Round 9 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
After an important, defining weekend in the NPL Men’s NSW competition, an exhilarating set of fixtures will take place in round nine to continue towards the mid-point of 2024.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs Hills United FC
4:30pm, Saturday 6 April, Seymour Shaw
Like last weekend, Sutherland Sharks will open the round at Seymour Shaw, but will looking to make that the only parallel between rounds, as they search for a far different result to their 7-0 loss to APIA Leichhardt.
Sutherland looked beaten from the first goal, and beyond quality, will be requiring much more intensity and spirit if they are aiming to grab points from this match.
Their key player will be Mitchell Stamatellis, who was the shining light in a poor performance.
Hills United, meanwhile, picked up a crucial 2-1 win over Manly United to move them into 10th on the ladder, with Anthony Frangie scoring a stunner to open the scoring.
https://x.com/NPLNSW/status/1774033308122481065?s=20
Hills will be looking to capitalise on a Sutherland side who have lost their last three with another important victory this weekend.
NWS Spirit FC vs St George FC
5:30pm, Saturday 6 April, Christie Park
NWS Spirit FC will host St George FC in an intriguing clash at Christie Park to continue Saturday’s fixtures.
Spirit looked to challenge against the high-quality Rockdale Illinden last weekend, but an Alec Urosevski brace – aided by a red card to Jacob Chidiac, who will miss this match as a result – was enough to see Spirit finish with a loss.
St George FC, meanwhile, put up another impressive performance against the Western Sydney Wanderers, going ahead twice against the league leaders, but falling to a powerful, quality frontline.
The away side for this match will be looking to consolidate their last two impressive performances with a win as a reward, whilst Spirit will be eager to gain their second victory of the season in a crunch clash at Christie Park.
St George City FA vs Marconi Stallions
7:15pm, Saturday 6 April, Penshurst Park
St George City FA will take on Marconi Stallions in a match of significant importance at Penshurst Park on Saturday night.
St George – currently in eighth – find themselves eight points off Marconi in second in round nine with a game in hand over every side above them.
Beyond looking to close that gap, St George City will be seeking to enter the top six, or at least stay not far off, with what would be a crucial win against Marconi.
However, they will face a hungry Marconi side who have lost just once this campaign and will be fighting intensely for a three points that could see them top the table at the end of the round, dependent on the result of the Wanderers game.
Penshurst Park is set to be full of hunger, fire and entertainment on Saturday night in a bumper match between two of the most competitive sides in the competition.
Central Coast Mariners FC vs Sydney Olympic FC
3pm, Sunday 7 April, Valentine Sports Park
The Central Coast Mariners will take on Sydney Olympic in a vital match for both sides with the match switched to Sunday at Valentine Sports Park.
The Mariners currently find themselves in the potential relegation zone, having picked up just four points from their first eight games.
However, a win could be crucial in seeing them catapult up the ladder and away from the dreaded end of the ladder.
Meanwhile, Sydney Olympic have secured two of their three wins in 2024 in their last two campaign, with a victory over Manly United being backed up by a stunning last-gasp win over Wollongong Wolves, in which a 92nd and 95th-minute goals saw them comeback from 3-2 to remarkably prevail 4-3.
With Olympic currently five points off a top six spot, they will consider three points at VSP vital.
Blacktown City FC vs Sydney FC
3:00pm, Sunday 7 April, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City will take on Sydney FC on Sunday afternoon in one of three 3pm matches.
The home side for this match have enjoyed a strong start to the season, losing just once in their eight games so far.
However, draws have been preventing Blacktown from moving further up the ladder, with last weekend’s stalemate with Sydney United becoming their third of the campaign.
They will be looking for three points against a Sydney FC side who have won just one of their last five, but will no doubt be highly competitive with their young quality in an exciting clash at Landen Stadium this weekend.
Sydney United 58 FC vs Rockdale Illinden FC
3:00pm, Sunday 7 April, Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 will take on Rockdale Illinden FC in a thoroughly exciting top-six clash at Sydney United Sports Centre.
The two sides are currently three points apart, with Rockdale in third and United 58 in fifth, making a win for either team crucial in cementing their spot in finals qualification for another weekend.
United 58 have been in fantastic form as of late – unbeaten in their last five – while Rockdale has lost just once in their last quintet of matches – they will be desperate for a win to keep them close to the top of the ladder.
As always, Alec Urosevski will be one to watch, having scored eight goals in eight matches this campaign, while United 58 will have a wealth of threat to call upon in their attacking lineup,
With the implications of this match high, it will be one to watch at Sydney United Sports Centre or online on Football NSW’s YouTube Channel.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC
3:00pm, Sunday 7 April, WIN Stadium
In another scintillating 3pm match, Wollongong Wolves will take on APIA Leichhardt in a high-ranking clash.
Wollongong will be desperate to bounce back from a devastating loss to Sydney Olympic last weekend, which saw them drop out of the top six.
With two losses on the bounce, they will be looking to rebound with a statement performance against a strong APIA Leichhardt side who are now unbeaten in four, with their last match being a 7-0 demolition of the Sutherland Sharks.
With APIA currently five points off their desired top spot, they will be motivated to find three points against a strong Wollongong side looking to bounce off two losses and re-enter the top six.
Manly United FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC
5:00pm, Sunday 7 April, Cromer Park
In an exciting conclusion to round nine of the NPL Men’s NSW competition, Manly United will take on league leaders Western Sydney Wanderers at Cromer Park.
The Wanderers have been exceptional to start the 2024 campaign, winning seven and losing just one of their eight matches played so far.
Currently the top scorers in the league with an average of 3.4 goals a match, the Wanderers will be favourites to extend their advantage at the top of the ladder when taking on Manly United, who haven’t tasted success since their opening-day victory to St George FC.
However, with Manly gaining three draws in their last five matches, they cannot be written off with the support on their side at Cromer Park.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
