All 12 clubs had the chance to celebrate their rich football histories in what was a memorable inaugural ‘Heritage Round’ which took place across each of the six PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 matches last weekend.

Round 14 was substituted for the highly anticipated ‘Heritage Round’ as the glittering history of each club took centre stage with each team having the opportunity to promote their past star players, epic matches and household names that all played a pivotal role in the development of the game in Australia.

The Bonnyrigg White Eagles played host to Sydney Olympic, Parramatta FC took on Blacktown City, South Coast Wolves faced the Sutherland Sharks, APIA took on rivals Marconi Stallions, Rockdale City Suns and Manly United battled it out while Sydney United 58 FC met the Blacktown Spartans.

APIA Leichhardt Tigers wore special ‘Heritage Round’ kits as did Parramatta FC while the Marconi Stallions had club icon Robert Filippin lead the first grade squad out the tunnel at Lambert Park.

Parramatta FC put on a special day on Sunday as the likes of legendary players and coaches such as Rale Rasic, Raul Blanco, Hector Martinez, Gus Cerro, Hugo Gimenez, Trevor Morgan, Ben Delicata and Miro Jurilj to name a few were present, as the club commemorated its long and rich history as well as awarding Club stalwart George Ellul for his hard work and dedication for the club.

At Rockdale, llinden Sports Centre played host to the Suns who defeated Manly United 4-0. Prior to kick-off, the 1984 Rockdale City Suns NSW Division 1 Champions formed a guard of honour for the club’s senior squad in what were touching scenes for the many that were present.

The South Coast Wolves, in line with the theme of ‘Heritage Round’, have organised a special Champions Dinner this Saturday at the Lagoon Restaurant where past Wolves stars including Stuart Young, Paul Reid, David Cervinski and Noel Spencer to name a few take centre stage in a night not to be missed. The Dinner will then be followed by the club’s home clash against Sydney United 58 FC on Sunday 21^st of June which pieces together the final spectacle in what will be a huge week for the South Coast club.

Football NSW Media Manager Mark Stavroulakis was delighted with the maiden ‘Heritage Round’ that proved a hit with the crowds that witnessed this special weekend.

“A huge congratulations to the clubs that contributed in what was a historic week for the game.

“There were great scenes experienced at our football pitches and it was fantastic to have seen so many former players, coaches and administrators grace our football pitches once more.

“It was a great touch for the clubs that acknowledged their past players who all played a vital role in the development of our game in Australia.”

It was a special PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 weekend as Heritage Round captured the imagination of fans across the competition. 
There were a number of standout performers who did enough to earn their places in ‘Team of the Week’ for Heritage Round.
Blacktown City have the best defence in the league and goalkeeper Nenad Vekic is a massive part of that. Another clean sheet for him on the weekend meant that it was number five for the season, seeing him take the spot between the sticks.
Takuya Murayama is one of the first names on the team sheet almost every week for Rockdale City Suns and has become a fan favourite at Illinden Sports Centre over the past few years. He was busy up and down the wing over the weekend, earning his spot in defence. 
For the second weekend running the name Speranza appears in the ‘Team of the Week. This time it’s the other brother Giorgio, who has been ever-present in his sides back line throughout the season, putting up continuous good performances in the best defence in the league. 
Youngster Dylan Fox has been superb this season for the Bonnyrigg White Eagles and one of their most consistent performers, occasionally popping up with a goal as he did on Saturday night scoring his second goal of the season.
Another that’s found his name on the score sheet from his defensive position this year is Nathan Millgate of the APIA Leichhardt Tigers. He added a goal to his team’s demolition of arch rivals Marconi Stallions on Saturday night as their fantastic season continued.
Speedster Danny Choi has been one of Blacktown City’s best players this season, registering various assists and goals throughout the year. He played a major part in Sunday’s victory at Melita Stadium, picking up the man of the match award.
Hristijan Tanoski was Rockdale City Suns’ best player in Sunday’s victory over Manly United, scoring his second goal of the season and assisting another in an important win for his side.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles Japanese import Yuta Kokado picked up the man of the match tag on Saturday night, picking up a goal. After a slow start to the season, Kokado is starting to find his feet in the PS4 NPL NSW Men’s 1 competition.
Fellow Japanese star Shu Sasaki has had no problems settling in, scoring his eighth for the season in a massive win for his side over Sydney United 58 on Sunday afternoon. Sasaki has been one of the Spartans best players this season.
A brace to Brendan Griffin for the South Coast Wolves saw them on their way to victory on Sunday. The goals took the strikers tally to four for the season as the Wolves look to a new era under Jacob Timpano.
A man that may as well etch his name on the ‘Team of the Week’ list every week is Blake Powell. The APIA Leichhardt Tigers striker picked up his 19th and 20th goals of the season in only 14 matches, only once not finding the back of the net in round 10, an unbelievable statistic. It’s little wonder that Hyundai A-League clubs have once again circled the former Sydney FC attacker.
– by Nikola Pozder

