effort saw them ball go just past the right post.
In the 65th minute, Inner West struck first to spoil the Fraser Park homecoming when a ball over the top from Soufi found Tallon Zahra, who beat the Fraser Park defence with his pace and lined up a shot from inside the box; he fired the ball home with a precise finish into the bottom-right corner of the goal to give the Hawks a 1-0 lead.
The Hawks had the next two chances shortly after that, with a shot from range going over from Zahra and a bicycle kick from substitute Christian Cirino saved by Azar.
Fraser Park struck back in the 76th minute when Skotadis received the ball 30 yards from goal and found some space before he found the top-left corner of the goal with a sudden strike to level the contest for the hosts.
The two teams fought hard to find the winner late, with Soufi firing for the Hawks and Stavros Palapanis coming off the bench and looking dangerous for Fraser Park.
Azar was called into action twice in two minutes to keep the scores level, first with a strong save low to his right and then at full stretch to deny the Hawks’ Peter Yannopoulos.
Yannopoulos threatened again in the 83rd minute with a shot saved by the legs of Azar, before he had a strong shot fly just past the left post three minutes later.
Both teams had more shots as the match headed towards stoppage time, with the three points still up for grabs.
The late drama arrived in the fourth minute of stoppage time when a free kick from within his own half by Marantos found the head of Fraser Park’s Sheather, who headed the ball directly into the path of Hawks’ substitute Freddie Cobb inside the box.
The 18-year-old, making his senior debut, kept his eye on the ball and volleyed it into the bottom-left corner of the goal with his right foot to win the match for the Hawks within 18 minutes of making his first-grade debut, 2-1 the final score.
Speaking post-match, Inner West Hawks captain Christopher Phillips was delighted to grab the win and had lots of praise for Cobb on winning the match for his side on his debut.
“He has been with the club now all the way through the juniors and it is his first goal as a senior, which is quite incredible… he just personifies what we are about as a club and giving those youngsters a good opportunity and he took it, so credit to him.”
The Hawks will hope to use the rest of the season to finish as high as they can on the ladder and build for the next season.
“If we can end the season well, the finishing position will be representative of what we deserve this year but also put us in good stead for next year, because 2026 cannot come sooner.”
Meanwhile, Fraser Park captain Alexis Wenzel was disappointed in the result in Fraser Park’s homecoming match.
“We should have cleared the ball and unfortunately, we could not clear the ball… this result is a hard one to swallow.”
However, Wenzel was happy for Fraser Park to be back at home in Marrickville with all the renovations and additions completed at their home ground.
“I think the club has put everything in place and they did amazing… I think the club deserves it; it is a really good club.”
Fraser Park also held Hurstville Zagreb FC to a 1-1 draw midweek, with Gregory Ehiozee scoring in the draw for Fraser Park.
The loss for Fraser Park saw them go four matches without a win as they stayed in 9th on the ladder, while the win for the Hawks snapped a five-match winless streak as they stayed in 12th.
Fraser Park will hope to grab all three points when they travel to take on 10th-placed Gladesville Ryde Magic next week, while Inner West will look to win back-to-back matches when they host last-placed Camden Tigers FC.
Fraser Park FC 1 (Harry Skotadis 76’)
Inner West Hawks FC 2 (Tallon Zahra 65’; Freddie Cobb 90+4’)
Saturday, 19th July 2025
Central Coast United FC 0-2 Granville Rage
Granville Rage gave their late season hopes of promotion another big boost following their 2-0 away win over Central Coast United FC.
Granville opened the scoring in the 40th minute when Jad Moussa beat two Central Coast defenders down the right wing and got to the byline before he squared the ball to Timothy Borg-Williams in the middle, who squeezed the ball into the back of the net at the near left post for his 13th goal of the season to give the Rage a 1-0 lead at half-time.
The Rage doubled their lead and sealed the match late on in the 82nd minute when a turnover in the attacking half of the field from Central Coast saw the Rage hit them on the counter.
The ball was played forward from Borg-Williams to Asmir Kadric, who took a shot on early from 25 yards out, catching out Central Coast goalkeeper Zayd Husain at the near right post and finding the back of the net to give the Rage a 2-0 away win.
The loss for Central Coast saw them lose back-to-back matches for the first time since Round 9 as they stayed in 13th, while the win for Granville saw them rise one spot from 6th into 5th as they put themselves among the 2nd-place hopefuls this season.
Central Coast will hope to respond when they host 4th-placed Bankstown United FC next week, while Granville will hope to extend their eight-match unbeaten run when they host 2nd-placed Prospect United SC in a big clash regarding promotion chances this season for both sides.
Central Coast United FC 0
Granville Rage 2 (Timothy Borg-Williams 40’; Asmir Kadric 82’)
Parramatta FC 4-2 Gladesville Ryde Magic
Parramatta FC ended their seven-match winless streak with a big 4-2 home win over Gladesville Ryde Magic.
Fielding a strong lineup, the hosts looked to control the ball early and limit turnovers, while Jordan Parfait up front with Marco Sama just in behind looked to be dangerous in the match.
