Round 15 Review – NPL NSW Men’s

Blacktown City has returned to the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition after a thrilling round 15 came to a close on Sunday.

Blacktown’s win on Sunday against title rivals Sydney United 58 has shaken-up the premiership race with only seven rounds to play.

United 58 drop to second on the ladder but their title hopes are far from over only two points behind Blacktown.

Manly United have reignited their playoff chances, while also denting the premiership credentials of Rockdale,  with their big win against the reigning premiers on Friday.

The battle for a spot in the top five is set to go down to the wire with wins from Sydney Olympic and APIA, while Mt Druitt’s shock loss to Sydney FC, has created a logjam for the fifth and final qualifying place for the post season.

Remember you can catch up with every minute of the Round 15 action on NPL.TV.

Manly United 3 – Rockdale Ilinden 0 at Cromer Park

A clinical Manly United performance secured Adam Griffiths’ troops a vital three points in the race for finals football with a 3-0 victory over a wasteful Rockdale Illinden at Cromer Park on Friday night.

Despite Rockdale enjoying their fair share of dominance, the home side established a two-goal buffer at the break thanks to a Dejan Pandurevic penalty and well-struck Luca Kmet effort, before putting the result beyond doubt late on through fullback Kieren Paull.

It was a second straight defeat for Rockdale who slip further behind in the premiership race with further dropped points.

The win moves Manly United up to 24 points and secures their place in the top five for another week.

Sutherland Sharks 0 – APIA Leichhardt 2 at Seymour Shaw Park

APIA Leichhardt picked up a vital three points as it asserted itself into the top five of the NPL NSW Men’s competition with a 2-0 win against Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw Park on Saturday.

The Sharks failed to back up their rock-solid performance against Sydney United 58 back on their home ground this afternoon conceding late goals to Harry Callahan and Peter Kekeris which rounded up a good week for the Inner West club.

The Sharks best chances came through from the set piece through Brendan Hooper in the second half but they paid they price for two late defensive lapses as APIA secured all three competition points.

Wollongong Wolves 1 – Sydney Olympic 5 at Albert Butler Memorial Park

Sydney Olympic moved above Wollongong Wolves on the National Premier Leagues NSW ladder with a blow-out 5-1 win at Albert Butler Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.

Olympic took the lead early on through Benjamin van Meurs before Lachlan Scott equalised for the Wolves not long after.

Michael Glassock’s goal with 10 minutes to play in the first stanza saw the away side head into the sheds in the lead.

Three second-half goals from the visitors with a brace to Mohamed Adam and a goal to Jason Madonis secured Ante Juric’s side the three points.

Blacktown City FC 2  – Sydney United 58 0 at Lily Homes Stadium

A gutsy Blacktown City FC have returned to the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW ladder with a 2-0 win against Sydney United 58 FC in front of a strong crowd at Lily Homes Stadium.

The win was a huge three competition points for City who took an early lead through Jak O’Brien before Daniel Collins wrapped up the win in front of a passionate home crowd on ‘Back to Blacktown day” in the dying minutes.

United 58 suffered a costly early injury as Matt Sim was forced from the field inside the first five minutes with the visitors struggling to rediscover their rhythm.

Patrick Antelmi had a handful of chances to find the back of the net but was unable to score against his former club Blacktown who went on to take a huge win in the context of the premiership race.

Marconi Stallions 2 – Northbridge FC Bulls 2 at Marconi Stadium

A ten-man Marconi Stallions have fought back to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw against Northbridge Bulls in a wild and at times fiery clash at Marconi Stadium on Sunday.

The Stallions fought back from 2-0 down to secure their tenth draw of the season in a match which had a little bit of everything.

Goals to Northbridge’s Kyle Cimenti and Stephan De Robillard had the Bulls on track for a sensational upset, but Marconi’s Mitchell Mallia and Marko Jesic found the back of the net on each side of the interval to secure the home side another competition point.

The incredibly fiery match saw eight yellow cards and two red cards awarded, with Northbridge Bulls coach Mile Sterjovski and Marconi Stallions forward Anthony Frangie both sent from the field in the late stages of the game.

Sydney FC 5 – Mt Drutt Town Rangers 2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

A second-half onslaught has helped Sydney FC stun Mt Druitt Town Rangers 5-2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

The Young Sky Blues scored five unanswered goals in the second stanza to come back from 2-0 down at the break and notch their first win since round three

A much-changed Sydney FC outfit, incorporating several U-18 players, fell behind to first-half strikes from Jason Perez strike and Mitch Smith.

However, a Clayton Taylor goal on the hour mark turned the momentum in the home side’s favour with Thomas Fay netting a hat-trick in just over ten minutes before Adrian Segecic wrapped up an incredible victory with a goal in the closing stages.