FNSW League One Men’s/ League Two Men’s – Promotion Relegation – Second Leg Preview
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC hold a one-goal advantage over Prospect United SC with everything to play for in the second leg of the 2025 Football NSW League Two Men’s/League One Men’s Promotion/Relegation Playoff, with history at stake.
For Bonnyrigg, their 2-1 win in the first leg, snatched in stoppage time, put them in the ascendancy and they will hope to maintain that lead to retain their spot in the League One Men’s competition for 2026.
Prospect, meanwhile, will hope to pull off the comeback away from home as they look to rise to the League One Men’s competition for the first time in their history.
With Bonnyrigg looking to make the most of a first leg away win, as they look to consolidate their position at home, and Prospect hoping to pull off a comeback to give them the best night in their club’s history, everything will be left out on the field between these two teams.
Here is what to look out for in the second leg:
Saturday, 13th September 2025
Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC vs Prospect United SC, 7pm at Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Previous meeting: Prospect United SC 1-2 Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC
Bonnyrigg White Eagles hold a slender one-goal lead over Prospect United following the first leg dramatics, with a goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time the difference between the two sides as they both look to fire up for the second leg.
In the first leg, both teams had their share of chances to score and with everything at stake in the final 90 minutes of football to end the season, neither side will want to give anything up easily.
Bonnyrigg will hope to hold onto and extend their one-goal lead following their 2-1 win in the first leg as they look to extend their stay in the League One Men’s competition into an eighth-straight year.
The White Eagles showed up in the second half, launching shots on goal, and were a threat through the likes of Mabior Garang and Fumuto Kamada, with their footwork and abilities both inside and outside the box a problem for the Prospect defence.
Top scorer and assister for the season, Daniel Bittar, also had his moments in the first leg and will hope to lead his side to victory.
Bonnyrigg showed their strengths across the park, with Garang at the centre of their attacking play, scoring his fourth goal in eleven matches since joining the club, and they will hope to do that once again against what is now a beaten-up Prospect side.
Kamada’s goal last week took him to four goals in his first ten matches for the White Eagles and he will hope to add to that tally in this crucial match.
Playing at home, Bonnyrigg will hope to play to their strengths on familiar territory and will hope to use the boost of the home crowd as they chase victory.
Bonnyrigg have one each of their past three matches at home in a run which saw them save themselves from automatic relegation at the end of the regular season, having scored seven goals and conceded three in that time.
The White Eagles have NPL experience across the park with the likes of Cooper Coskerie, Josh Symons, Kamada and Garang bringing that experience; they will hope to use that to their advantage in the second leg.
Having not been kept scoreless in eight matches, Bonnyrigg will hope to be hard to stop in attack against the Prospect defence.
Expect Bonnyrigg to come into this match with calmness and confidence as they look to retain their spot in the League One Men’s competition for the 2026 season.
Prospect, meanwhile, will hope to respond positively from their last-ditch 2-1 loss as they look to make a real charge for the playoff win.
They will potentially be without forward Anthony Idehen after his injury last week, as well as goalkeeper Brenden Allen, who also suffered an injury.
Last week was the second time in the past three weeks Prospect have conceded a goal in stoppage time at the end of the match and they will hope to buck that trend as they look to put in a full ninety-minute performance and beyond.
With a change of scenery could come with it a change of fortune for Prospect; they will hope to play well on the grass surface.
Potentially without Idehen, who scored against the White Eagles in the first leg, Prospect will hope to look elsewhere for goals, with the likes of their top scorer Praneet Singh the prime candidate.
Elsewhere on the field, Prospect will hope to be solid and limit the chances Bonnyrigg can have, especially playing away from home.
Prospect may look to play on the counter on a surface which may not suit their style of play away from home; they will hope to catch out Bonnyrigg in moments to get themselves back into the tie.
The Prospect side has remained consistent all season, with Shaan Birring and Gabriel Vulcik starting every league match in 2025; they will hope the consistency in their squad will serve them well this week, particularly given the injuries they suffered in the first leg.
Prospect will hope to build confidence from the way they started the match last week and if they can grab the first goal once again, will give themselves a big boost in their chances of being promoted to the League One Men’s competition for the first time in their history.
If Prospect can hold their nerve early in the match and get into the grind of the contest to take the result to the wire late, they will hope to get in front and hold that lead to make it three wins from three in promotion/relegation playoffs for League Two Men’s sides.
With Bonnyrigg in the lead, with a squad full of confidence, and Prospect hoping to play the underdog both on the field and off it, both teams will hope to give their all one last time in 2025 in the hunt for the ultimate glory in a promotion/relegation playoff.
Expect both sides to want to fight hard early for the opening goal – for Bonnyrigg, it could all-but seal the tie, while for Prospect it would level the two-legged affair and change the course of the rest of the night.
Will Bonnyrigg earn their right to stay in the League One Men’s competition for an eighth-straight season, or will Prospect win their spot in the competition for the first time in their history?
By Football New South Wales League Two Men’s Reporter, Dylan Costa