The hosts took a 1-0 lead in the 9th minute when Travis Oughtred found space in the box from a corner and headed the ball into the top-left corner of the goal to give the Eagles the perfect start to the match.
Parramatta doubled their lead in the 29th minute when a move from midfield to attack saw Jordan Gomez slot the ball into the back of the net low to the right to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead.
Gladesville struck back three minutes later when they intercepted a square pass from Parramatta in the midfield and drove down the field; Christopher Guyot finished the one-on-one chance well to get Gladesville back into the contest at 2-1 down.
Parramatta regained their two-goal lead in the second minute of first-half stoppage time, however, when Marco Sama received the ball in the Gladesville box and beat his defender before he found the back of the net with a composed finish to give Parramatta a 3-1 half-time lead.
After the break, Christopher Arditti missed a big one-on-one chance, striking the ball over the bar, before he made amends in the 64th minute, slotting the ball home from a similar chance to give Parramatta a 4-1 lead.
Less than three minutes later, again, Gladesville grabbed a goal back when a long ball saw Parramatta’s Harry Aquilina misjudge the ball, with it going under his foot, leaving Genki Kohyama with an empty net to slot the ball into to reduce the deficit to two goals.
In the end, Parramatta did enough to see out the victory, 4-2 over Gladesville.
The win for Parramatta was their first since Round 16 as they stayed in 7th, while the loss for Gladesville was their first in three weeks as they stayed in 10th.
Parramatta will hope to build on this win when they travel to face 3rd-placed South Coast Flame FC next week, while Gladesville will hope to respond when they host 9th-placed Fraser Park FC.
Parramatta FC 4 (Travis Oughtred 9’; Jordan Gomez 29’; Marco Sama 45+2’; Christopher Arditti 64’)
Gladesville Ryde Magic 2 (Chrisopher Guyot 32’; Genki Kohyama 67’)
Hawkesbury City FC 1-2 Camden Tigers FC
A big result between two old friends in the battle for promotion saw Camden Tigers FC shake up the promotion race with a late 2-1 upset away win over Hawkesbury City FC.
Hawkesbury attacked hard early to find the first goal in the match but in the first thirty minutes, Camden defended well with key tackles in and around their defensive box to keep the Hawks out.
At the other end, Camden scored in the 45th minute when a corner delivered into the box by Charlie Connell was flicked into the back of the net off the post by Bailey Simpson to give the Tigers a big 1-0 lead at half-time.
In the second half, both sides looked to work hard to hold the ball and create chances; Hawkesbury made the most of a chance in the 70th minute when Harry Drew picked up the ball and lined up a shot from just outside the box, with the ball cannoning into the back of the net off the far post, Drew scoring his 17th goal of the season to level the match at 1-1.
Camden had the final say in the match, however, in the 85th minute when a long clearance found Simpson who found a bit of space at the top of the box and shot across goal, finding the bottom corner for his double in the match and to give Camden a big 2-1 away win over Hawkesbury, echoing the result they achieved away in the 2024 season.
The loss for Hawkesbury saw them go three matches without a win as they fell to be seven points behind 2nd-placed Prospect United SC in the battle for promotion as they dropped from 4th to 6th, while the win for Camden snapped their 14-match winless streak as they picked up their first win since Round 8, a win which saw them stay in last but close the gap to 14th-placed Sydney University SFC to just one point.
Hawkesbury will hope to respond to stay in the promotion race when they look to take down the league-leading Hurstville Zagreb FC next week, while Camden will hope to build on their win when they travel to take on 12th-placed Inner West Hawks FC.
Hawkesbury City FC 1 (Harry Drew 70’)
Camden Tigers FC 2 (Bailey Simpson 45’, 85’)
South Coast Flame FC 1-2 Hurstville Zagreb FC
With the league’s best offence in South Coast Flame FC clashing with the league’s best defence in Hurstville Zagreb FC, it was Hurstville who came from behind to move to within potentially one round of securing the league title and promotion with a 2-1 away win over the promotion-hopeful Flame, whose hopes took a big hit.
Hurstville started the match strongly in the fast-paced game with Nikola Todoroski shooting just wide and forcing Flame goalkeeper Nenad Vekic into a strong close-range save with respective back-to-back chances early.
Hurstville had a big chance when they broke through Andre Guzman, who played in Paul Gagro; Gagro cut inside two players and took on a shot which was blocked by the Flame defence, with shouts for a handball by the Hurstville players waved away.
Following that, the Flame broke forward and took a 1-0 lead in the 19th minute when a cross from Jyden Harb saw a mistimed clearance from Hurstville, with the ball falling to Thomas Dunn on the edge of the box; Dunn found the back of the net from range to give the Flame a 1-0 lead.
Daniel Merola had a chance following that for the Flame which went wide, while at the other end Alessandro Lacalandra drove a shot across goal which was saved by Vekic.
The Flame had more chances when Harb shot over from range, before a free kick resulted in Harb having another shot, this one saved by Hurstville goalkeeper, Michael Rutherford.
