Round 19 Preview – League One Men’s
Round 19 of the Football NSW League One Men’s season includes potentially our most important game yet alongside plenty of action elsewhere.
So buckle up and make sure you clear your Friday night and weekend plans.
Match of the Round: Blacktown Spartans v Bankstown City; Friday 12 June, 8:15pm, Blacktown Football Park
In terms of the promotion race, this could be the most important game of the season as Blacktown Spartans host Bankstown City in our Friday night Match of the Round.
Hosting us once again in season 2026 will be Blacktown Spartans, who are in a mixed run of form which has seen them win two, draw one and lose the other in the past month. That loss came last weekend against Hakoah FC on the road.
A frustrating afternoon saw James Demtriou’s side take the lead early in the fixture with Austen Booth scoring his second in as many games before a missed penalty changed the momentum. They have won one and drawn one on the back of a defeat so far this season. Two players set to play an important role in this one are goalkeeper Anthony Bouzanis and their captain Peter Pelekanos.
This game is an important one for Bankstown City, who will be looking to narrow the gap to the top before huge reinforcements come into Panny Nikas’ squad in a fortnight’s time. Sitting five points below Spartans, they could close the gap considerably with a win here.
Last weekend against the Northern Tigers, they had good spells either side of the half-time break but couldn’t get an all-important second goal. As such, it’s in attack where we look to single out key players, with Bai Antoniou and Jonathan Grozdanovski the most likely to play a role there.
Last Meeting: Bankstown City 3-1 Blacktown Spartans
Elsewhere
Central Coast Mariners v Hakoah FC; Friday 12 June, 6pm, Pluim Park
It’s been a tricky few weeks for Central Coast Mariners results-wise as they’ve gone winless in their last three. Sitting on 26 points, they’ve lost valuable ground on the teams above but sit in the relative safety of mid-table.
Last weekend they drew 1-1 against Dulwich Hill on the road, unable to capitalise on a good first-half performance in front of goal. Including this game, they have eight fixtures remaining at Pluim so they’ll be keen to set the standard here.
They face a Hakoah FC side who will come in on a high after a season-best result against the competition leaders last weekend. In tenth position, they’ll be hoping that result can inspire some consistency results-wise.
Described as a gutsy performance in correspondence with us, Cam Philpot gave them a first-half lead before Nicholas Tooley completed the job, after falling behind earlier in the fixture. With another tough couple of fixtures on the horizon, can they boost morale with three points?
Last Meeting: Hakoah FC 2-2 Central Coast Mariners
Macarthur Rams v Hills United; Saturday 13 June, 4:30pm, Lynwood Stadium
Aside from the Match of the Round for obvious reasons, this could be the pick of the games as Macarthur Rams host Hills United at Lynwood on Saturday afternoon.
Macarthur Rams continued their flawless start to the second round of games with a victory over Rydalmere Lions last weekend away from home. As such, they are now breathing down the neck of Northern Tigers and Bankstown City above them, competing for a top-two position.
In that game against Rydalmere, they kept their third clean sheet in a row (eighth of the season) with Olivier Beltran-Woodward scoring the decisive goal. Speaking of, he stands as a big out in this one after a second bookable offence in that game.
Hills United were left pondering how they didn’t walk away with three points from their Match of the Round last Friday night. In a game where they created many chances to take control, they saw a two-goal lead disappear before half-time.
As such, you’d imagine they’ll be practising finishing in the lead-up to this one. They have won three of their last four away games from Valentine Sports Park. Look out for Walid Moutaouakkil to make a difference here.
Last Meeting: Hills United 1-2 Macarthur Rams
Northern Tigers v Inter Lions; Saturday 13 June, 4:30pm, North Turramurra Recreation Area
Northern Tigers face a tricky test when they host a rejuvenated Inter Lions at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
One key talking point of recent weeks has been the mixed form which the top three sides have been in, and Northern Tigers are no exception. Still holding onto second place, they have one win in their last five.
That doesn’t tell the whole story though, as they passed the eye test last weekend against Bankstown City. Their threat in transition was a key factor which led to their goal for Jesse Spang. Indeed, it is in the attacking third where we should be looking for improvement in weeks to come.
