Round 4 Review – NPL NSW Men’s
Four weeks of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition are in the book and it’s Wollongong Wolves who remain at the top of the pile after another win from the impressive South Coast side.
The win was Wollongong’s third from four matches and has them firmly placed as the team to beat.
Manly United were the other big winners on Saturday night as a late Brendan Cholakian penalty sealed the points for the boys from the Northern Beaches.
APIA striker Chris Payne was the star of the Sunday action scoring an incredible hat-trick in a blockbuster clash against his former side Sydney United 58.
Mount Druitt also collected their first win in the NSW top flight with an upset victory against Rockdale City Suns.
Blacktown City were also in the winners circle after scraping through against Sutherland Sharks while Sydney Olympic also snatched a narrow win against Hakoah.
Sydney FC 3 – Wollongong Wolves 4 at Lambert Park
Wollongong Wolves have held on for a thrilling 4-3 win over Sydney FC at Lambert Park to maintain their lead at the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition.
The Wolves raced into an emphatic lead in Leichhardt scoring three goals in thirty minutes as Nick Littler, Lachlan Scott and Thomas James all struck.
Sydney FC struck back in the 40th minute thanks to Jordan Swibel but Wollongong retained their three goal lead not long after the resumption of play.
A Marco Tilio goal for Sydney FC after 75 minutes gave the young Sky Blues hope of a late comeback and when Jerry Skodatis cut the deficit to one goal in the 87th minute the impossible looked half a chance.
It was a nervy conclusion to the clash for Wolves who had coach Luke Wilkshire sent to the stands after seeing red for an outburst at the referee.
It proved to be much harder work than they would’ve liked but Wollongong would be more than happy to return home with all three points.
Marconi Stallions 1 – Manly United 2 at Marconi Stadium
A dramatic added-time penalty has helped Manly United snatch a dramatic 2-1 victory in their National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash against Maroni Stallions at Marconi Stadium on Saturday.
The spot kick secured an incredible result for Manly who appeared likely forced to settle for a share of the spoils thanks to a second half Marconi resurgence.
An Adam Parkhouse goal on the cusp of halftime had the visitors in control of the fixture but a Marko Jesic finish 15 minutes into the second stanza squared the ledger.
However, that wasn’t to be the final act as Midfielder Brendan Cholkian showed incredible composure to despatch his penalty in the final seconds of the match after Nikola Taneski was taken down in the box by Sean O’Connell.
It was a heartbreaking way to lose the match for the Stallions and its’s sure to be a defeat which won’t be forgotten by the side anytime soon.
Blacktown City 1 – Sutherland Sharks 0 at Lily Homes Stadium
A second half Leroy Jennings goal has helped lift Blacktown City snatch a hard fought 1-0 win against Sutherland Sharks in their National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.
Jennings made the most of a breakaway run from Joey Gibbs to tap in from close range at the far post to claim the match winner.
It was the sort of clinical finishing required in a match which at times struggled to excite with quality chances at a premium.
The win keeps Blacktown in the finals places while Sutherland suffer a frustrating defeat for the second straight week.
Hakoah Sydney City East 0 – Sydney Olympic 1 at Hensley Athletic Field
Sydney Olympic are back to winning ways with a hard-fought victory at Hensley Athletic Park as they overcame Hakoah Sydney City East to claim a 1-0 victory on Sunday evening.
It was the reigning Champions first win of the season after struggling to find their groove in the opening rounds of the NSW National Premier League Men’s competition.
Jack Stewart’s 64th minute strike was the only goal in a physical hit-out between the boys in blue with chances at a premium throughout the 90 minutes.
The result ended Hakoah’s two game winning run but keeps the Eastern Suburbs side among the top five.
Rockdale City Suns 0 – Mount Druitt Town Rangers 2 at Ilinden Sports Centre
A superb performance from Mount Druitt Town Rangers goal keeper Carlos Saliadarre has helped his side to their maiden National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s victory as they defeated Rockdale City Suns 2-0 at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
Saliadarre pulled off countless saves to keep his side in the tie after Jordan Gomez netted from the spot and a stoppage time winner from Cooper Coskerie secured the points.
It was all Rockdale for much of the match and if it wasn’t for the display of the visiting glove man they would surely have secured the points.
The result was Rockdale’s second straight home defeat in as many games and their second straight match without a goal. It’s sure to have coach concerned moving forward.
Sydney United 58 1 – APIA Leichhardt Tigers 3 at Sydney United Sports Centre
A sensational Chris Payne hat-trick has buried his former side Sydney United 58 as APIA Leichhardt claimed a 3-1 win in a blockbuster National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s clash at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday.
It was a fairytale return to the ground where Payne called home for three seasons with the veteran front man delivering a striking masterclass in front of his former fans.
An absolute screamer on the bounce from an Ivan Necevski goal kick opened Payne’s account on the cusp of half time.
United 58 levelled the score thanks to some clinical finishing from Patrick Antelmi but it was Payne’s day with the former A-League striker finishing off a sublime Franco Parisi assist to give APIA a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute.
Payne wrapped up the result, and his hat-trick, in the dying stages of the match when he converted from the penalty spot to condemn United 58 to their first defeat of the season.