The Premiership race is heating up after a thrilling round 13 of the National Premier Leagues NSW men’s competition.
Sydney United 58 have leapfrogged Blacktown City to take top spot on the ladder after a dominant performance against Sydney FC.
Blacktown City dropped points in a hard-fought draw but are still in the race for the Premiership with nine rounds still to play.
Rockdale fell further behind in the battle for first spot after being forced to settle for another draw.
APIA Leichhardt revived their finals chances this week with a big win, while Wollongong Wolves moved into the top five for the first time this season after tasting victory on Sunday.
Remember to you can catch up with all the match action from round 13 on NPL.tv with highlights and full match replays.
APIA Leichhardt 4 – Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1 at Lambert Park
APIA Leichardt secured a huge three points with a convincing 4-1 defeat of Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Lambert Park on Saturday evening.
A double to Peter Kekeris and goals to Franco Parisi and Blake Powell well and truly buried a converted penalty from Mt Druitt’s Jack Stewart to win the match for the home side.
The win will help build crucial momentum for APIA as they prepare to face traditional rivals Sydney Olympic in the Festival of Football at Lambert Park on Sunday 30th May.
APIA move to sixth on the ladder only two points outside the top five, while Mt Druitt drop to eighth.
Marconi Stallions 1 – Sutherland Sharks 1 at Marconi Stadium
Marconi Stallions were forced to settle to their ninth draw of the season as they were held 1-1 by Sutherland Sharks at Marconi Stadium on Saturday.
Chris Hatfield ensured the Stallions took home a point with a goal on the cusp of halftime after Sharks defender Gabriel Contigiani opened the scoring only moments earlier.
Sutherland was keen to put behind last week’s lacklustre performance against Northbridge in the past and was a much-improved outfit on the night.
The Sharks enjoyed a short lead in the late stages of the first half after Lachlan Everett picked out an oncoming Contigiani deep in the box for the opener.
Marconi levelled the game minutes later after an over-powered back pass from Chris Lindsay gave Hatfield a perfect run through on goal where he netted the equaliser.
Manly United 1 – Wollongong Wolves 2 at Cromer Park
The Wollongong Wolves re-entered the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s top five after scoring a goal in each half to secure a valuable 2-1 victory over Manly United at Cromer Park.
Goals from Leroy Jennings and Liam Wille cancelled out Dejan Pandurevic‘s fifth goal of the season to draw Luke Wilkshire’s men level on points with the Northern Beaches club.
Jennings opened the scoring in the 13th minute for the visiting Wolves to help them go into the break with a 1-0 lead.
Manly hit back early in the second stanza through Pandurevic, but the Wolves would hit back soon after with Liam Wille netting the winner 20 minutes from time.
Sydney FC 1 – Sydney United 58 5 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre
A Patrick Antelmi hat-trick has ensured Sydney United 58 climb to the top of the NPL NSW Men’s ladder after smashing Sydney FC 5-1 at Rockdale Illinden Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon.
Sydney United had the game wrapped up in the first half with a four-goal frenzy as Antelmi scored three and Chris Payne also finding the back of the net.
Jordan Roberts added a fifth for the visitors midway through the second stanza to wrap up a dominant display.
Adrian Segecic scored a late consolation goal for the Young Sky Blues in what was a tough day at the office for the Jim van Weeren coached outfit.
Northbridge Bulls 1 – Blacktown City 1 at Sydney United Sports Centre
Northbridge Bulls and Blacktown City FC were forced to share the points after a pulsating 1-1 draw on Sunday at Sydney United Sports Centre.
Coming off a last-start win, Northbridge Bulls aimed to continue their move up the National Premier Leagues NSW ladder. They opened the scoring through a Stephan De Robillard free-kick before being pegged back and taking a point.
Blacktown City FC missed a chance to keep the pressure up on leaders Sydney United 58 with this afternoon’s result. The visitors showed great resilience to equalise through captain Matthew Lewis before having defender Daniel Collins sent off and dropping two points.
Sydney Olympic 2- Rockdale Ilinden 2 at Belmore Sports Ground
An inspired second-half fightback has helped Rockdale Ilinden snatch a 2-2 draw against Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday.
Goals from Tomoki Wada and Alec Urosevski after the interval helped Rockdale secure a vital competition point after conceding twice in the opening 45 minutes.
It was a frustrating result for Olympic who were in control of the contest after goals from Adam Parkhouse and Brendan Cholakian.
However, the visitors were not to be denied with Urosevski opening Rockdale’s account only moments after the restart before Wada headed home to net the equaliser 15 minutes from time.