Round 13 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW
After a blockbuster weekend of NPL Men’s NSW action, round 13 is raring to go as we draw closer to the halfway stage of the season.
Sydney FC vs St George City FA
7:15pm, Wednesday 1 May, Penshurst Park
Sydney FC will take on St George City FA in a midweek round of action as both sides search for some momentum and form.
The Sky Blues have now gone six matches without a win after their loss to Sydney United 58 last weekend, with their sole point in that period coming in a draw against the Sutherland Sharks.
St George City has won two of their last five matches, but have lost the remaining three, including a disappointing defeat to Hills United which was caused by a 33rd-minute red card to Solomon-John Monahan-Vaiika, who will be subsequently suspended for this clash.
St George’s big issue this campaign has been goalscoring; despite sitting eighth on the ladder, their 12 goals scored is the second lowest in the competition.
They will be looking to find more attacking prowess in this mid-week clash but will be facing off against a Sydney side desperate for points to escape their awkward spot on the ladder, with the sky blues currently only escaping a relegation playoff due to their goal difference.
Sutherland Sharks FC vs Rockdale Illinden FC
4:30pm, Saturday 4 May, Seymour Shaw
The Sutherland Sharks will come up against local rivals Rockdale Illinden in an exciting clash to begin the weekend’s action at Seymour Shaw.
The Sharks suffered a highly disappointing defeat in their last round against bottom-of-the-ladder Central Coast Mariners, allowing the Mariners to move just one point off them on the table.
Sutherland will be desperate for a win as they seek a way out of the bottom two, but will be facing one of the toughest sides in the competition in the high-flying Rockdale Illinden. No doubt former Sharks coach Steven Zoric would love nothing more than to get a victory over his former club.
Rockdale bounced back from a 3-2 defeat to APIA Leichhardt with a 3-1 win over Wollongong Wolves to move just four points off the summit of the NPL Men’s NSW ladder.
The big story from that match came from talisman and Rockdale legend Alec Urosevski, who – with a stunning hattrick – became the club’s all-time leading goalscorer. Paul Dee’s troops have played some of the best football to watch this year and will want to continue this trend against the Sharks.
With Rockdale requiring a win to remain in touch with the Western Sydney Wanderers at the top of the ladder, this is set to be an exciting, intense match of football.
St George FC vs Sydney Olympic FC
6:30pm, Saturday 4 May, Barton Park
St George FC will take on Sydney Olympic FC in an exciting mid-table clash that sees 10th take on ninth on the ladder.
St George saw a three-game unbeaten run come to an end last weekend, with the Marconi Stallions scoring four against the Saints.
Sydney Olympic, meanwhile, had a 3-1 lead against Blacktown City in the 83rd minute, but squandered it late on to end the match 3-3.
With a win in this match, St George could move level with Olympic on points, while the away side will be searching for a route into finals as they currently remain six points of a top-six spot.
Barton Park will host a match of quality and significance, as the two sides go head to head in what will be a closely-fought clash.
Marconi Stallions FC vs Hills United FC
7:00pm, Saturday 4 May, Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions will be looking for another strong performance when taking on Hills United at their home stadium on Saturday night.
The Stallions made it three wins in five with their 4-0 victory over St George FC, and are currently fourth on the ladder, one point off second place and five points off top spot.
Hills United, on the other hand, secured a vital win last weekend against St George FA to propel them up the ladder, where they now sit four points off a relegation palace.
However, they will face a mightily tough test in the form of Marconi, who will have their sights firmly set on another three points to continue their conquest for top spot.
Blacktown City FC vs NWS Spirit FC
7:00pm, Saturday 4 May, Landen Stadium
Blacktown City will face NWS Spirit FC as they aim to return to winning ways in an exciting matchup at Landen Stadium.
Blacktown played out a dramatic 3-3 draw with Sydney Olympic last weekend, in which they put up a decent performance, but were let down by specific moments in both boxes.
With City slipping into sixth position, they will be viewing this match as a must-win to remain in contention for top spot when coming up against an NWS Spirit side who have won just one of their last five matches.
Spirit are currently placed just one point off a possible relegation playoff and will be searching for a point or more to keep their position clean in this tough Saturday night fixture.
St George City FA vs Manly United FC
7:15pm, Saturday 4 May, Penshurst Park
St George City FA will be looking to keep the pressure on the top six in an exciting clash against Manly United FC at Penshurst Park to conclude the Saturday fixtures.
The home side for this match will be coming off the back of a Wednesday night clash against Sydney FC when taking on Manly United on the weekend.
Manly have more than doubled their season’s win total in their last two matches with a pair of victories, which saw them propel up the ladder into 11th place.
They will be raring to go and make it three in a row against a St George City side who are full of quality, but have struggled to find consistent form thus far this campaign.
Sydney United 58 FC vs Western Sydney Wanderers FC
3:00pm, Sunday 5 May, Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 will take on Western Sydney Wanderers in a highly exciting beginning to Sunday afternoon’s action.
United 58 secured their third straight win last round with a solid 2-0 victory over Sydney FC, which saw them move up to fifth place on the ladder and just seven points off top spot.
They will have a chance to reduce that gap to just four this weekend when taking on the Western Sydney Wanderers, who were dismantled 6-0 in their last match to suffer just their second defeat of the campaign.
With the Wanderers looking to avenge their recent result, and remain comfortably atop the ladder, this is going to be a fascinating, riveting, must watch fixture at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Wollongong Wolves FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC
3:00pm, Sunday 5 May, Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong Wolves and the Central Coast Mariners will face off at Albert Butler Memorial Park in an exciting NPL NSW Men’s encounter.
The Wolves have suffered from a drop off of their early season form, picking up just one win in their last five matches.
The Mariners, similarly, have just a sole victory to their name in their last five, but it came crucially against the Sutherland Sharks in a bottom-of-the-ladder clash.
With a win against the Wolves, the Mariners could move off the foot of the table, but will be facing tough contention with the Wolves desperate for three points to close the gap into the top six.
APIA Leichhardt FC vs Sydney FC
5:30pm, Sunday 5 May, Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre
Fresh off their stunning 6-0 dismantling of the Western Sydney Wanderers, APIA Leichhardt will face off against Sydney FC to conclude round 13.
The reigning Champions have four wins in their last five matches in the league and seem hyper-focused on hunting down top spot after what was – by their hefty standards – a mixed beginning to the campaign.
Sydney FC will be coming off a midweek clash and could have too much on their hands when facing a lethal APIA attack including the likes of Ben Gibson, who registered a hattrick last weekend against the Wanderers.
Nevertheless, with plenty of young talent from both sides on display, this match will present a fitting end to an exciting round of NPL Men’s NSW action.
Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw
By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)
