Round 29 Preview – League One Men’s
The penultimate weekend of the FNSW League One Men’s competition could go a long way to deciding who will take part in the promotion/relegation playoffs at either end of the table.
Northern Tigers host Macarthur Rams in our Match of the Round, while the scenario at the other end is murkier, with Prospect United and Western City Rangers in focus.
Match of the Round: Northern Tigers v Macarthur Rams
Saturday 22 August, 4:30pm – North Turramurra Recreation Area
Northern Tigers will have the opportunity to book their playoff ticket when they host Macarthur Rams at North Turramurra Recreation Area.
A point on the road last weekend gave Northern Tigers two opportunities to secure second spot, with a plus-12 goal difference advantage over Bankstown City.
This one could be the tougher game, though, after their first meeting with the Rams featured plenty of drama.
Returning to the Bulls Academy game last week, it was their defence which once again set the foundation.
Milad Popalzay’s side have conceded just 22 goals this season against teams below them in the standings, with Alen Aganovic a big part of that alongside Oliver Scott and Jensen Vout.
Returning to North Turramurra to face the side he coached last season is Dan Mijovic and his Macarthur Rams side.
They essentially dropped out of the playoff race last weekend following their defeat to Blacktown Spartans, but make no mistake, it has been a memorable season for the Rams.
The big news from their perspective is the upcoming retirement of Alex Gollan, who is set to focus on the coaching side of the game at the end of the season.
Players to watch here include Olivier Beltran-Woodward, who is also playing against his former side, and Michael Martin, who has been in good creative form of late.
Last meeting: Macarthur Rams 2-2 Northern Tigers
Elsewhere
Blacktown Spartans v Hurstville Zagreb
Friday 21 August, 8:15pm – Blacktown Football Park
From a points-per-game perspective, you have to go back to Marconi Stallions in 2017 or Mt Druitt Town Rangers the year after to find a side who have been as good as Blacktown Spartans this season.
They extended their winning run to eight games with a victory over Macarthur Rams last weekend.
Aedon Kyra scored both goals to extend his lead in the Golden Boot race, but equally impressive was how they managed the game after being reduced to 10 men late in the first half.
Peter Kekeris will miss this one through suspension.
It’s a trip closer to home for Hurstville Zagreb this weekend, and they will want to prove they can match it with our 2026 Premiers.
They did so at home, holding them to a 1-1 draw back in May, but it is another thing doing it on their turf.
Last weekend, they were beaten by Central Coast Mariners. They improved as the game went on, but they will want to put together a better first-half performance here against a very good side.
They currently sit 15th in the away table this season.
Last meeting: Hurstville Zagreb 2-2 Blacktown Spartans
Hakoah FC v Newcastle Jets
Saturday 22 August, 4:30pm – Hensley Athletic Field
Newcastle Jets will be out to lock in their place in the 2027 competition when they visit Sydney’s East this Saturday.
Sitting five points above Prospect United, they may already be safe, but even a draw here should be enough to avoid the dreaded playoff.
Last weekend, they were beaten by Dulwich Hill at home in disappointing fashion.
Trailing 3-0, Jesse Hill scored a consolation, but the game was well and truly beyond them by that point.
They face one of the league’s entertainers of late in Hakoah FC, who have scored eight goals and conceded eight goals across their last three games.
Last weekend, they went down narrowly to Canterbury Bankstown in a seven-goal thriller.
In that game, Nicholas Tooley scored a brace to take his tally to 13 goals this season, with Valentin Cuny also scoring his fifth goal in four games.
Congratulations are also in order for their Under 20s side, who secured the Premiership on Saturday evening.
Last meeting: Newcastle Jets 3-5 Hakoah FC
Bankstown City v Prospect United
Saturday 22 August, 5pm – Jensen Park
Bankstown City will need to bounce back and hope for results elsewhere if they are to finish in the playoff position.
On paper, their two remaining games should be winnable against Prospect United and Newcastle Jets, but pressure can do funny things.
Last weekend against Inter Lions, the game was lost in the opening half-hour when they couldn’t capitalise on their momentum.
As such, attack is where they need to improve, as they don’t have a good record if they concede first.
This is their last game at Jensen Park this season, and they will want to send the fans home happy.
