Round 9 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
The score lines were tight in round eight of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition, as a few surprises were sprung on the early title challengers.
Round nine includes some blockbuster fixtures at the top of the table.
Here’s what to expect.
NWS Spirit FC v Wollongong Wolves FC
5:30 pm, Saturday 1 April, Christie Park
NWS Spirit play host to Wollongong Wolves on Saturday at Christie Park desperate to end a difficult run in the NPL NSW Men’s competition since their promotion this year.
Spirit had another tough weekend going down 2-0 to Sydney Olympic extending their winless run to five matches.
David Perkovic’s team are in 11th heading into this one, but if they win on Saturday, they will go above their opponents depending on the margin of victory.
Spirit’s last victory came back in round three, and they’ve only scored once since then.
However, they may fancy their chances against a Wollongong team that have conceded the equal fourth-highest goals in 2023 NPL NSW Men’s competition so far.
Wollongong picked up a crucial win over Central Coast Mariners in round eight getting up 3-0.
Jake Trew carried his superb scoring run netting a brace before Japanese import Takumi Ofuka came off the bench to add a third.
Trew now has four goals in his past four games as the former A-League Men’s prospect continues to fill the gap left by injured star forward and captain Lachlan Scott.
The Wolves moved up to ninth with that victory, only five points away from second-placed APIA Leichhardt.
Both teams will be keen to earn three points on Saturday as they look to remain competitive in the league.
Sydney Olympic FC v Bulls FC Academy
6:30 pm, Saturday 1 April, Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic will look to carry on their resurgence facing bottom side Bulls FC Academy on Saturday at Belmore Sports Ground.
After four defeats in a row, last Saturday’s win against NWS Spirit couldn’t come soon enough.
Olympic got up 2-0 against Spirit in round eight with Darcy Burgess and Oliver Puflett scoring.
Labinot Haliti’s team moved into eighth with that victory but will need another this weekend if they are to stay in touch with the top of the competition.
With one of the best player rosters in the league, you’d expect Olympic to continue its resurgence from here on in.
The Bulls will not be easy prey though, earning another impressive result against one of the top sides so far in 2023 last weekend.
Goalkeeper and Young Socceroo Alexander Robinson pulled off several saves to preserve a point for his side against St George City in a 0-0 draw.
The Academy are in still last, however, they moved to only a point below Central Coast Mariners in 15th following the Mariners’ loss to Wollongong Wolves.
Sydney Olympic had a strong record against the Bulls in 2022 winning both encounters.
The side won 2-0 in round three before claiming victory in a six-goal thriller, 4-2 in round fourteen.
This game takes on increased importance with three points offering a much-needed boost for the winning team.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC v Marconi Stallions FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 1 April, Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers feature at home again this weekend hosting Marconi Stallions at Wanderers Football Park in a cracking match set for Saturday night.
The Wanderers responded to round seven’s Rockdale battering by holding the unbeaten APIA Leichhardt to a 2-2 draw last weekend.
Western Sydney took the lead through Alessandro Lopane late in the first half, but a second-half turnaround from their opponents saw the side down heading into the last minute.
Jarrod Carluccio scored a 90th-minute equaliser forcing the points to be shared.
Andrew Christiansen’s team are now on seven points sitting in 13th on the table, six points away from Marconi in sixth.
The Stallions picked up a valuable win over Manly United last Saturday getting up 3-1.
They came from a goal down after 13 minutes with Domenic Costanzo and Jordan Swibel each scoring to give Peter Tsekenis’ team a halftime lead.
An own goal in the final 20 minutes extended Marconi’s advantage and secured the team’s fourth win of the season.
That result moves Marconi to three points away from second and could surge into the top three if they win on Saturday and other results go their way.
Swibel, a former Wanderer, continued his fine scoring run with his sixth goal for the Stallions in round eight and will face his former team this Saturday.
The away side will be eager to put a few wins together now to end to their inconsistent form in 2023, but the Wanderers have the quality to cause an upset.
Central Coast Mariners FC v APIA Leichhardt FC
7:45 pm, Saturday 1 April, Central Coast Stadium
Central Coast Mariners and APIA Leichhardt face off at Central Coast Stadium on Saturday night.
This match will take place after the A-League Men’s side take on the Brisbane Roar at 5pm so the Mariners fans will catch a glimpse of some of its future stars on show against one of the more fancied NPL NSW Men’s outfits.
Central Coast were left frustrated by a 3-0 defeat to Wollongong Wolves last Sunday.
Despite creating numerous chances in the match, Abbas Saad’s team couldn’t take advantage.
The side remain second last on the table, only a point ahead of Bulls FC Academy in last.
A win for the Mariners on Saturday could lift them up the table and would end a three-game losing run.
The Mariners should come into this one with a bit of confidence as APIA have dropped points to academy sides in the past two rounds.
APIA’s draw against Western Sydney Wanderers over the weekend moved them five points away from table-topping Rockdale Ilinden.
After going behind, Franco Parisi’s team turned the score line around courtesy of goals from Diego Celis and Franco Farinella, but they copped a last-minute equaliser to see the points shared.
After just two wins in their past five games, APIA will be keen to get back on track this weekend against the Mariners.
Having started the season also as one of the red-hot teans, Parisi is hoping that a victory in what will be in front a big crowd at the Central Coast can propel their season once more.
