Round 11 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
It was very tight in round 10 of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition with several key scorelines.
There is another exciting set of features in round 11 with important games at both ends of the table.
Here’s what’s coming up.
NWS Spirit FC v Sydney FC
5:30 pm, Saturday 15 April, Christie Park
NWS Spirit host Sydney FC to kick off the round on Saturday at Christie Park.
Spirit couldn’t make it back-to-back wins following round nine’s astonishing comeback against the Wolves, losing 2-0 to Marconi last Friday.
It leaves the side in the bottom half of the table, but still within touching distance of the teams above.
If Spirit were to win on the weekend, they would move five points away from Sydney.
Sydney FC snatched a late win against Wollongong Wolves getting up 2-1.
The side took the lead early in the second half before conceding an equaliser with 12 minutes to play.
Deep into stoppage time, Clayton Taylor buried a penalty to secure another valuable victory for the young Sky Blues.
The result sees them remain in fourth and they could go equal on points with second-placed APIA Leichhardt if they win this weekend.
Sydney have now won five of their last six matches but have a far worse goal difference than the teams ahead of them.
This is because the side have conceded the highest goal total out of all but one team in the top half of the table.
The young Sky Blues will be keen to maintain their positive recent form this weekend, but Spirit have proven difficult opposition so far.
Sutherland Sharks FC v Manly United FC
6:30 pm, Saturday 15 April, Seymour Shaw
Sutherland snatched a crucial three points against fellow bottom side Western Sydney Wanderers with a 1-0 victory on Easter Sunday.
It was a hard-fought match for the Sharks with Alexander Brown’s goal just before halftime the key moment.
The win moves Damir Prodanovic’s team four points clear of Western Sydney in fourteenth and level on points with Wollongong Wolves in tenth.
A win for Sutherland against United would move them ahead of last season’s grand finalists and closer to the top half of the table.
The Sharks performed well in this fixture at Seymour Shaw last season claiming a 2-0 win.
Manly slumped to their fifth defeat of the season in round ten following a 3-1 defeat to APIA Leichhardt.
After conceding in the first few seconds, United conceded again just after halftime before Matthew Sim pulled a goal back for the side.
Manly conceded a third in the final couple of minutes to ensure the team’s loss.
Patrick Zwaanswijk’s men remain in ninth and three points this Saturday could see them move level on points with sixth-placed Blacktown City.
The camp is in good spirits however following its round 4 Australia Cup win over the Wollongong Wolves on Tuesday evening. The Northern Beaches side pulled in a never say die attitude equalising in the 96th minute to send the match to extra time where it finished 2-2 but then won 4-2 on penalties.
Saturday’s clash between these teams is an intriguing one with a win for either team offering a chance to begin moving away from the middle of the table.
Marconi Stallions FC v Rockdale Ilinden FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 15 April, Marconi Stadium
Dubbed the ‘Match of the Round’ for a clear reason, Marconi Stallions take on league-leaders Rockdale Ilinden on Saturday at Marconi Stadium.
Kyle Cimenti’s brace for Marconi secured the side a 2-0 win against NWS Spirit last Friday.
The attacker has now scored three times in the past two matches in a resurgence in form for the former A-League Men’s player.
The result continues a solid run of form for the Stallions with four wins in their last five games, keeping Peter Tsekenis’ team inside the top three. The Stallions did record a 11-0 win in round 4 of the Australia Cup qualifiers against local Blacktown Association side Quakers Hill.
Rockdale didn’t play last weekend after their match with Bulls FC Academy was postponed – they did however record a 4-0 victory over the Albion Park White Eagles on Tuesday in round 4 of the Australia Cup qualifiers.
Rockdale have been the form side of the competition in 2023 with eight wins from their nine games this season.
They sit two points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand on those below them.
Alec Urosevski has been the player of the season so far and with his 12 goals in 10 matches, the inspirational club captain will be eager to put a few more on his list at the ‘Palace’.
Ilinden will however miss the services of defender Mathieu Cordier who will be serving his suspension following his red card against Sydney United 58 two weeks ago.
These sides provided plenty of goals in 2022 with a 2-2 draw in round four and a 3-1 win for Rockdale in round fifteen.
A win for either team would be massive for their title ambitions with it still very tight at the top of the table.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers FC v St George City FA
7:00 pm, Saturday 15 April, Popodetta Park
Mount Druitt Town Rangers play at Popondetta Park for the second week running against St George City on Saturday night.
Mount Druitt held Sydney Olympic to a 1-1 draw last Thursday in what was a valuable point for the side.
Anthony Frangie’s spectacular over-head kick put the Rangers in front in the first half before they conceded the equaliser on the hour mark.
The point was enough to take Stewart Montgomery’s team ahead of 14th-place Western Sydney Wanderers on points.
If results go their way, a win this weekend would them leapfrog Wollongong Wolves into 10th, but they would need to overcome a significant goal difference.
St George also shared the points over the weekend in a 1-1 draw with Central Coast Mariners.
