Round 6 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
There were some interesting results in round five as battles at both ends of the tables begin to materialise.
Round six has plenty of crucial matchups, so here’s what’s on offer.
Wollongong Wolves FC v Rockdale Ilinden FC
7:30 pm, Friday 10 March, WIN Stadium
Wollongong Wolves and Rockdale Ilinden kick-off the round, facing off in an important game at WIN Stadium on Friday night.
The Wolves got back to winning ways last weekend edging past Western Sydney Wanderers 1-0.
Former Wanderer Jake Trew came off the bench to bag the winner in stoppage time with what was the forward’s first goal for the Wolves since his return.
However, Wollongong will be without their late hero for Friday night after he received a red card in the dying embers of that match.
David Carney’s team could move to just a point behind their opponents with victory, but that will be no easy task against one of the form teams in the competition.
Rockdale maintained their early momentum by downing Sutherland Sharks 2-0 last Sunday.
The side remain level on points with Sydney United 58 at the top of the table behind on only goal difference.
Club captain Alec Urosevski was on the scoresheet yet again for Paul Dee’s men finding the net twice in a five-minute period in the second half.
Urosevski has now scored five of Rockdale’s last six goals which has taken his tally to seven for the season – and is currently the leading goalscorer of the league.
It’s not just the scoring Dee’s troops have been good at but they’ve managed to keep three successive clean sheets. The likes of Lochie Griffiths, Nikola Ujdur, Mathieu Cordier and Brayden Sorge have all stood solid as has keeper David Bradasevic in keeping things tight at the back.
Rockdale got the better of Wollongong in the two meetings between these sides last year, with Urosevski scoring three times across the matches.
Friday night’s clash shapes up as pivotal for these two teams as they look to keep pace with the top of the competition.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers FC v NWS Spirit FC
7:45 pm, Friday 10 March, Popondetta Park
Mount Druitt Town Rangers host NWS Spirit at Popondetta Park in the second Friday night fixture of round six.
Mount Druitt found themselves on the end of a 4-1 defeat to Blacktown City in round five.
Despite taking an early lead through Nikola Skataric’s fourth goal of the season, a late first-half equaliser from their opponents followed by three goals in the second period resulted in defeat.
While this was their fourth defeat of the season, the Rangers have taken the lead at some stage in three of their first five games.
The side will be itching to get a win this time around against NWS Spirit who lost their second match in a row over the weekend.
Spirit went down to a narrow 1-0 defeat against Central Coast Mariners on Saturday, seeing the side drop to ninth on the table.
It also means David Perkovic’s team have failed to score in the past two games after scoring six in their first three.
They’ll be keen to get back into the winner’s circle on Friday night with an opportunity to shoot back up the ladder.
Both teams have their reasons for needing a win, making it an exciting game on Friday.
Bulls FC Academy v Sydney United 58 FC
5:00 pm, Saturday 11 March, Sydney United Sports Centre
Bulls FC Academy face a tough challenge hosting current league-leaders Sydney United 58 at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday.
The Bulls are now the only team in the NPL NSW yet to register a win after last Sunday’s 4-1 defeat to Sydney FC.
Defender Theph Theph sent the side into the lead early in the first half before the Sky Blues fought back with four answered goals to take the points.
The result means Zeljko Kalac’s team remain at the foot of the table after accumulating just two points from the opening five rounds.
However, the Bulls performed strongly in this fixture last season coming from a goal down to defeat Sydney United 4-2 in round four.
It would be a massive three points on Saturday if they were to win and could be a springboard to get their season underway.
Sydney United 58 moved to the top of the NPL NSW table following a late 2-0 win over Manly United last weekend.
Club skipper Adrian Vlastelica opened the scoring before Patrick Antelmi came off the bench to net the second goal in stoppage time.
With four wins in their first five matches, United have made a very promising start to the competition, and they’ll want to build on that this weekend.
United are clear favourites heading into this one, however, a hungry Bulls outfit could spring a surprise.
Sutherland Sharks FC v APIA Leichhardt FC
6:45 pm, Saturday 11 March, Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks take on APIA Leichhardt at Seymour Shaw on Saturday with both teams looking to get back to winning ways.
The Sharks failed to go back-to-back in the competition for what would have been the first time in 2023 following a 2-0 defeat to Rockdale Ilinden last weekend.
It means the side remain in the bottom four, facing a tough run against some of the early contenders in the coming weeks starting with APIA this Saturday.
Franco Parisi’s team dropped points for the second time this season playing out a 0-0 draw with Marconi Stallions in round five.
The result drops APIA to third on the table, however, they are only a point away from the two teams ahead of them with a far superior goal difference.