MARCONI Stallions remain top of the Grade 20s competition ladder at the conclusion of a high-scoring round fourteen, which saw 22 goals scored over two matches on Saturday and four on Sunday.

This week’s match of the round followed competition leaders Marconi Stallions to Lambert Park, where they recorded a 2-0 win over APIA Leichhardt Tigers.

Match of the Round

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 0-2 Marconi Stallions FC, Saturday 5.30pm at Lambert Park

Marconi Stallions scored two early goals at Lambert Park on Saturday afternoon to defeat APIA Leichhardt Tigers 2-0; the win keeping the Stallions at the top of the Grade 20s competition ladder at the end of round fourteen. Noah Chianese and Zac Sfiligoi scored for the visitors within ten minutes of the kickoff to give, before Marconi held out against a spirited APIA revival to take home the full three points.

The first half’s early exchanges gave little indication as to how the match would play out, with both sides gently testing the opposition defence as the ball moved around the midfield. The shape of the game was changed entirely, however, by two early Marconi goals, both arriving within the first ten minutes of kickoff. With just five minutes on the clock, Noah Chianese burst through the Tigers’ backline, latching onto a through ball that had split the central defenders, and hit an early shot past Christopher Moore in the APIA goal; the goalkeeper’s touch not heavy enough to deflect the ball away to safety. 

With a 1-0 lead established after just seven minutes, Marconi continued to probe the Leichhardt defence and scored again, just two minutes after their first goal, when Zac Sfiligoi rose highest to meet a corner to double the visitors’ advantage in the ninth minute. Twice interrupted by Marconi goals as they attempted to settle the match into an appreciable rhythm, APIA set about attempting to pull one back themselves before the halftime break.

Now two goals up, Marconi appeared content, to a point, to allow APIA more time on the ball as they looked to preserve their lead. APIA, however, seemed unable to create clear cut opportunities for their attackers, and striker Lachlan Scott was left largely isolated up front; more often charged with chasing down overhit passes from midfield than threatening Jacopo d’Antimo in the Marconi goal.

The home side were presented with a series of corners as the half wore towards a close; Scott coming closest to the goal when he headed an effort straight into the ground for D’Antimo to claim. Marconi remained a threat on the counter, and Bright Appiah should have extended the Stallions’ lead to three at halftime, but he could only drag his shot wide from near to directly in front of goal when played in by Ryan Peterson on the right.

APIA enjoyed noticeably more possession after the break, but were laboured in moving the ball around the park, and despite their best efforts, Bradley Bartels and Scott were unable to inspire an early goal to kickstart a comeback from the home side. Indeed, Marconi came closest to the game’s third goal: first through Jack Press, who shot narrowly across the face of Moore’s goal, then Ryan Peterson, whose shot was saved by the goalkeeper at point blank range after a strong run through the box by Callum Fitzpatrick.

With ten minutes remaining, APIA found themselves out of both time and ideas. Lachlan Scott might have made it 2-1 when he swiveled to shoot on the right side of the goal, but his shot sailed high and wide to the relief of visiting goalkeeper d’Antimo. The home side had a further three corners to see out the match, and perhaps score a consolation goal, but Marconi were able to clear easily in each instance and held out for a 2-0 win.

