Round 11 Review – NPL NSW Men’s
Round 11 of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition is in the books after another big week of matches.
Blacktown City clings onto top spot for the second straight week with only a superior goal difference separating them from second-placed Rockdale Ilinden.
Sydney United 58 remain in the race for the Premiership in third position after a late win on Saturday night to finish the round only one point behind the leaders.
Mt Druitt Town Rangers and Sydney Olympic wrap up the top five but they have a number of teams hot on their tail as the battle for finals football heat up.
Wollongong Wolves were the other big winners this week with their comeback victory moving them within a point of the top five.
Remember you can catch up with all the action from the weekend’s matches on NPL.TV.
Manly United 1 – Marconi Stallions 1 at Cromer Park
Manly United and Marconi Stallions were forced to settle for a share of the spoils after playing out a toughly-fought 1-1 draw at Cromer Park on Friday night.
After both sides struck the woodwork in the opening 45 minutes they found a goal each in the second half, with experienced NPL campaigner Richie Cardozo opening the scoring on the hour mark before the clinical Marko Jesic drew his side level ten minutes later.
The result stretches Manly’s winless run to three, while It was another frustrating draw for the Stallions who have now tied seven of their 11 matches this season.
APIA Leichhardt 2 – Sydney United 58 3 at Lambert Park
A last gasp free-kick from Mat Sim has helped Sydney United 58 snatch a dramatic 3-2 win against APIA Leichhardt at Lambert Park on Saturday.
Five goals, including three penalties of which two were converted by APIA’s Blake Powell, and plenty of end-to-end action made for a most entertaining affair as United 58 took home all three competition points
Sydney United took the lead through Patrick Antelmi before Powell scored the first of his two penalties right at the end of the first half.
After regaining the lead early in the second thanks to Jackson Khoury, Powell once again struck back for APIA before Sim’s cruel goal sealed the deal for the visitors.
Wollongong Wolves 3 – Sutherland Sharks 2 at Albert Butler Memorial Park
A Leroy Jennings hattrick has inspired Wollongong Wolves to their second victory in a row in a come-from-behind 3-2 win at Albert Butler Memorial Park against Sutherland Sharks.
It was a breakout performance from Jennings who opened his account in the 27th minute before scoring twice in 60 seconds late in the second half to secure a brilliant win for the Wolves.
First-half goals to Chris Lindsay and Peter Simonoski had the Sharks in the box seat but they couldn’t maintain their momentum as Wollongong snatched the three points late in the contest.
It was a frustrating afternoon for the visitors with the side going down to the Wolves despite creating numerous goal-scoring opportunities throughout the match.
Rockdale Ilinden 4 – Sydney FC 1 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
An Alec Urosevski hat-trick has inspired Rockdale to a comprehensive 4-1 victory against Sydney FC at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
It was a vintage performance from Rockdale star Urosevski who opened the scoring midway through the first half before netting twice more after the interval to secure his side a vital three competition points.
It was another frustrating performance from the Young Sky Blues, who equalised through Adrian Segecic before Urosevski and then a late Bai Antoniou goal condemned the Jim Van Weeren coached side to their ninth straight week without a win.
The result keeps Rockdale in a tight tussle for top spot with Blacktown City, While Sydney FC remain slumped at the bottom of the table in last place
Northbridge Bulls 2 – Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2 at Sydney United Sports Centre
Northbridge Bulls and Mt Druitt Town Rangers have played out a thrilling 2-2 draw at Sydney United Sports Centre after a goal from Bulls skipper Rory Jordan in the dying stages of the game forced the sides to share the points.
Jordan’s 90th-minute strike completed a sensational comeback for the Bulls to end the side’s four-game losing streak.
Goals to Jack Stewart and Takumu Tsujimura cancelled out Lachlan Sepping’s first-half strike to give Mt Druitt a 2-1 lead at the interval.
With the Rangers eyeing victory, Northbridge refused to quit as Walter Scott sent a perfect ball into Jordan who fired past the keeper to secure a last-gasp draw.
Sydney Olympic 1 – Blacktown City 2 at Belmore Sports Ground
Blacktown City FC secured an important victory away from home with a 2-1 win over Sydney Olympic FC on Sunday evening at Belmore Sportsground.
Goals to Blacktown’s Lachlan Campbell and Travis Major were enough to cancel out a goal from Olympic’s Jason Madonis after an action-packed second half of football.
The win adds a crucial three points to Blacktown’s season tally as they hold onto top spot ahead of Rockdale on goal difference.
