Round 29 Review – League One Men’s
Round 29 of the FNSW League One Men’s competition produced perhaps its most dramatic Match of the Round yet, with Northern Tigers scoring twice after the 95th minute to overcome Macarthur Rams.
It was a big step towards the promotion playoff spot at the top of the table, while it was also a good weekend for Western City Rangers, who rose off the bottom of the table with a win over Central Coast Mariners.
Match of the Round: Northern Tigers 3-2 Macarthur Rams
This league never disappoints! Northern Tigers produced a comeback for the ages at North Turramurra, overcoming Macarthur Rams courtesy of two injury-time goals.
An incredible finish which effectively ensures playoff football barring a miracle turn of events, with Tom Parkes scoring a massive injury-time goal after Jesse Spang had scored a brace earlier in the fixture.
It was the Rams who struck first in this one, with a set-piece goal seven minutes in. Paul Soravia headed home from a Connor Spurway set piece on the left.
Northern Tigers, for their part, struggled to turn early possession into meaningful chances in a stop-start fixture. The Rams’ set-piece threat throughout the first half looked like the most likely way either side would score.
Their second came in exactly that fashion not long after Michael Martin had forced Matteo Scali into a good stop minutes earlier.
A Martin long throw took a deflection before Soravia pounced with a strike on the half-volley.
Which brings us to the comeback, with the Tigers’ new self-belief in 2026 showcased when it mattered most after a quadruple change at half-time which, in retrospect, looks like a masterstroke.
The hosts came back into it with a goal from the spot in the 53rd minute. Jesse Spang converted after they won a penalty for handball, sending the keeper the wrong way and drilling the ball into the bottom-left corner.
That goal was followed by a series of chances, with Tom Parkes nearly pulling off the spectacular in the 57th minute with an attempted overhead kick that flew over the bar.
The Rams, to their credit, looked like they had weathered the storm for the best part of the next half-hour, but there was a twist to come deep into injury time as the Tigers continued to knock on the door.
The equaliser came in the 95th minute through Spang, who got on the end of an Alen Aganovic flick-on before applying a first-time finish.
Before the winner for the hosts came from essentially the last kick of the game.
The Tigers moved the ball from one end of the field to the other quickly, with Sebastian Cerecedo on the left finding Parkes in a central position.
Parkes worked the ball out of his feet before producing a low finish into the bottom-left corner, sparking pandemonium at North Turramurra.
That goal went a long way to securing their spot in the promotion playoff, with a three-point advantage and superior goal difference over Bankstown City.
A point against Western City Rangers next weekend will be enough to secure it.
The Rams are set to face Canterbury Bankstown next weekend to complete their season.
Northern Tigers 3 (Spang 53’, 95’, Parkes 98’)
Macarthur Rams 2 (Soravia 7’, 44’)
Elsewhere
Bankstown City 5-1 Prospect United
Bankstown City farewelled a legend and kept their faint promotion playoff hopes alive with a 5-1 win over Prospect United at Jensen Park.
Following the announcement of Jeffrey Issa’s retirement during the week, they put together another very good team performance with everyone contributing.
After both teams settled into the fixture, the hosts took the lead 25 minutes in through Isaac Danzo.
Prospect United responded soon after through Antonio Orlando before the half-hour mark.
A rare Roberto Speranza goal restored the hosts’ lead before Alec Urosevski netted his goal in the 44th minute.
Two relatively late goals for Bai Antoniou and Danzo cut into the goal difference deficit they need to make up to stand a chance of securing the promotion playoff place.
Issa was substituted in the 92nd minute to generous applause after a 29-year career at the club.
Bankstown City 5 (Danzo 25’, 92’, Speranza 38’, Urosevski 44’, Antoniou 78’)
Prospect United 1 (Orlando 28’)
Central Coast Mariners 2-4 Western City Rangers
Western City Rangers went a long way towards securing a relegation playoff position and avoiding the automatic drop with a 4-2 win on the road against Central Coast Mariners.
Overcoming a slow start to this one, their threat, particularly from set pieces, proved pivotal, with three second-half goals.
Earlier in the fixture, Flynn Sadler scored a brace, opening the scoring in the first minute after the hosts won the ball from a press.
The second followed before the quarter-hour mark from a rebound off the keeper.
Rangers pulled a goal back before half-time through Praneet Singh just after the half-hour mark.
Rangers proved too much to handle in the second half, with three goals in the final half-hour.
Chan Yelchan equalised in the 63rd minute before Dimo Dimo put them ahead minutes later after a Reuben Awaritefe bicycle kick was saved.
Awaritefe then scored the sealer in the final five minutes.
Rangers are two points above Prospect United going into the final day, when they will play 24 hours after Prospect United the night before.
Joel Kember, Dimo Dimo and Tung Dang were among their best players in this one.
