Round 21 Preview – NPL Men’s NSW

2024 NPL NSW Men's preview 21

After a big week of NPL Men’s NSW football, we look towards the final third of the campaign, beginning with a highly exciting round 21. 

 

Manly United FC vs Central Coast Mariners FC

7:30pm, Friday 21 June, Cromer Park

Manly United will take on the Central Coast Mariners to begin Round 21 in an intriguing Friday night fixture.

The home side will be looking to return to winning ways after suffering losses in mid-week round 19 and round 20 to Blacktown City and Rockdale Ilinden respectively, and will be given a good opportunity against bottom-of-the-ladder Central Coast Mariners.

The Mariners are in automatic relegation by two points, after picking up a vital draw against fellow contender Sydney FC last match thanks to an equaliser from Parker Williams in the 84th minute.

A victory against Manly on Friday would be priceless, making this an exciting fixture to begin the weekend.

 

Sydney Olympic FC vs APIA Leichhardt FC

5:00pm, Saturday 22 June, Nestrata Jubilee Stadium 

Sydney Olympic will take on APIA Leichhardt in an exciting Festival of Football match at Nestrata Jubille Stadium to begin a set of Saturday fixtures.

Olympic were aiming to follow on from two strong victories last weekend – the latter of which a 4-0 thrashing of Marconi Stallions – but suffered a disappointing 1-1 draw with the Sutherland Sharks last weekend.

APIA, meanwhile, suffered even more sorrow, as they went down 4-1 to Maroni, with their Italian rivals too clinical at Lambert Park.

As a result, they’ve now seen the gap to the top of the ladder increase to 10 points, making a victory essential in this fixture to continue their campaign for the Premiership.

However, Olympic will be more than willing to look to spoil APIA’s season, making this match another exuberant match for fans of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.

 

Marconi Stallions FC vs Sutherland Sharks FC

7:00pm, Saturday 22 June, Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions will be facing a quick turnaround from their intense mid-week match as they face Sutherland Sharks on Saturday night.

However, after blowing away the top two teams in the competition by a combined scoreline of 13-1 in their last two matches, they will enter this game brimming with confidence.

The Sharks are currently sitting awkwardly in second-last on the ladder, one point away from guaranteed safety.

However, they have a game in hand on current third-bottom Sydney FC, and have picked up some strong results in recent weeks with two draws and one win in their last five matches.

Their most recent tie came via a last-minute, dramatic penalty from their key player Mitchell Stamatellis, who will once more be vital when facing the physical, vibrant Marconi side.

With Sutherland looking to escape the relegation spots and Marconi aiming to build a fight for top of the ladder, this will be an intriguing, exciting match.

 

Hills United FC vs Wollongong Wolves FC

7:00pm, Saturday 22 June, Landen Stadium

Hills United will take on Wollongong Wolves as the away side continues to build towards a top-six place.

Wollongong added to their three wins in a row with an important draw against Blacktown City in Round 20, with an 81st-minute equaliser from Lachlan Scott stunning Blacktown to a 2-2 draw.

The Wolves now sit six points off a finals place and will be looking to dominate Hills with their attacking firepower, namely Lachlan Scott and Takumi Ofuka.

Beating Hills United will be no easy task though, with the home side almost grabbing a shock victory against Sydney United 58 last round, and Hills will be searching for some necessary points as they currently sit fourth-bottom on the ladder.

 

St George City FA vs NWS Spirit FC

7:15pm, Saturday 22 June, Penshurst Park

In the final Saturday fixture, St George City will take on NWS Spirit as they continue to build their case for the top six.

St George are currently seventh on the ladder, three points off finals as they bounced back from back-to-back defeats with a competent 2-0 victory over rivals St George FC last week.

A stunner from Matthew Keremelevski and a finish from Tarik Ercan secured an important three points for St George City, but they were plagued once more by a red card to Presley Ortiz, making him ineligible for this fixture.

St George has now received three red cards in their last five games and will be aiming to keep their cool when taking on an in-form NWS Spirit side, who gained an impressive victory over the Western Sydney Wanderers in their last match to make it three wins in their last five games.

 

Blacktown City FC vs Rockdale Ilinden

3:00pm, Sunday 23 June, Landen Stadium 

Blacktown City will take on Rockdale Ilinden in Round 21’s Match of the Round on Sunday afternoon.

The home side has been struggling for form in recent weeks, having picked up just two wins in their last five matches, but will be ready and raring to go against the ladder leaders this weekend.

Rockdale had their sparkling run of form ended in dramatic fashion on Wednesday night, suffering a 9-0 defeat to Marconi to end their eight match winning streak.

They still hold a seven point lead at the top of the table, but given APIA’s game in hand a loss weekend could see Rockdale fall right back to the chasing pack in the title race.

Paul Dee’s men will need to remind themselves of the form that got them to top spot and put in a spirited performance against a team that will be eager to press their own claim for silverware.

 

Sydney United 58 FC vs St George FC

3:00pm, Sunday 23 June, Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 will take on St George FC one of three Sunday 3pm games in Round 21.

United 58 picked up a stunning come-from-behind win against Hills United last weekend, overcoming a first-half two-goal deficit to win 3-2, courtesy of a late strike from talisman Patrick Antelmi.

They are battling well to retain their top-six position but will require another three points here to continue their charge against an out-of-form St George FC side.

St George has now suffered four straight defeats and will be seeking to return to winning ways against United 58 on Sunday afternoon.

 

Western Sydney Wanderers FC vs Sydney FC

3:00pm, Sunday 23 June, Wanderers Football Park

The Western Sydney Wanderers will take on Sydney FC in a crucial Sydney derby to joint-conclude Round 21 of the NPL Men’s NSW competition.

Western Sydney have suffered defeat in their last three games in succession, and are now in danger of losing their spot in the top six if similar form continues.

However, their rivals Sydney FC will be just as desperate for the three points, currently sitting just three points from automatic relegation, currently placed third bottom on the ladder.

Both sides will be channelling the derby intensity and spirit for this match, making it yet another exciting Round 21 fixture.

Don’t miss a game! Subscribe to Football NSW’s YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/footballnsw

 

2024 Golden Boot Tally

20 – Alec Urosevski (Rockdale Ilinden)

16 – Jak O’Brien (Blacktown City)

15 – Ben Gibson (APIA)

13 – Nathanael Blair (WSW)

12 – Roy O’Donovan (Sydney Olympic)

11 – Marko Jesic (Marconi)

10 – Luka Smyth (CCM)

10 – Patrick Antelmi (Sydney United 58)

10 – Takumi Ofuka (Wollongong Wolves)

10 – James Temelkovski (Marconi)

By Jack George (@JackGeorge0004)