"If you take the first seven minutes out of that, and two silly goals, then it was a much more even game than the scoreline might suggest," said APIA coach Danial Cummins. "The second half was much better from us, and we created some chances that we just couldn’t put away.

"We’re missing our captain at the moment but he’ll be back next week – towards the end of this one we had maybe seven under-18s players out there, so we’re looking forward to a few of our 20s players coming back for our next game. Points are what get you places in this competition and we don’t have enough at the moment, but we do have a good foundation to build on, and the boys are working hard to turn these results around."

"APIA were up for it in the opening exchanges – they’re playing for their season now, so we knew we had to match them, and we did," said Marconi coach Nick Dimovski, who has now overseen three wins and a draw in his four matches in charge of the 20s side. "We scored twice in the opening ten minutes and created a number of chances right throughout the game. Their goalkeeper was outstanding.

"We worked on our set pieces throughout the week, so it’s nice to see the training pay dividends with those two early goals. 2-0 is a scary scoreline, but we’re an attacking team, and we created nine or ten chances in the second half that might’ve gone in on a different day against a different keeper."

Match Stats

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC 0

Marconi Stallions FC 2

Saturday June 14, 2015

Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC: Adattini, Bartels, Casali, Cook, Cox, McCarron, Moniaci, Moore, Perez, Ryzewski, Scott

Substitutes: Alassmi, Grasso, Koliomihos, Van Den Berg

Marconi Stallions FC: Andricopolous, Appiah, Chianese, Coletta, Malfara, Peterson, Sfiligoi, Stewart, Vella, D’Antimo, Fabiano

Substitutes: Boyadijan, Fitzpatrick, Press, Sekutkoski, Sutherland

Saturday

Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 1-5 Sydney Olympic FC, at Bonnyrigg Sports Club

Sydney Olympic continued their chase of the breakaway top three, five points ahead of Sydney United in fourth, with a resounding 5-1 win at Bonnyrigg Sports Club in the only other Saturday afternoon match. Leading 3-1 at the break, Olympic scored twice more in the second half to extend their lead to four, only the first time this season they’ve scored more than three in one match. Bonnyrigg, meanwhile, remain bottom of the ladder after their third loss in four matches.

Sunday

Parramatta FC 0-5 Blacktown City FC, at Melita Stadium

Blacktown City return to Lilys Football Centre with three points after a conclusive 5-0 win over Parramatta FC at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Juan Zapata and Jonathan Grozdanovski both scored twice for the visitors, with Sam Perre chipping in with a goal of his own to complete Parramatta’s humiliation. Blacktown’s last defeat came over the first weekend of May, and they have since gone on to take fourteen points out of a possible eighteen to move third on the table.

South Coast Wolves FC 0-1 Sutherland Sharks FC, at Win Stadium

Sutherland Sharks edged a narrow 1-0 defeat of South Coast Wolves at Win Stadium on Sunday afternoon to keep up the pressure on first placed Marconi Stallions; the Sharks still just two points behind the competition leaders. Charles Lokolingoy scored the only goal of the game, the first for the striker since returning to the Grade 20s after a spell in the Sutherland first team. South Coast Wolves stay seventh after their fifth loss in as many weeks.

Sydney United 58 FC 6-1 Blacktown Spartans FC, at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 returned home to Sydney United Sports Centre after last week’s draw with Sutherland Sharks to thrash Blacktown Spartans 6-1 on Sunday afternoon; only the Spartans second-heaviest defeat of the season following their 9-1 loss to Sutherland in the opening round. Kyle Cimenti scored twice for the home side, with Liam McGing, Jack Stewart, Cristian Gonzalez and Tariq Maia all also contributing to the final scoreline. The defeat sees the Spartans hold their place in tenth, with 13 points from 14 games.

Rockdale City Suns FC 1-0 Manly United FC, at Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale recorded only their second win of the season with a 1-0 defeat of Manly United at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon – their first win of the season, incidentally, coming in the reverse fixture in late March, a 1-0 Rockdale win at Cromer Park. Rockdale’s Michael Loupis scored the only goal of the game, his second in four matches, as Manly slipped to their first loss since April.

– by Max Grieve, PS4 National Premier Leagues Grade 20s Reporter