They face a Prospect United side who took a big step towards booking their place in the relegation playoff spot with a win over Rydalmere Lions last time out.
On 23 points, guaranteed survival is not out of the question as well, but they will need a win here.
Antonio Orlando was the standout in that game with a goal and an assist, with Orlando joined by Liam Bajada and Ethan Elcham on the scoresheet.
The visitors will be looking to overturn a 1-0 defeat in their first meeting.
Last meeting: Prospect United 0-1 Bankstown City
Bulls FC Academy v Canterbury Bankstown
Saturday 22 August, 5pm – Sydney United Sports Centre
Round 28 saw Bulls FC Academy field a stronger side than usual, with plenty of scholarship representation.
As such, they very nearly took three points against Northern Tigers at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Holding possession for a good chunk of the fixture, they struggled to break through the best defence in the league outside of a Henrique Oliveira strike.
With Australia Cup fixtures out of the way, you suspect we could see a similar team here.
Canterbury Bankstown will be keen to get a little revenge for their first-round defeat at their Family Day back in May.
They come into the fixture on the back of a 4-3 win over Hakoah FC last weekend as they look to finish the season strongly.
They had more control of the fixture than what the scoreboard showed, with four different players finding the back of the net.
John Fotopoulos is perhaps the form player in front of goal, with seven of his goals coming in the second half of the campaign.
Last meeting: Canterbury Bankstown 1-3 Bulls FC Academy
Dulwich Hill v Inter Lions
Saturday 22 August, 5pm – Arlington Oval
Dulwich Hill had a good weekend last time out, securing their position in the league.
Away from home against the Jets, everything went pretty much according to plan as they took the three points to move to 30 for the season.
Marcus Lal was their best on the evening with two goals and an assist, while Jonathan Green, Dylan Larmour, Samuel O’Connor and Andrew Di Blasio all received notable mentions for their respective performances.
Last weekend, we saw Inter Lions at their best, claiming an upset win over Bankstown City.
It was a really good performance from back to front, and you just wonder where they could have been if they hadn’t been riddled with injuries in the first few months.
Aside from those further up the park, the trio of Brian Jamba, Zac Sfiligoi and Patrick Scibilio were arguably their best, keeping a star-studded Bankstown attack at bay.
Owen Duke and Thomas Whiffen scored their goals. Can they maintain that performance level here?
Last meeting: Inter Lions 2-0 Dulwich Hill
Hills United v Rydalmere Lions
Saturday 22 August, 5pm – Valentine Sports Park
Hills United aren’t too far away from hunting down Canterbury Bankstown in fifth position.
Three games unbeaten and with back-to-back wins, they took out a narrow victory over Western City Rangers in Round 28.
It was a game in which they farewelled long-term goalkeeper Ryan Wood, who is moving overseas.
Jordan Small was their best player, scoring the opener as well as doing excellent work quelling counter-attacks, before Walid Moutaouakkil scored the winner.
Last weekend was one to forget for Rydalmere Lions, who fell to a three-goal defeat at the hands of Prospect United.
Perhaps testing their squad depth in the first half, they conceded twice and found it difficult to turn the game around.
Still, they’ll want a result or two to increase morale towards the end of the campaign.
Yuki Kanai and Kaito Satori could face their former club in this one.
In fact, Kanai could achieve the feat of scoring for both sides against the other with a goal here.
Last meeting: Rydalmere Lions 1-2 Hills United
Central Coast Mariners v Western City Rangers
Sunday 23 August, 3pm – Pluim Park
Central Coast Mariners were another side who booked their position in the competition with a win last weekend.
A boost for Phillipe Bernabo-Madrid and his young side, they overcame Hurstville Zagreb at home for their first win since Round 15.
Jesse Mantell won the penalty, while Luke Becvinovski scored the goal for the Mariners to take them to 31 points across the campaign.
Can they back it up in their last home game of the season?
Western City Rangers have it all to do in the final couple of rounds of the season.
A win for Prospect United elsewhere and defeat to Hills United at home has them two points behind Prospect with two games to go.
The positive is the goal Reuben Awaritefe scored, with the striker in good scoring form.
If they are lacking motivation, they can look back to the first meeting to motivate them, in which they lost 4-0.
Last meeting: Western City Rangers 0-4 Central Coast Mariners
By Justin Smith
