Finals Series Preview – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2

The Finals Series gets under way this weekend in the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 2 and our Match of the Round takes us to Valentine Sports Park on Saturday afternoon for Central Coast FC vs Bankstown City.

Elimination Final
Central Coast v Bankstown City Saturday 6:00pm Valentine Sports Park, Glenwood
There is plenty to look forward to when Central Coast and Bankstown City meet on Saturday afternoon. In many respects, it will be the youthfulness of the Coast up against the very experienced Bankstown City with both sides having as good a chance as the other to progress in this elimination final.
Recent form though may tend to favour the Lions who have lost only twice during the second half of the season, and now remain unbeaten in their past six matches, the most recent of which was last week’s notable victory away at Hakoah Sydney City East.  
The Coast will do well to keep a close eye on Chris Gomez, the Lions’ top scorer this season and a striker who has also regularly hit the mark for Macarthur Rams and St George in past years.
Gomez hit ten goals for the season, a fine total in a team which has seen thirteen individual players hit the net over the competition.
At the back, it goes without saying that the central defensive pairing of the vastly experienced Michael Beauchamp and Dean Heffernan will prove very difficult for the Coast to breach, while in keeper Dion Shaw, Bankstown have one of the safest keepers in the league, and the Goalkeeper of the Year in this competition just two season ago.
With the Lions having conceded less than a goal per game over the course of the year, Central Coast will need to be at the top their game this Saturday.
But no one will doubt that the Coast certainly have the ability to come out winners. In young Trent Buhagiar, they have a striker who has also scored ten for the year, and his pace may prove a handful for the Lions backline. The more experienced Adam Woodbine contributed a neat half dozen as well, so goals haven’t been too hard to come by.
At the back may be more of a concern for coach Peter Preston, thirty six against for the year, a higher than usual amount for a top five team.  
Admittedly, the side was a little out of sorts last week for various reasons, when they conceded five, and they met a Fraser Park side with plenty of reasons to win, so we can expect a vastly improved performance this weekend.
Both games this season have seen a 1-0 result to the home side so there appears very little between the two.
With Bankstown City not having played finals since the Grand Final in 2012 and Central Coast falling short last season in the series, both clubs will be keen to taste success, with this weekend just the start.

Qualifying Final
Hakoah Sydney City East v Northern Tigers Sunday 5:15pm Sydney United Sports Centre Edensor Park
Hakoah’s grand season continues. After claiming the Club Championship and the right to seek promotion to PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1, this game gives them the chance to have an early look at a ground that they may see more of over coming years. Firstly though, the focus will be on this season and the first steps along the way to a possible Grand Final.
Provided they are at full strength, Hakoah will look of course to the goals of Neil Jablonski, no stranger as it happens to the higher league. Jablonski scored eleven goals during the season with Paul Orgad next on the charts with seven. Seemingly simple for the Tigers to know who they need to keep a watch over, but with the remaining twenty goals that Hakoah scored throughout the year all coming from elsewhere across the park, it may not be so easy.   
And while Jablonski and Orgad may be the prolific scorers, preventing their supply from the likes of Deklan Gilmartin and Gavin Rae will be just as important. 
Like Hakoah, the Tigers can rely on major contributors in the scoring ranks. Tai Smith led the way with eight for the season, but close behind were Liam McConaghy (seven) and Matthew West (six). Twenty one goals between the three is one reason why the Tigers are enjoying finals football but add in the experience of players such as Steven Baveas, Michael Rolston and Lucas Dawson and Northern Tigers have every reason to feel confident about their Championship challenge.
The Tigers have been regular finals participants over the years in NPL Men’s 2, winning two Grand Finals in the past five years, and a Premiership, so they know what is required to be successful.
They will be planning more of the same this year.

by Peter Rowney, PS4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s 2 Reporter