Aiden Mostofi equalised for City in the final three minutes to keep their unbeaten run of four games going.
However, it means St George have only won once in their past five matches meaning they are now three points away from third-placed Marconi Stallions.
This weekend is an important game for both teams as they look to build their form.
Central Coast Mariners FC v Sydney Olympic FC
7:45 pm, Saturday 15 April, Central Coast Stadium
Central Coast Mariners take on Sydney Olympic at Central Coast Stadium in the late kick off on Saturday.
The Mariners played out a 1-1 draw with St George City in round 10.
Defender Cameron Windust scored for the second game running to give Central Coast the lead, but they conceded in the final three minutes to see the points shared.
The point for Central Coast pushes them to only a point behind 14th.
The side may be buoyed by the fact that fellow cellar-dweller and academy side Western Sydney Wanderers won against Olympic in round six.
Last weekend, Olympic were held to a 1-1 draw with Mount Druitt Town Rangers fighting back from 1-0 down.
Roy O’Donovan scored his fifth of the season in that one, which was only his second goal in his last six matches.
It keeps the side close to the top of the table in eighth and they could shoot up it with a win on Saturday night.
Olympic will be keen to secure another victory this weekend to keep their title ambitions in view.
Wollongong Wolves v Sydney United 58
3:00 pm, Sunday 16 April, Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong play at Albert Butler Memorial Park for the first time in the NPL NSW in 2023 against Sydney United on Sunday.
The Wolves suffered another late defeat over the weekend conceding a stoppage-time penalty to go down 2-1 to Sydney FC making it four losses in their last five.
However, Lachlan Scott scored for the second game running since his return from injury in a positive for Carney’s team.
The bad luck has seemed to follow the poor Wolves as they were seconds into advancing to Round 5 of the Australia Cup qualifiers against Manly United on Tuesday only to cop a 96th minute equaliser. The match went into extra-time and it finished 2-2 as once again, tragedy struck with Manly scoring an equaliser for the second time in the 119th minute taking the match to penalties where David Carney’s men lost out 4-2.
It continues a disappointing start to the season for the South Coast club with only three wins from their first ten matches.
They’ll need to overcome a tough record against Sydney United last season having lost both matches in 2022.
However, Scott scored twice against United last season and will hope to continue his scoring form since returning to the team.
United ended a three-game winless in the competition with a narrow 1-0 victory against Blacktown City in round ten.
Withstanding a Blacktown barrage at times, Patrick Antelmi snatched the winner for his team in the final portion of the game.
That took Antelmi’s tally to six for this campaign as the striker is again proving his value in the attacking set-up at Sydney United.
The result pushed Miro Vlastelica’s team above Blacktown into fifth remaining level on points with the two teams immediately above them.
With the teams in the top places facing each other this weekend, United have a chance to make up some points and push closer towards the summit.
Blacktown City FC v APIA Leichhardt FC
3:00 pm, Sunday 16 April, Landen Stadium
In another huge clash this Sunday in the NPL NSW, Blacktown City play host to the undefeated APIA Leichhardt at Landen Stadium.
Blacktown continued their frustrating start to 2023 with a 1-0 defeat to Sydney United 58 in round 10.
Despite going close to scoring on many occasions during the game, Mark Crittenden’s team suffered their third defeat in their last five.
It leaves the team in sixth and six points behind the second-placed APIA.
APIA won their second match in a row over the weekend with a 3-1 win against Manly United.
Rory Jordan, Joshua Symons and youngster Alex Denmead all scored in a strong showing from Franco Parisi’s team.
The side move just two points behind league-leaders Rockdale Ilinden for the time being, however, Ilinden have a game in hand.
With Rockdale facing a tough challenge against high-flying Marconi this weekend, Sunday’s game provides an opportunity for APIA to move into first with a win.
These teams played each other on three occasions in 2022 with APIA edging out both regular season encounters 1-0 before Blacktown won in the finals series.
A victory for Blacktown would see them get closer to those above, but a loss could see them drop into mid-table.
Western Sydney Wanderers v Bulls FC Academy
3:00 pm, Sunday 16 April, Wanderers Football Park
Western Sydney Wanderers and Bulls FC Academy face off on Sunday at Wanderers Football Park in a game in another important match in the relegation battle.
The Wanderers lost their seventh match of the season last Sunday going down 1-0 to Sutherland Sharks.
Western Sydney sit in 14th and with the Bulls only three points behind them at the foot of the table, the stakes a high in this game.
However, the Wanderers are struggling to score in games at the moment having found the net just three times in their past four games.
Bulls FC Academy didn’t play in round 10 due to their match with Rockdale Ilinden being postponed.
It means they’ll perhaps come into this one fresher than Western Sydney.
If the Bulls were to win on Sunday, they’d go level on points with the Wanderers or potentially above them depending on the margin of victory.
There have been signs of improvement for the Bulls with a series of tight scorelines against the top teams in the competition in recent weeks.
Both teams will be desperate for a win to move away from the bottom of the table.
Preview by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
