Round 17 Review – PS4 NPL NSW Men’s
Manly United was the big mover in Round 17 of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s competition.
Paul Dee’s side leapfrogged Rockdale City Suns into third position on the ladder after they notched victory against Wollongong on Sunday.
Sutherland continued their change in fortunes with a shock upset of Bonnyrigg, While Parramatta FC missed its chance to jump into the top five.
This week’s Match of the Round featured APIA Leichhardt and Rockdale City Suns at Lambert Park.
Match of the Round
APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1 – Rockdale City Suns 0 at Lambert Park
It wasn’t only the new scoreboard at Lambert park which shone brightly as APIA Leichhardt Tigers secured a resilient 1-0 PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s win against Rockdale City Suns on Saturday.
Tasuku Sekiya’s eighth-minute goal was the difference as APIA clung onto victory at home against a fast finishing Suns team.
Despite the tight scoreline, the home side controlled proceedings and we unlucky not to have scored more.
Rockdale looked uncomfortable at times and struggled to find the cutting edge which has helped them remain a contender throughout the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s competition season.
With the home support behind them, it was job done for APIA as they continue their late season resurgence.
Sutherland Sharks 3 – Bonnyrigg White Eagles 0 at Seymour Shaw
It was back to the drawing board for Bonnyrigg White Eagles after they suffered a humiliating 3-0 loss to a fired up Sutherland Sharks in PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s competition action at Seymour Shaw on Saturday.
Despite a strong start to the match, Bonnyrigg was at times outclassed but their opponents as the Sharks put in an inspired performance in front of their home crowd.
Goals to Jack Press, Perry Moustakas and Tomihiro Kajiyama secured the victory for Sutherland.
It was a shock result for Bonnyrigg who will need to find consistent results during the final rounds if they are any hope of defending their PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Championship title.
Sydney Olympic 3 – Parramatta FC at Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic returned to winning ways in the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s competition with a hard fought 3-0 victory over Parramatta FC at Belmore Sports Ground.
After a lacklustre first half display by both sides Will Angel opened the scoring early in the second stanza before a Harris Gaitatzis double wrapped up the win.
Parramatta had their chances but could not capitalise.
A red card to Gosue Sama in the 90th minute was added controversy in the dying stages but by this time the game had already been decided.
Manly United FC 3 – Wollongong Wolves 1 at Cromer Park
MANLY United has moved up to third spot in the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s competition after beating Wollongong 3-1 on Sunday at Cromer Park.
A Richie Cardozo double as well as a goal to Brendan Cholakian helped Paul Dee’s side secure a vital three points.
Nicolas Bernal managed to find the back of the net to level the scores moments into the second-half but Cardozo’s brace wrapped up the result for Manly.
It was a tough result again for Wollongong who provided plenty of resistance but lacked the finishing touch to get a result.
Blacktown City FC 3 – Hakoah Sydney City East 2 at Lily’s Football Centre
Blacktown City beat a brave Hakoah Sydney City East 3-2 in an exciting PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s clash at Lilys Football Centre, Seven Hills on Sunday.
Mitchell Mallia scored the winner in the 88th minute just moments after Nathan Bowden-Haase had celebrated scoring the equaliser for Hakoah.
Blacktown had raced to a 2-0 lead early on through Danny Choi and Matt Lewis before Hakoah fought back in the second half to level the scores courtesy of Adrian Vranic and Bowden-Haase.
However as soon as Hakoah thought they had claimed a point Mallia struck to secure all three points for the home side.
Sydney United 58 3 – Blacktown Spartans 1 at Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 asserted their championship credentials and maintained their six-point cushion over second-placed Blacktown City with a 3-1 win over last-placed Blacktown Spartans at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Although Mark Rudan’s side opened the scoring in the first minute of the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s clash through Nikola Taneski, it was not the one-sided affair that the early deficit may have otherwise signalled.
Japanese maestro Shu Sasaki restored parity for the Spartans after an admirable response from the visiting Blacktown side who matched the competition favourites throughout the encounter with an attractive and gutsy brand of football.
But Ben De Haan’s side will live to regret another deeply frustrating evening in which the visitors fashioned plenty of opportunities but failed to properly capitalise, with Jacob Tratt’s first-half strike and Glen Trifiro’s second-half tap-in on debut consigning Blacktown to their twelfth defeat of the season at a chilly Edensor Park.