Considering the winless runs for the teams heading into this one, it would be a huge victory either way on Saturday.
Manly United FC v Mount Druitt Town Rangers FC
2:30 pm, Sunday 2 April, Cromer Park
Mount Druitt Town Rangers travel to Cromer Park to face Manly United on Sunday afternoon.
The Rangers went down 3-0 to Rockdale Ilinden last Saturday with two goals in the first ten minutes making it an uphill battle for the side from there.
It leaves Mount Druitt still amid the battle at the bottom just three points clear of last.
United also suffered a defeat over the weekend losing 3-1 to Marconi Stallions.
Despite Bruno Mendes giving the team the lead within 15 minutes, they conceded two goals before halftime and another in the second half.
That was Patrick Zwaanswijk’s team’s fourth defeat of the season seeing them drop into tenth on the table.
However, United had a good record against Mount Druitt in 2022 winning both fixtures.
Mendes bagged a hat-trick in their round nine meeting with Manly winning 4-2 before the side secured a 2-0 win later in the season.
Both sides need to start picking up form after tricky starts to 2023 making it an important match on Sunday.
In what will be a huge day for the hosts, the always popular ‘Back to Manly Day’ will no doubt see Cromer Park packed to the brim full of fans as well as past players from the Northern Beaches area hoping to see their side claim the three points.
Blacktown City FC v Sutherland Sharks FC
3:00 pm, Sunday 2 April, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City and Sutherland Sharks go head-to-head on Sunday at Landen Stadium.
Blacktown City were dealt a shock defeat in round eight against Sydney FC losing 1-0.
It leaves the team in seventh, something quite odd for such a successful team, however, only three points away from the chasing pack.
The 2022 Champions will be expecting more from their charismatic attacker Travis Major while it was a pleasing site to see Club Legend Matty Lewis on the bench last week as he returns from a long standing injury.
Sutherland shared the points with one of the competition’s title challengers last Saturday, a 0-0 draw with Sydney United 58.
It was the Sharks’ third clean sheet in their last five games after conceding eight goals in this first three.
Damir Prodanovic’s team moved up to 12th with that a point and are only a few points behind the next cluster of teams in front of them.
After last week’s positive result against top side Sydney United 58, Sutherland will come into this one with plenty of confidence.
However, Blacktown got the better of the Sharks in 2022, edging out both games 1-0.
It shapes up as an interesting fixture on Sunday with both team eager to claim the points and push back up the table.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Sydney United 58 FC
3:00 pm, Sunday 2 April, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
The high-flying Rockdale Ilinden host a top-of-the-table clash with Sydney United 58 on Sunday at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
Ilinden extended their lead at the top of the NPL NSW Men’s competition to five points following a 3-0 win against Mount Druitt Town Rangers.
Lochlan Constable and Alec Urosevski got the side off to a fast start, each scoring within 10 minutes before Brendan Cholakian added a goal just after the break.
Paul Dee’s side have gone from strength to strength and along with Urosevski’s goalscoring antics, the likes of Isaac Danzo, Mathieu Cordier, Lochlan Constable and Brayden Sorge have all been on form.
Sydney United 58 were held to a 0-0 draw with Sutherland Sharks in round eight as they slipped five points behind Rockdale.
The side have now failed to win in their past two matches meaning it is essential they pick up the win on Sunday to stay within touching distance of Ilinden.
United are unbeaten away from home this season, giving them a boost going into Sunday’s match at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.
The teams played out a couple of entertaining matches in 2022 with Rockdale winning 2-0 in round six before the points were shared in an enthralling 3-3 draw later in the season.
Sunday’s fixture lines up as a must-watch encounter between two of the early frontrunners for the competition – expect fireworks as both teams go chasing for the three points.
Sydney FC v St George City FA
3:00 pm, Sunday 2 April, Valentine Sports Park
Valentine Sports Park hosts a clash on Sunday between two exciting attacking teams with Sydney FC taking on St George City.
The young Sky Blues pulled off another outstanding result in round eight edging out reigning champions Blacktown City 1-0.
Alen Harbas’ spectacular free-kick in the first half proved to be the winner and took the talented attacker’s tally for this season to five.
The youngster has been the talk of the town and is hoping to add to his tally on Sunday while keeper Adam Pavlesic has also been in rock solid form underneath the sticks.
Jimmy van Weeren’s team have shot up the table to fourth following four straight victories and are now only a point behind second place.
The momentum is with Sydney FC now; however, an equally buoyed St George City will provide a great challenge.
City played out a 0-0 draw with Bulls FC Academy last Saturday which was the second time in three games they’ve failed to score.
Coach Mirko Jurilj will have to deal with a big loss at the back this Sunday after first-choice goalkeeper Nicholas Burke received a straight red card in stoppage time against the Bulls. Jack Kenny looks likely to take up the number one spot and he will certainly have his hands full against a roaring FC outfit.
One player that was missing in last week’s draw was the influential Pedro Ferrari – with the marauding right back hoping to make a comeback in this match, he certainly can change things around.
St George sit in fifth going into this weekend’s match and would go above Sydney if they managed to get the three points.
It will be a tight match on Sunday with both teams showing signs early on of competing at the top of the competition.
Preview by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
