Seven rounds of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition is in the books and It’s Sydney Olympic who sit on top of the ladder with only four rounds remaining.
Olympic’s victory this week has helped them hold onto first place but only by a narrow margin with four teams within three points of their tally.
Sydney United’s rise to the top continued and they are now only one point behind the ladder leaders.
North Shore Mariners claimed victory in the first North Sydney derby against Manly United, while Marconi were too strong for Mt Druitt.
Blacktown City 1 (Jennings 87″) – Sydney FC 1 (Wood 25′) at Lily Homes Stadium
A stunning late strike from Leroy Jennings has helped Blacktown City snatch a 1-1 draw with Sydney FC at Lily Homes Stadium on Friday.
Jennings dramatic equaliser snapped City’s four-game losing streak securing the Mark Crittenden coached side their first competition points since Round 2 of the rebooted season.
It was a gallant fightback from Blacktown who were on the back foot early after Sydney FC’s star frontman Patrick Wood fired past the keeper for his eighth goal of the season.
Trailing 1-0 at the break, Blacktown fought back in the second half
Blacktown should’ve equalised in the 71st minute but a sensational diving effort from Young Sky Blues shot-stopper Levi Kaye denied Jenning’s diving header.
Antonio Saracino fired over with an open net in front as Sydney FC spurned a brilliant opportunity to double their lead.
It would prove to be a costly mistake with Jennings unleashing a howitzer with his left foot only 9 minutes later from 30 yards out to snatch a point for Blacktown city.
Despite the result, Blacktown remain in last place on four points while Sydney FC remain inside the top four on 13 points.
Manly United 0 – North Shore Mariners 2 (Smith 2′, Frederick 85′) at Cromer Park
North Shore Mariners have claimed North Sydney Derby Honours with a shock 2-0 win against Manly United at Cromer Park on Friday.
A goal inside the opening 90 seconds put the Mariners in the box seat before they iced the win in the dying minutes of the clash to secure all three competition points.
The Mariners had the perfect start to the match with Mitch Smith giving his side a 1-0 lead with only 1 minute and 20 seconds after the opening whistle.
It was a great finish from Smith who into the top left corner after some brilliant interplay on the right flank.
Manly felt they should’ve been given a penalty in the 19th minute when Marley Peterson went to ground inside the penalty area, but the referee waved their appeals away.
North Shore would cling onto the advantage into the second half, but Manly would push their hold on the lead not long after the resumption.
Scott Balderson broke free of the backline after a well-hit long ball but his effort was denied by some desperation defence which deflected his shot into the arms of the keeper.
Manly threw everything forward late in search of an equaliser, but the plan backfired for the boys from the Northern Beaches who were left deflated with this result against their neighbours.
A miss-kick from last defender Sam Gallagher opened the door for the Mariners who snapped up the loose ball before setting up Lawrence Frederick to score the winner.
It was a frustrating defeat for Manly, their first under new coach Adam Griffiths, while for the Mariners they’ve stretched their undefeated run to three games.
Marconi Stallions 3 (Fernandez 17′, Frangie 20′, Millgate 29′) – Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0 at Marconi Stadium.
A first-half attacking masterclass has helped Marconi Stallions to a dominant 3-0 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Marconi Stadium on Sunday.
Three strikes in the opening 45 minutes was enough for the Peter Tsekenis coached side as they ended Mt Druitt’s winning run.
Marconi opened the scoring in style when midfield maestro Martin Fernandez fired an absolute thunderbolt into the top left corner from 30 yards out.
The young gun has been hitting the headlines during the reboot of the NPL NSW Men’s season with potential A-League suitors flocking in catching a glimpse of one of this league’s hottest prospects.
It set the tone for the match and within only three minutes the Stallions had doubled their lead.
After stunning run down the left-wing, Mitch Mallia fired in a cross into the box which was dispatched by Anthony Frangie into the back of the net with a sublime volley.
Defender Nathan Millgate made it three goals for Marconi within ten minutes when he headed home to make it 3-0 for the home side.
