Round 14 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s
The races at both ends of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s table were blown wide open by several upsets in round 13.
Round 14 offers plenty more opportunities for twists and turns.
Here’s what to expect.
Wollongong Wolves FC v Blacktown City FC
7:30 pm, Friday 5 May, WIN Stadium
Wollongong Wolves kick off the round hosting Blacktown City at WIN Stadium on Friday night.
The Wolves extended their unbeaten run in the competition to three matches holding Sydney Olympic to a 2-2 draw in round thirteen.
Lachlan Scott continued his strong goalscoring form scoring both goals and taking his tally to six in the 2023 NPL NSW Men while Samuel Riak has been a beast in the Wolves’ midfield.
Wollongong moved up to 10th with that point and would rise to just a point behind their opponents if they win on Friday night.
Blacktown picked up an emphatic 4-1 victory over Bulls FC Academy last Sunday which ended a three-game winless run for the side.
After going behind, a quickfire double before halftime from Jak O’Brien and Ben Berry sent Mark Crittenden’s men into the break with the advantage.
Lachlan Campbell and Mario Shabow scored later on in the second period to secure a crucial three points for the reigning champions.
With a couple of surprise losses for the teams at the top, Blacktown moved closer to first, now within 10 points of the summit.
These teams are both hovering around the middle of the table and three points have the potential to push the sides towards the top places.
Bulls FC Academy v Sutherland Sharks FC
3:00 pm, Saturday 6 May, Sydney United Sports Centre
Bulls FC Academy take on Sutherland Sharks at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday.
The Bulls lost their second match in a row last Sunday going down 4-1 to Blacktown City.
Jesper Webber gave the side the lead midway through the first half before Blacktown fired in four unanswered goals.
After two important wins a few weeks ago, the Academy have dropped to the foot of the table again placing increased importance on the match this weekend.
With the club’s senior team now officially finished for the A-League Men’s season, you’d expect some first team youngsters to potentially continue their seasons with the NPL side.
The Sharks couldn’t make it four wins on the spin suffering a 2-0 loss to St George City last Saturday.
The side conceded two first-half goals which they couldn’t recover from.
Damir Prodanovic’s team remain in the midtable but are still only a few points away from the top five.
However, if they lose to their opponents on Saturday, it will drag them back towards the bottom places, just three points ahead of their opponents currently in last.
This is a high-stakes clash for the teams this weekend, with the result having significant implications for the battle at the foot of the table.
APIA Leichhardt FC v NWS Spirit FC
5:45 pm, Saturday 6 May, Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt face NWS Spirit at Lambert Park on Saturday night in an interesting matchup.
APIA’s unbeaten run in the 2023 NPL NSW ended abruptly copping a 4-0 smashing from Sydney FC.
It was a nightmare first half for the current league leaders going into the sheds having conceded three goals.
The weight of top spot has proven to be a heavy burden, with each side who takes it struggling to hold onto it for the coming weeks.
Coach Franco Parisi will be eager for his team to bounce back this weekend and avoid the spiralling downfall that other teams have suffered before them.
Spirit were edged out in round 13 following a 1-0 loss to Rockdale Ilinden seeing them drop to 11th.
The side shipped a goal in the final five minutes to see the points slip away and draw them back towards the bottom places, now only five points away from sixteenth.
Spirit could rise to level on points with eighth if they were to win, and it would be a huge feat to take out the team sitting in first.
David Perkovic’s team will be keen to cause an upset against an APIA side still licking their wounds after a heavy first defeat of the campaign.
Sydney Olympic FC v Marconi Stallions FC
6:30 pm, Saturday 6 May, Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic and Marconi Stallions go head-to-head on Saturday night at Belmore Sports Ground.
Olympic were held to their third draw in their previous five games in a 2-2 stalemate with Wollongong Wolves.
Roy O’Donovan bagged a brace for the side as he continues his goalscoring resurgence in the competition.
Despite failing to win yet again, the result demonstrates an improvement for Olympic.
Labinot Haliti’s team have lost just once since round seven which has kept them in and around the title challengers.
Marconi missed the opportunity to go to the top of the competition as they were shocked 1-0 by Mount Druitt Town Rangers.
They conceded within the first five minutes but couldn’t find a goal to get them back into the contest.
That was Peter Tsekenis’ team’s first loss since round seven ending a run of five successive wins.
The side remain three points away from APIA in first and need to claim victory this weekend to give them the best chance of moving to top spot.
These teams were tough to separate in 2022 with each getting a narrow victory setting up an exciting clash on Saturday.
