Round 7 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
Kick back and relax as we check out at all the action coming our way in the upcoming round of the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
Round seven gets underway on Saturday afternoon with two matches scheduled to go ahead at 3pm; Three more matches are scheduled throughout the afternoon while the final two fixtures are set to kick off at the standard 7pm time slot.
Dunbar Rovers play host to Sydney University SFC at Hensley Athletic Field at 3pm on Saturday afternoon.
After registering their fourth draw of the season in their last outing, Dunbar will go in search of their second win of the campaign when they return to Hensley this weekend.
They face a Sydney University side who have enjoyed a mixed start to the season with three wins and three draws from their first six matches.
A surprising 5-2 defeat to Inter Lions last Saturday would have bruised the team morale and it will be interesting to see how they respond come this Saturday.
Granville Rage head west to face Western NSW Mariners at Proctor Park with the game set to kick off at 3pm.
Western NSW Mariners are still rooted to the bottom of the table with last round’s thumping against Stanmore Hawks, their worst defeat this campaign.
The hosts have shipped a concerning 23 goals from their five fixtures while their opponents have conceded just the six from their four encounters this season.
Rage have not tasted defeat since their round two fixture against Gladesville Ryde Magic and will be hopeful that their streak carries over into Bathurst this weekend.
Hawkesbury City will be looking to make it two wins on the bounce when they welcome Camden Tigers FC to David Bertenshaw Field with the fixture set to get underway from 5:30pm.
Fresh from securing their first victory of the season, Hawkesbury will believe they have what it takes to secure back to back wins this weekend.
The Tigers arrive in Hawkesbury after putting in a gallant performance away to the league leaders and a similar performance this time around should be enough for them as they aim to take all three points.
Both Parramatta FC and SD Raiders will be trying to put last week’s defeats behind them when they do battle at 6:30pm on Saturday night at Melita Stadium.
Many would have billed this match to be a top of the table encounter at the beginning of the season however both sides have endured indifferent starts to the campaign. Parramatta find themselves in 10th position with SD Raiders sitting one above them in 9th.
The hosts have had an underwhelming start, picking up just two wins from their first six matches while the Raiders enter this round after a harrowing 5-1 capitulation at the hands of Bankstown City last weekend.
This tie could prove pivotal for either team’s campaign with both sides in desperate needs of points to boost their respective league standings.
High on confidence after last weekend’s incredible performance, Inter Lions FC will entertain Bankstown United FC at Valentine Sports Park No.2 at 6:30pm on Saturday night.
Inter Lions return to Valentine after three consecutive away days after which they collected just the solitary win.
However, this victory came in last week’s match up against fourth placed outfit Sydney University, Inter put five past the home side with Goncalo Paradanta netting a hat trick to take him to second in the leaderboard for goals scored this campaign – the striker has five to his name.
Bankstown United have been plugging away for the last few weeks but have reaped little reward. They find themselves in second last place and will be in desperate need of a victory when they face off with Inter this weekend.
A mouthwatering clash is set to take place at Arlington Oval on Saturday night with inner west rivals Stanmore Hawks FC facing off against Dulwich Hill FC at 7pm.
This week’s match of the round promises to be a cracker with both sides enjoying great starts to the 2019 season, this contest could prove hard to split.
Stanmore will play hosts for this round and they have been in great form with two wins and two draws from their first four matches, alongside Magic they are the only other side that can claim to be undefeated so far in this year’s competition.
Six goals in their last outing against the Western NSW Mariners has seen them register an impressive 11 goals so far this season with only four efforts finding their way into their own net.
Dulwich Hill enter this fixture after a solid away performance at Parramatta. They currently sit in second place on the ladder with four wins and two losses while their most notable achievement to date has been their ability to keep clean sheets. In each match that they have won, they have managed a shut out at their end.
Third placed Bankstown City FC clash with high flying Gladesville Ryde Magic at Jensen Park at 7pm on Saturday night.
Bankstown City will be in high spirits as they prepare to face the form side of the competition this weekend. Captain Nikola Todoroski is fresh from his man of the match display last round which saw him grab a hat trick away to SD Raiders.
Gladesville Ryde Magic return to Jensen Park a fortnight after their frustrating stalemate against Bankstown United. This encounter will prove to be yet another test of the leader’s mettle as they look to increase their gap at the top of the table.
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
