Round 8 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
After a bumper round seven of NPL Men’s NSW action, Easter weekend promises to pose even more exhilaration with some big fixtures and exciting stories.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC
4:30pm, Saturday 30 March, Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks FC will open the round when taking on reigning Champions APIA Leichhardt in a showdown at Seymour Shaw.
Sutherland currently find themselves on the foot of the ladder, with their first win of the season over Sydney Olympic followed by losses to Marconi Stallions and Sydney United.
https://x.com/NPLNSW/status/1771780256250081482?s=20
However, they will find positives in the fact that both of those matches were narrow losses – they led against Marconi until the 76th minute, while against Sydney United a 15th-minute Bailey Rule stunner was the lone goal that stopped them, and will be looking to compete against an APIA side hungry to bounce back following a disappointing draw against St George FC last weekend.
Sydney Olympic FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC
5:00pm, Saturday 30 March, Belmore Sports Ground
Sydney Olympic picked up a much-needed three points against Manly United last weekend as they aim to stay in touch with the top six.
Thus, their match against fifth-placed Wollongong Wolves will be vital, with Olympic currently seven points off a finals place.
Wollongong suffered just their second loss of the campaign last weekend, with two late goals from Western Sydney Wanderers seeing the Wolves drop down the ladder.
With exciting attacking talent like Michael Vakis and Lachlan Scott on show, Belmore Sports Ground is set to host a competitive, exciting fixture, with both sides looking for a crucial result coming into Saturday evening.
Marconi Stallions FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC
7:00pm, Saturday 30 March, Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions FC will take on Central Coast Mariners in a clash that pits second-top against second-bottom on the ladder.
The home side for this match picked up an important 3-0 win against Sydney FC last weekend, which was aided by a sixth-minute sending-off to their opponents.
They did this without star striker James Temelkovski, who will reportedly be out for at least two more weeks as he recovers from broken ribs.
The Mariners, meanwhile, find themselves winless in four, with their last match seeing them go down to NWS SPirit.
In an exciting fixture at Marconi Stadium, both sides will be fighting for success with ulterior motives; Marconi will be looking to pile pressure on current leaders Western Sydney Wanderers, while the Mariners will be looking to jump out of a relegation place with three points against the title contenders.
Hills United FC vs Manly United FC
7:00pm, Saturday 30 March, Landen Stadium
Hills United FC will come up against Manly United in a crunch match at Landen Stadium as both sides look for imperative points.
Hills have had a difficult few weeks, losing their last three matches by a combined score of 10-0.
However, all three of those games have come up against sides in the top seven of the league, and they will be looking to show their quality against a Manly side who have gone winless in their last six matches in the league.
Manly will lineup without Bilal Belkadi for this match – the midfielder was sent off in the 32nd minute of their last game – and the home side for this match will be looking to return to winning ways in an important fixture against Hills United.
Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs St George FC
7:00pm, Saturday 30 March, Wanderers Football Park
Saturday’s action will conclude with the league leaders Western Sydney Wanderers taking on St George FC in an exciting clash at Wanderers Football Park.
The Wanderers have taken the NPL Men’s NSW competition by storm so far this campaign, securing six wins in seven matches, with their lone loss coming at the hands of Rockdale Illinden.
They are the league’s top scorers by six goals, having netted 23 across just seven games – an average of 3.3 per match – in part thanks to striker Nathanael Blair, who has scored seven in just four appearances.
The Wanderers will be considering themselves strong favourites heading into this match in fantastic form, but they’ll come up against a St George FC side just minutes away from defeating reigning Champions APIA Leichhardt last weekend.
With St George dominating APIA in the first half with a proactive, exciting brand of football, they prove to be the perfect antagonist to face an in form, table-topping Wanderers side.
Blacktown City FC vs Sydney United 58 FC
3:00pm, Sunday 31 March, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City FC will take on Sydney United 58 on Easter Sunday in a pivotal early clash in the context of the finals race.
Blacktown currently sit in fourth position, with two imperative wins over Rockdale Illinden and St George City FA respectively propelling them up the ladder.
Sydney United 58, meanwhile, have rebounded to a disappointing start to the campaign, emerging victorious in their last three matches to move one point away from this weekend’s opponents.
The away side for this game will be aiming to leapfrog Blacktown side who will be without captain Mario Shabow and move into a top-six spot, whilst City will be aiming to consolidate their form with another important victory.
Rockdale Illinden FC vs NWS Spirit FC
3:00pm, Sunday 31 March, Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre
Rockdale Illinden will take on NWS Spirit FC in an exciting clash to conclude round eight of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.
After being edged out by rivals Blacktown City in round six, Rockdale responded with a strong 3-0 win over Hills United.
Brendan Cholakian has had a great 2024 season as he will be one to watch out for as will Alec Urosevski of course. It was also pleasing to see Bai Antoniou get on the scoresheet, a sign of more to come perhaps from the Ilinden attacker.
Meanwhile, Spirit registered their long-awaited first win of 2024, triumphing 2-1 over the Central Coast Mariners thanks to a brace from Ante Bakmaz.
With Spirit looking to upset Rockdale and consolidate their first three points of the season, goalkeeper Christopher Marques could be crucial, particularly when facing the wrath of attacking options Illinden possess.
Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre is set to host an exciting, back and forth match which will entice spectators and excite neutrals watching both at the venue and on Football NSW’s YouTube channel from home.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