St George City FA v Sydney United 58 FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 6 May, Penshurst Park
St George City play host to Sydney United 58 on Saturday at Penhurst Park in an important game for the teams.
St George picked up a valuable set of three points against Sutherland Sharks getting up 2-0.
Presley Ortiz and Kosta Petratos both scored in the first half to guide the side to their sixth win of the season.
The newly-promoted team moved just five points behind the top of the league with a chance to move into third if they win this weekend.
Sydney United conceded twice in the final three minutes to see a much-needed win slip away against Central Coast Mariners in round 13.
Christopher Payne put United in front in the first half, but two late goals saw the Academy team claim a surprise victory.
It leaves Miro Vlastelica’s men in sixth, having won only once in their past five games.
However, they could go above St George with three points this weekend which would be a massive boost for the team after a tough run in the competition.
This is a match to keep an eye on with a lot on the line for the two teams.
Mount Druitt Town Rangers FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC
7:00 pm, Saturday 6 May, Popondetta Park
Popondetta Park hosts a crucial game on Saturday night in the fight to avoid relegation between Mount Druitt Town Rangers and Western Sydney Wanderers.
Mount Druitt claimed a vital win over Marconi Stallions as they ended a rich vein of form for the Stallions with a 1-0 scoreline in round 13.
Anthony Frangie performed the spectacular again, with his second overhead kick of the season securing the victory.
That result couldn’t come soon enough for Stewart Montgomery’s team who were languishing at the bottom following a five-game winless run.
It blows open the relegation battle with only eight points separating eighth from sixteenth and the Rangers will go ahead of Western Sydney in fourteenth if they win on Saturday.
Western Sydney also earned an important three points edging out Manly United 2-1 last Saturday, which was their second win in a row.
It was a drama-filled game with the Wanderers finishing with nine players on the pitch, however, Zachary Sapsford’s double was the difference.
Consequently, coach Andrew Christiansen will have some suspensions to deal with ahead of Saturday as both Ariath Piol and Sapsford will be unavailable.
Sapsford has had a superb last couple of games scoring all three of the Wanderers’ goals in that winning run, meaning he’ll be a big miss for the side this weekend.
There’s a lot on the line for these teams this weekend as they look to push away from the relegation places.
Manly United FC v Central Coast Mariners FC
7:15 pm, Saturday 6 May, Cromer Park
Manly United face an important test on Saturday taking on Central Coast Mariners at Cromer Park.
Four defeats in a row have pulled Manly United into the relegation battle now only three points ahead of last place.
Manly lost 2-1 to Western Sydney Wanderers last weekend which was the team’s eighth defeat of the season.
Coach Patrick Zwaanswijk will be without Bilal Belkadi for Saturday’s game following his red card against the Wanderers.
Central Coast to contrast are on an upward trajectory extending their unbeaten run to four games over the weekend.
The side scored twice in the final three minutes to steal the points away from Sydney United 58.
Lachlan Bayliss scored his fifth of the season before substitute George Daniel scored a couple of minutes later to snatch the win.
Abbas Saad’s team have moved up to 12th now and could get up towards the middle of the table if they win this weekend.
Central Coast have picked up some impressive results in their unbeaten run, posing real challenges to the side at the top of the table, giving them confidence heading into Saturday.
The teams are level on points heading into this weekend, giving the winning team the chance to get away from the bottom places.
Rockdale Ilinden FC v Sydney FC
3:00 pm, Sunday 7 May, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
Sydney FC travel to Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre to play Rockdale Ilinden in the only Sunday game.
The young Sky Blues got back to winning ways with a stunning 4-0 victory over APIA Leichhardt.
Sydney FC were ruthless with a superb first-half display going into the break 3-0 up before adding a fourth just after halftime.
Ben Gibson scored twice with Alen Harbas and the sensational Clayton Taylor also getting in on the act.
It was Sydney’s first win since a late round-ten win against Wollongong Wolves and pushes them just six points behind top spot.
Rockdale also moved closer to the summit getting up 1-0 against NWS Spirit in round 13.
Jaden Casella scored with five minutes to go to snap a three-losing run for Ilinden.
Paul Dee’s men are now only a point away from APIA Leichhardt in first.
These teams provided great entertainment in 2022 with two close encounters that Rockdale edged out.
Rockdale’s Alec Urosevski bagged five goals across the two meetings and will be eying off a similar impact to keep his emphatic scoring run going.
This game shapes up as one that is vital in the title race with both teams showing signs of taking it out come the end of the season.
Preview by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_