Further, they’re the only team yet to lose in the 2023 NPL NSW and will endeavour to keep that record intact after this weekend.
APIA went undefeated against Sutherland in 2022 getting up 3-0 in round seven before being held to a 1-1 draw later in the year.
Both teams will be eager to rectify dropped points last week setting up a competitive match at Seymour Shaw.
Manly United FC v St George City
7:00 pm, Saturday 11 March, Cromer Park
Manly United search for their second victory of the season on Saturday at Cromer Park against the surprise package of the NPL NSW so far, St George City.
Manly United suffered defeat for the third time this season going down 2-0 to Sydney United 58 over the weekend.
Two goals in the final 15 minutes of the game did the damage to Patrick Zwaanswijk’s team making it just one win from the side’s opening five games to start the season.
United will hope to put this tough start behind them this weekend against newly-promoted St George, however, it will be a battle.
St George City caused another upset in round five edging out reigning premiers Sydney Olympic 1-0 with Nathan Roberts’ goal in the 83rd minute the winner.
The side have now won three games in a row pushing them to just two points off the top of the table going into this weekend.
Mirko Jurilj’s men have the chance to claim another scalp on Saturday against a struggling United outfit.
It’s a fascinating game on Saturday with plenty of motivation on either side to take the points and no clear favourite to pick.
Marconi Stallions FC v Blacktown City FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 11 March, Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions play Blacktown City on Saturday at Marconi Stadium in what will be a hotly-contested affair.
The Stallions were held to the first 0-0 draw of the 2023 NPL NSW season against APIA Leichhardt last Sunday meaning the side have only two wins from their opening five games.
This early form sees the side currently sit eighth on the table, but a win in round six would take them level on points with their opponents in fourth.
Peter Tsekenis could welcome back captain Marko Jesic from suspension while it was a good return to the starting eleven for Robbie Speranza who put in a great performance against APIA last weekend.
Blacktown secured an emphatic 4-1 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers last Sunday with Jak O’Brien continuing his red-hot form in the competition scoring a hat-trick.
City have now won two games in a row since their shock 2-1 defeat to newly-promoted NWS Spirit in round three.
With Mark Crittenden’s team only two points off the top of the table, they’ll be looking to maintain touching distance with those above by getting the win this weekend.
These teams were unable to be separated results-wise in 2022 with a 2-2 draw in round three before a 1-1 draw in round fourteen.
Further, the teams finished on the same points last year and it was the six fewer goals conceded by Blacktown that saw the champions sit ahead of the Stallions after twenty-two rounds.
It was almost immeasurably tight between these sides last season and with not much between them early on this time around, it will be an intriguing clash this Saturday.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Sydney Olympic FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 11 March, Wanderers Football Park
Sydney Olympic travel to face Western Sydney Wanderers at Wanderers Football Park on Saturday.
Olympic went down 1-0 to St George City last weekend which sees them drop into sixth place, however, they remain only three points away from first position.
After successive defeats for the first time in 2023, Labinot Haliti’s team will want to put that behind them this weekend against the Wanderers.
Western Sydney suffered another late defeat in round five conceding a stoppage-time goal to Wollongong Wolves to go down 1-0.
It’s now four defeats in a row since the side’s round-one victory over Central Coast Mariners, leaving them in the bottom three for now.
Despite a series of difficult results, the Wanderers have been competitive in their matches this season, scoring at least two goals in every game, apart from last weekend’s defeat.
Both teams are in need of a win this Saturday to get their campaigns back on track in what will be a hard-fought fixture.
Sydney FC v Central Coast Mariners FC
3:00 pm, Sunday 12 March, Valentine Sports Park
Sydney FC take on Central Coast Mariners as the two A-League Men’s academies go head-to-head at Valentine Sports Park in the only game on Sunday.
Sydney secured their second win of the season snapping a three-game losing streak in a 4-1 come-from-behind victory over Bulls FC Academy.
Alen Harbas scored a brace before Clayton Taylor and Ben Gibson each found the net later in the second half.
Jimmy van Weeren’s team will look to carry on this momentum against the Mariners this weekend who are also coming off a win.
Central Coast registered their first win of the 2023 campaign getting up 1-0 against NWS Spirit with Lachlan Bayliss’ goal on the stroke of halftime being the difference.
The side will be keen not to stifle that confidence-boosting victory against Spirit by going back-to-back for the first time this year.
With Central Coast sitting just a point behind Sydney FC going into this match, a victory would see them leapfrog the Sky Blues.
It’s a high-stakes clash this weekend with three points offering a chance to build on the progress made the previous week for these teams.
Preview by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