It’s the battle of the big cats as Inter Lions come to NTRA in great form, winning five of their last six games. On the back of their first defeat in a while the week before, they were able to quickly return to winning ways with a narrow win over Hurstville Zagreb.
Their response to going down in the first half was a highlight, while James Khoury has now scored in each of their last six games (his season tally now standing at eight goals).
Last Meeting: Inter Lions 0-3 Northern Tigers
Canterbury Bankstown FC v Newcastle Jets; Saturday 13 June, 5pm, Jensen Park
It seems that every week we have a different side in the best form across the competition; this week it’s Canterbury Bankstown, who have 10 points in their last four games. Threatening a push further up the table, they drew with Western City Rangers last time out.
That was a frustrating result after three consecutive wins despite Fikret Berisha’s early goal. Can we expect to see a response here as the Berries look to climb the table with a positive start to the second half of the season?
Newcastle Jets are the side making the trip down to Sydney this weekend, still needing a few results to feel better about themselves this season. Sitting in eleventh, they are winless in their last three games, with their last win coming at the same venue.
A draw against Prospect United was perhaps a disappointing result after they took the lead early, with Jake Goodwin scoring an equaliser in the second half.
Last Meeting: Newcastle Jets 1-4 Canterbury Bankstown
Hurstville Zagreb v Western City Rangers; Saturday 13 June, 5pm, Penshurst Park
Hurstville Zagreb were unable to stretch their winning run to four games in their fixture with Inter Lions last weekend. In a tight game, they were denied by a James Khoury brace in the second half, losing for the first time since 1 May.
A big factor was who wasn’t playing rather than who was, with three notable players missing. The positive was another Alessandro Lacalandra goal in the 55th minute. Hopefully some of those players will return here.
Western City Rangers took a point from their fixture with Canterbury Bankstown at home last weekend. Six points below the teams above, this is a game they could be targeting as part of a potential escape.
In a chaotic opening quarter-hour they both conceded and scored courtesy of an own goal before competing with an in-form side throughout the remainder of the contest. Indeed, that is where encouragement can be found approaching this clash.
Last Meeting: Western City Rangers 4-3 Hurstville Zagreb
Bulls FC Academy v Rydalmere Lions; Saturday 13 June, 7pm, Sydney United Sports Centre
In a similar position to a fellow academy side we spoke about earlier in the preview, Bulls FC Academy can go about their business across the next 12 rounds with pressure off them as they look to develop their players.
They featured in our Match of the Round against Hills United last weekend, with Nicolai Muller’s side showing some character to come back from two goals down for the result. Outside their goalscorers in Massimo Marrone and Sebastian Krslovic, Joshua Lakkis was solid in goal to ensure the result.
Rydalmere Lions suffered their fourth defeat in five in their Round 18 fixture with Macarthur Rams. As such, the midfield has well and truly caught up with them as part of a group of four teams separated by a point between 6th and 9th.
Quite simply, they are struggling to score goals of late, scoring twice in just two of their last seven (both games they dropped points in). Can they break that run here?
Last Meeting: Rydalmere Lions 2-1 Bulls FC Academy
Prospect United v Dulwich Hill; Sunday 14 June, 8pm, Blacktown Football Park
Sunday night sees an important lower-table fixture take place as Prospect United look to narrow the gap to teams above when they host Dulwich Hill.
It’s the type of game Prospect United need to start winning if they want to survive in the competition, particularly on the back of picking up four points in their last three fixtures including a draw with Newcastle Jets last weekend.
After which, coach Darren Camilleri wanted to make particular mention of Jye Morgan, who made his first grade debut alongside fellow youngster Gabriel Vulcik in central defence. The inclusion was no surprise given the club’s standing in the U20s competition.
Dulwich Hill were able to steady the course after conceding 10 goals in two games with a Round 18 draw with Central Coast Mariners at home. This game is perhaps a must-not-lose scenario rather than a must-win with a six-point advantage.
In a boost, goalkeeper Andrew Di Blasio returned to the side and was crucial in securing the point, while Samuel Hovar also returned from suspension. Jan Schmidt and Jacob Palamidas also earned mentions from coach Berhan Ackalmaz.
Last Meeting: Dulwich Hill 2-2 Prospect United
By Justin Smith