Following that, Hurstville drove the Flame back and put pressure on them; that pressure paid off in the 42nd minute when a cross from Michael Neill crossed the ball into the box for Todoroski, who headed the ball onto the crossbar before the rebound fell to Jonathan Maras, who volleyed the ball home to level the match at 1-1 at half-time.
After the break, Hurstville pushed for the winner and had a chance fall to Neill, who drove a shot low across goal which was saved well by Vekic on the hour mark.
Hustville looked to drive the Flame back and force errors; they were rewarded in the 69th minute when Lacalandra found Neill who in turn crossed the ball to Todoroski; he volleyed the ball back across goal and into the back of the net for his 13th goal of the season to give Hurstville a 2-1 lead.
Maras was dangerous late for Hurstville, with shots which were saved by Vekic, while at the other end the Hurstville defence held strong to see out a big 2-1 away win for Hurstville.
Hurstville also recorded a 1-1 draw away to Fraser Park FC mid-week, where a goal from Daniel Maras saw them come from behind to earn a point.
The loss for the Flame saw their promotion hopes take a hit as they stayed in 3rd but fell to be five points behind 2nd-placed Prospect United SC, while the win for Hurstville put them on the brink of winning the league as they stayed 15 points clear at the top of the ladder; if they can get a better result than Prospect can get next week, it will secure them the league title.
South Coast will hope to get their hopes of promotion back on track when they host 7th-placed Parramatta FC next week, while Hurstville will look to potentially win the league and secure promotion when they host 5th-placed Hawkesbury City FC in Round 25.
South Coast Flame FC 1 (Thomas Dunn 20’)
Hurstville Zagreb FC 2 (Jonathan Maras 42’; Nikola Todoroski 69’)
Dunbar Rovers FC 1-3 Bankstown United FC
A rapid start to the match from Bankstown United FC saw them set themselves up well away against Dunbar Rovers FC as they secured a big 3-1 away win.
Bankstown took a 1-0 lead in the 6th minute through Marie Gauthier who, despite Dunbar’s plan to mark him closely, found the back of the net, Bankstown’s leading scorer for the season putting them in the lead.
The visitors doubled their lead in the 18th minute when Mitchell Cross found the back of the net to put Bankstown in a commanding position at 2-0 up.
Dunbar were dealt an injury blow with forward Hristopher Neskovski suffering a potential season-ending injury in the 25th minute and that pain was compounded one minute later when Gauthier completed his double in the match and scored his 12th goal of the season to give Bankstown a 3-0 lead.
Bankstown were reduced to ten men in the 30th minute when goalkeeper Sebastian La Luz was sent off, meaning a reshuffle in the team was required with Mitchell Evans coming off the bench to go in goal.
Substitute forward Guilherme Mazurkievicz Pansonato was substituted at half-time by Dunbar, also with a potential season-ending injury, as Dunbar looked for a way back into the match in the second half.
Despite grabbing a goal back in the 56th minute through Paul Gautier, Dunbar were unable to make the most of their second-half possession as they fell to defeat, 3-1 at home.
The loss for Dunbar saw them go four matches without a win as they stayed in 8th, while the win for Bankstown was their fifth in a row as they gave their promotion hopes another big boost, the win moving them up from 5th into 4th on the ladder.
Dunbar will hope to respond when they travel to face 14th-placed Sydney University SFC next week, while Bankstown will hope to continue their push for promotion when they travel to take on 13th-placed Central Coast United FC.
Dunbar Rovers FC 1 (Paul Gautier 56’)
Bankstown United FC 3 (Marie Gauthier 6’, 26’; Mitchell Cross 18’; Sebastian La Luz 30’ red card)
Prospect United SC 2-0 Nepean FC
Prospect United SC took a big step towards securing the all-important 2nd-place finish in 2025 after a big 2-0 home win over Nepean FC in this western Sydney derby.
An even start to the match saw Prospect look to control the ball, but they were unable to find the end product early.
Nepean goalkeeper Samuel Jansons made four big saves in the first half, while Prospect also had a goal disallowed just before half-time, with Anthony Idehen adjudged to be offside following play down the left.
With the match scoreless at the break, Prospect took a 1-0 lead in the 50th minute from a corner when 18-year-old centre-half Gabriel Vulcik headed home to held Prospect draw first blood in the contest.
Prospect wrapped up the important 2-0 win in the 85th minute when new signing, 20-year-old Marcus Loukadounos, formerly of League One Men’s side Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC, fired the ball into the bottom corner from outside the box to grab his first goal for Prospect within 10 minutes of making his debut.
The win for Prospect saw them move to 44 points and open a five-point gap between themselves in 2nd and the two chasing teams behind them in 3rd-placed South Coast Flame FC and 4th-placed Bankstown United FC, while the loss for Nepean saw them stay in 11th.
Prospect will hope to continue to maintain their spot in 2nd in their fight for promotion when they travel to take on 6th-placed Granville Rage in another western Sydney derby, while Nepean have a bye in Round 25.
Prospect United SC 2 (Gabriel Vulcik 50’; Marcus Loukadounos 85’)
Nepean FC 0
14th-placed Sydney University SFC had a bye in Round 24.
By Football NSW League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