The lead allowed the Stallions to ease up in the second half and while Mt Druitt kept fighting, they were unable to break into the contest.
The victory boosted Marconi’s premiership hopes as they moved in third spot.
Sydney Olympic 4 (Lokolingoy 11′, 17, Parkhouse 59, 76′) – APIA Leichhardt 2 at Lambert Park (Parisi 23′, Gibbs 93′)
Sydney Olympic has cemented their spot on the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder with a 4-2 win against APIA Leichhardt Tigers at Lambert Park on Sunday.
A first-half brace from Charles Lokolingoy and a double from Adam Parkhouse after the break helped the Ante Juric coached side to victory and a vital three competition points.
It didn’t take long for Sydney Olympic to take the upper hand against a struggling APIA outfit with Lokolingoy finding the back of the net 12 minutes in.
The Olympic marksman made the most of a chance opportunity to fire the home side into the lead with a clinical finish from only nine yards out.
It took only a few more minutes for the former Sydney FC frontman to claim a brace when he fired into the back of the net after a sensational marauding run from central defender Thomas Whiteside.
APIA’s veteran star Franco Parisi gave his side hope when he rifled a shot into the back of the net in the 23rd.
Neither side would add to their tally before the break with Olympic leading 2-1 at the interval.
Olympic would stretch their lead midway through the second stanza when Adam Parkhouse fired one in with his left to make it 3-1.
The former Wellington Phoenix player saved his best for later when he unleashed a thunderous strike from 35 yards out which cannoned into the back of the net after 76 minutes to make it 4-1.
Mitchell Gibbs claimed a late consolation goal for APIA with the last kick of the game after he linked up with Josh and Sean Symons.
The result was APIA’s fourth game without a win and leaves them in 11th place two points above bottom side Blacktown City.
Sydney United 58 4 (Clut 23′ Sim 66′ Antelmi 71′ Khoury 89′) – Western Sydney Wanderers 2 (Jordan 10′, Mourdoukoutas 25′) at Sydney United Sports Centre
The Wanderers took the game to United 58 from the opening whistle and were rewarded with a Rory Jordan goal only ten minutes in.
The goal shook United 58 into action with Devante Clut firing in an equaliser with a brilliant finish from outside the box.
The Wanderers responded rapidly as A-League first-teamer Tass Mourdoukoutas tapped home from a few yards out to put the visitors back into the lead.
Western Sydney would hold their 2-1 lead into the break but they would face a fired-up United 58 side after the restart.
The home side were rewarded for their high tempo football as Matt Sim equalised with an impressive finish after beating two defenders.
Only five minutes later, United 58 were In the lead as Patrick Antelmi continued his sensational scoring run to make it 3-2 for the Anthony Crea coached team.
A Jackson Khoury goal in the final minute of the match wrapped up victory for United 58 moving them up to second on the ladder.
Rockdale Ilinden 3 (Gauthier 7′, Wada 59′, 93′) – Wollongong Wolves 1 (James 20′) at Ilinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Ilinden has returned to the winner’s circle with an impressive 3-1 win against Wollongong Wolves at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
An inspired second-half showing from the Steven Zoric coached side helped secure the victory and all three competition point.
Rockdale made a fast start to the contest with Amaury Gauthier scoring only seven minutes into the match to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
It sparked a near-instant response from the Wolves with star striker Thomas James scoring his first goal of the season since returning from his short term move at Perth Glory to level the score at 1-1.
The game was locked in an end to end battle with both teams remaining deadlocked at the break.
In the 59th minute, the game was turned on its head when Nick Littler was shown red and sent off for a desperation tackle on Nikola Taneski who had broken free of the defence.
Tomoki Wada delivered a moment of brilliance from the ensuing free-kick as he found the back of the net from the edge of the penalty area to give Rockdale a 2-1 lead.
Despite having only 10-men, Wollongong refused to give in and pushed for an equaliser.
However, it was Rockdale’s day and a second goal to Wada deep inside injury time wrapped up a 3-1 result.