Round 2 Review – League One Men’s
There was no shortage of talking points after Round Two of the FNSW League One Men’s competition, which took place over the weekend.
Blacktown Spartans continued their hot start to the season, Hakoah picked up the scalp of Bankstown City, and Northern Tigers celebrated a milestone for one of their most loyal players, Ally Brown. That and much more in our round review below.
Match of the Round: Western City Rangers 0-1 Blacktown Spartans
Blacktown Spartans claimed derby honours with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Western City Rangers at Popondetta Park.
A different kind of game compared to last week’s win over Hills United, the Spartans were on top in terms of chances in the first half before finally breaking through courtesy of an Abbas Reda goal with ten minutes remaining.
That’s not to say there weren’t positives for Western City Rangers, who grew into the contest on the back of solid defence. Warren Grieve’s side was just unable to capitalise on some good second-half opportunities.
A constant in the first half was how much of the game was played in the Spartans’ attacking half, with the visitors demonstrating a well-organised press that led to their best chances.
The first of those came just before the quarter-hour mark when Sulleyman Bangura was played through on goal down the right, forcing Dylan Niski into a low save.
Spartans fullback Christian Gonzalez impressed early and found the back of the net just after the 20-minute mark, though his effort was ruled out for offside.
Bangura looked the most likely scorer and had a shot set up by Aedon Kyra deflected over the bar on the half-hour, before another closer-range effort around the 40th minute was again saved by Niski.
Rangers, for their part, looked solid defensively while remaining dangerous in transition.
Both sides had early chances in the second half. Riley Chapple fired from inside a crowded box for the Spartans, while Rangers nearly scored with their first major chance of the match when Shayden Sampow delivered a great ball to the back post that Kye Hickman volleyed over.
Sampow was denied at point-blank range soon after, his header from inside the six-yard box saved by Spartans goalkeeper Anthony Bouzanis following a cross from Hugo Cornish.
The final half hour became a frantic affair, with both sides willing to take risks in search of the three points. The decisive moment arrived in the 82nd minute.
First, Bouzanis denied Cornish at one end after a lovely delivery found him in space. Moments later, the Spartans struck. A high press saw Josh Bortolotto win possession in the attacking half before the ball found Alexander Casella on the right. His pinpoint cross picked out Abbas Reda, who steered a header into the far bottom corner.
Western City Rangers were unable to find an equaliser, with the Spartans taking a narrow but deserved victory.
Western City Rangers 0
Blacktown Spartans 1 (Reda 82’)
Elsewhere:
Bankstown City 1-3 Hakoah FC
Hakoah FC became the second side in as many weeks to take three points from Jensen Park with a 3-1 win over Bankstown City.
In stark contrast to their Round One showing against Dulwich Hill, Craig Sharpley’s side controlled the first half before withstanding pressure after the break in what was a confidence-building result.
The visitors opened the scoring inside 20 minutes through Connor Shaddock, who powered home a header from a corner.
Hakoah were sharper in the first half, winning loose balls and being rewarded with a Gabriel Antoniades strike from the edge of the area in the 36th minute.
Bankstown responded, with Nikolas Loe called into action on several occasions, and cut the deficit to one through prolific marksman Alec Urosevski with 15 minutes remaining.
Hakoah absorbed the pressure before substitute Cam Philpot sealed the result late, with Valentin Cuny and Stephen Varvaritis involved in the build-up.
Bankstown City 1 (Urosevski 75’)
Hakoah FC 3 (Shaddock 18’, Antoniades 36’, Philpot 85’)
Inter Lions 2-5 Canterbury Bankstown
Canterbury Bankstown turned heads with a 5-2 victory over Inter Lions at Majors Bay Reserve on Saturday evening.
The visitors were ruthless in front of goal in a match where the scoreline didn’t entirely reflect the balance of play. The Berries secured their first three points of the season, while Inter Lions remain winless heading into Round Three.