Central Coast Mariners 2 (Sadler 1’, 14’)
Western City Rangers 4 (Singh 31’, Yelchan 63’, Dimo 66’, Awaritefe 85’)
Blacktown Spartans 6-2 Hurstville Zagreb
Blacktown Spartans completed their record-breaking home season with a 6-2 victory over Hurstville Zagreb on Friday evening.
It was a tale of two different halves of football, with both teams matching each other in front of goal during the first half before Spartans ran away with it after the break.
Ahmad Taleb scored a brace for the Spartans, opening the scoring with a finish that snuck into the bottom corner.
Hurstville Zagreb struck back with two goals in quick succession through Alessandro Lacalandra and Declan Sheldon around the 40th minute.
Spartans captain Peter Pelekanos restored parity with a header just before the break.
The Spartans were simply the better side after half-time, with Taleb scoring his second of the night before Felipe D’Agostini doubled the lead.
Goals from Jayden Tran and Aedon Kyra completed an impressive second-half performance.
Blacktown Spartans 6 (Taleb 25’, 61’, Pelekanos 44’, D’Agostini 64’, Tran 75’, Kyra 84’)
Hurstville Zagreb 2 (Lacalandra 39’, Sheldon 42’)
Hills United 3-1 Rydalmere Lions
Hills United continued their end-of-season form, scoring three goals to pick up their third straight victory over Rydalmere Lions.
Trailing for a good chunk of this game, the hosts scored three times in the final 25 minutes, with substitute Hunter Mateo scoring a late brace after coming on in the 85th minute.
Rydalmere were caught by a blistering counter-attack in the first half which saw Adil Toska open the game’s account, with the hosts unable to find their groove until early in the second half.
Hills missed a couple of good chances early in the second half before Jordan Small equalised from a killer ball by Glen Kelshaw in the 70th minute.
The late introduction of Mateo paid off almost instantly, with him scoring the second by bundling the ball over the line after Cam Philp found Zen Gigliotti with a cut-back.
Mateo then slotted home a one-on-one opportunity to round out the win from a Luka Sterjovski through ball in added time.
Daniel-Ray Djurovic was a key player outside their goalscorers, keeping the likes of Kaito Satori quiet.
Hills United 3 (Small 70’, Mateo 85’, 92’)
Rydalmere Lions 1
Bulls FC Academy 0-3 Canterbury Bankstown
A 10-man Canterbury Bankstown rallied to secure a three-goal win over Bulls FC Academy in their clash at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Reduced to 10 men on the half-hour mark after the dismissal of Dejan Bakrdanikoski, the Berries scored three goals in the final 20 minutes to take out a hard-fought and deserved victory.
It was perhaps the Berries’ best performance of the season, even before being reduced to 10, with William Kounnas, Fikret Berisha and Aleck Zervas all having chances in the opening half-hour.
Wally Savor’s side showed determination and discipline to make the most of their counter-attacks.
Lorenzo Mirashaj scored the first from a Patrick Savor cross before Berisha added a second from a Kounnas assist.
Kounnas added their third late with a good individual goal, cutting inside his marker before slotting the ball home in the 90th minute.
Bulls FC Academy 0
Canterbury Bankstown 3 (Mirashaj 72’, Berisha 76’, Kounnas 90’)
Dulwich Hill 0-2 Inter Lions
Inter Lions secured their third win in four games with a 2-0 victory over Dulwich Hill at Arlington Oval.
With plenty of confidence from their win over Bankstown City last weekend, they took charge of this one in the first half before holding on for another clean sheet.
It was Dulwich Hill who edged the opening 10 minutes before the visitors settled.
Inter’s first goal was scored by Mitchell Smith, changing the course of the game. Smith headed home from an Owen Duke cross after a good build-up.
The lead was doubled late in the first half courtesy of Vincent Fedele, whose shot from just inside the area found the back of the net.
Nick Porreca’s side maintained their performance levels into the second half to contain the game.
Dulwich Hill 0
Inter Lions 2 (Smith 10’, Fedele 43’)
Hakoah FC 3-3 Newcastle Jets
Well, the game promised goals!
Hakoah FC and Newcastle Jets played out a high-scoring draw, with the Jets securing safety.
A see-sawing fixture throughout, six goals and a missed penalty saw the two sides share the points at Eastgardens.
Hakoah FC were the side to get us started in this one, with Nicholas Tooley initially missing a penalty after the half-hour mark before scoring a few minutes later to put them into the ascendancy.
Two goals around the half-time break then gave the Jets the advantage early in the second half, with Jake Goodwin and Jesse Hill finding the back of the net.
Three goals in the space of three minutes then turned the fixture on its head.
Benjamin Fuchs, who has been one of Hakoah’s best this season, equalised before Archie Brideson restored the Jets’ lead.
Gabriel Antoniades then equalised again for Hakoah with two minutes remaining.
Hakoah FC 3 (Tooley 36’, Fuchs 85’, Antoniades 88’)
Newcastle Jets 3 (Goodwin 40’, Hill 50’, Brideson 86’)
By Justin Smith
