Finals Series Round 1 Preview – NPL 3 NSW Men’s
We have arrived at the business end of the season as we prepare for semi-finals football in the National Premier Leagues 3 NSW Men’s competition.
Both semi-final encounters are set to kick off simultaneously this weekend as 2020 Premiers Rydalmere Lions FC host Canterbury Bankstown FC while Bankstown City FC welcome old foes Gladesville Ryde Magic to Jensen Park.
BANKSTOWN CITY LIONS FC – GLADESVILLE RYDE MAGIC
Jensen Park
Saturday, October 3 @ 7:30pm
An action-packed semi-final is set to take place at Jensen Park as Bankstown City square off against Gladesville Ryde Magic at 7:30pm on Saturday.
Bankstown were one of the most consistent performers throughout the rebooted season – aside from the 11-0 blowout against Central Coast, they were one of the form sides in the competition.
They managed to keep hold of 2nd position on the league ladder since round eight and suffered just three defeats throughout the season.
Jonathan Grozdanovski has been the Lions’ shining light with the attacker having got on the scoresheet five times this season to boost the likes of Nikola Todoroski and Ante Tomic who weighed in with 12 goals between them.
Magic have been the team to watch over the last couple of weeks, they hit their stride towards the back end of the season and are on a five game winning streak ahead of this weekend’s showdown.
They have this season’s golden boot winner, Michael Gaitatzis, in their ranks with the striker having notched an impressive 11 goals in the 11-round season.
Their defensive form has been solid as usual and that is in part down to the top draw performances from stalwart and the legend himself Kiriakos Tohouroglou who kept four cleansheets this season.
These two sides have gone head to head twice this season with Magic claiming a 1-0 win prior to the COVID-19 enforced break before the Lions got the better of them in their most recent meeting – registering a 5-0 victory.
RYDALMERE LIONS FC – CANTERBURY BANKSTOWN FC
Rydalmere Park
Saturday, October 3 @ 7:30pm
2020 Premiers Rydalmere Lions will have home advantage when they take on 4th placed Canterbury Bankstown at 7:30pm on Saturday.
Both sides have been able to bounce back incredibly well after being relegated from the NPL 2 competition last season.
Gavin Rae turned Rydalmere into a force to be reckoned with as they won nine out of their 11 matches and fell to their only defeat in the final round of the regular season last weekend.
Matt West has been in fine form upfront with 10 goals to his name which saw him finish runner up in the league’s goalscoring leader board.
They have been formidable in defence with 16 goals conceded however they were only able to register just the two cleansheets.
Berries on the other hand ended the season with the best defensive record, they conceded just 13 times over the course of the rebooted season.
Expert goalkeeping from Michael Figueira left their opposition frustrated week in week out while Andre Guzman and Andrija Mandic proved to be their main threat going forward with a combined 11 goals between the pair.
It has not been long since these two sides came up against each other with the reigning premiers securing a 3-1 triumph against the Berries at the beginning of September.
If Wally Savor’s side maintain their defensive shape, then they may have a chance of outclassing the Lions on their own turf.
DON’T FORGET TO EXERCISE CAUTION AND SOCIAL DISTANCING AT OUR MATCHES – STAY SAFE
-By NPL 3 NSW Men’s Chief Writer Samuel Greco Schwartz (Twitter handle: @SamuelGS97)