Inter started brightly and opened the scoring around the quarter-hour mark when Stephen Athanaseris threaded a pass through to Harry Rushton, who finished on the volley.
However, Canterbury Bankstown responded strongly, aided by defensive errors, and scored three times before the break. Yeojun Seo netted a brace, and Taketo Ochiai added a third with a well-taken header.
The Lions reduced the deficit through Ned Armson after a strong spell, but late goals from John Fotopoulos and William Kounnas sealed a comprehensive win for the visitors.
Inter Lions 2 (Rushton 17’, Armson 54’)
Canterbury Bankstown 5 (Seo 24’, 27’, Ochiai 44’, Fotopoulos 68’, Kounnas 87’)
Hills United 2-1 Dulwich Hill
Hills United bounced back from a Round One loss with a 2-1 victory over Dulwich Hill at Valentine Sports Park.
The game came alive in the second half, with Hills scoring twice either side of the 70-minute mark before Dulwich Hill grabbed a late consolation.
A key difference was the impact of Hills’ substitutes, particularly Lachlan Sepping, who registered a goal and an assist. He first finished off a well-worked team move before putting new signing Kaito Satori through one-on-one to slot home calmly.
Dulwich Hill switched to a more attacking shape late and were rewarded when Marcus Lal converted a penalty.
Hills United 2 (Sepping 68’, Satori 72’)
Dulwich Hill 1 (Lal 88’)
Northern Tigers 3-0 Prospect United
Northern Tigers built on their Round One win with a 3-0 victory over Prospect United at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
Celebrating his 200th club appearance, Alexander “Ally” Brown marked the milestone with a goal, while Sebastian Cerecedo scored a first-half brace.
Cerecedo opened the scoring inside four minutes after an assist from Marcorius Gendy, before doubling the lead prior to the break from a Connor Rose cutback.
Brown capped off the win with a first-time long-range effort after good build-up play involving Lachie Lloyd.
Northern Tigers 3 (Cerecedo 4’, 36’, Brown 79’)
Prospect United 0
Newcastle Jets 1-3 Bulls FC Academy
Bulls FC Academy claimed academy bragging rights with a 3-1 away win over Newcastle Jets.
Nicolai Muller’s side sit equal top after two rounds, conceding just once in 180 minutes, with three different scorers finding the net.
Luke Zuvela opened the scoring in the 42nd minute, and although Oliver Cockle pulled one back for the Jets, second-half goals from Michael Pratezina and Ali El-Sabeh secured the win. Bulls goalkeeper Joshua Lakkis also saved a penalty to cap a strong defensive display.
Newcastle Jets 1 (Cockle 75’)
Bulls FC Academy 3 (Zuvela 42’, Pratezina 54’, El-Sabeh 92’)
Central Coast Mariners 2-1 Macarthur Rams
Central Coast Mariners came from behind to secure their first win of the season against Macarthur Rams at Pluim Park.
The Rams took the lead through a Chan Yelchan header midway through the first half after creating several strong chances.
The Mariners responded after the break, with Ahmad Elhelou equalising before a dangerous set-piece delivery deflected off a Rams defender to give the hosts the lead.
Macarthur pushed late but were unable to find another goal.
Central Coast Mariners 2 (Elhelou 51’, Widdup 73’)
Macarthur Rams 1 (Yelchan 32’)
Rydalmere Lions 1-1 Hurstville FC
Hurstville demonstrated their competitiveness in 2026 with a 1-1 draw against Rydalmere Lions at Rydalmere Park.
Rydalmere took an early lead through Isaac Cunningham before a red card shifted the momentum. Hurstville equalised early in the second half when Paul Gagro found Daniel Maras from a set piece.
The hosts held firm thanks largely to goalkeeper Steven Kriezis, who made multiple key saves. Hurstville created further chances through Nikola Todoroski, Alessandro Lacalandra and Ahmed Efstathiou but were unable to find a winner.
Rydalmere Lions 1 (Cunningham 4’)
Hurstville FC 1 (Maras 52’)
By Justin Smith
