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Round 2 – NPL NSW Men’s Review

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Round 2 saw the Wollongong Wolves emerge as the early pace-setters of the NPL NSW Men’s competition recording a resounding 3-0 away victory against the APIA Leichhardt Tigers. 

The result sent shockwaves around the competition with Luke Wilkshire’s men pushing their cause that they mean business in 2019.

Sydney United 58 also caught the headlines thanks to a wonderful Matthew Sim free-kick as they proved too strong for Blacktown City with a 1-0 win while there were wins for Rockdale City Suns and Hakoah Sydney City East away from home.

Cromer Park played host to a 1-1 draw between Manly United and Sydney FC while the Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Sydney Olympic match was washed out due to Popondetta Park being deemed unfit after rainy conditions hit Sydney over the weekend.

 

Blacktown City 0 v Sydney United 58 FC 1

Goalkeeper Thomas Manos saved the day for Sydney United 58 in their National Premier Leagues NSW Mens match away to Blacktown City at Lily Homes Stadium won by a wonder-striker Matthew Sim free-kick.

Manos made three saves in the closing stages to deny City a point after a sublime curling dead ball from Sim secured the spoils.

Patrick Antelmi, the former City player, almost returned to haunt his former club in the opening moments only for gloveman Tristan Prendergast to turn the ball away.

City initially responded by mounting pressure on their rivals however goal scoring opportunities were a rare commodity as the match bogged down in midfield and became a battle of attrition.

Neither side was at it’s best in a lethargic opening opening half and it was no surprise the teams hit the sheds still locked in stalemate.

It wasn’t until the second period the game sprang to life and an early free-kick on the edge of the box was the catalyst.

Sim placed the ball and curled a left-footed shot teasingly up into Prendergast’s left hand corner that gifted all  three points to Miro Vlastelica’s men in a match which also saw the debut of former Central Coast Mariner Josh Macdonald.

 

APIA Leichhardt Tigers 0 v Wollongong Wolves 3

APIA Leichhardt Tigers fell to their first defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon as Wollongong Wolves’ Englishman Thomas James ran rampant on a slick surface at Lambert Park hitting a hat-trick with a 3-0 victory.

The hosts started slowly, and were ultimately undone by individual mistakes which were duly punished by a striker in form.

James opened the scoring midway through the first half, before adding a second and a third to complete his hat trick with twenty minutes remaining.

APIA pushed in the closing stages but couldn’t apply a finishing touch to encouraging build-up work, and are left with work to do at the end of the second week of the season.

It’s been a promising start for Luke Wilkshire’s troops who after two rounds have been the talk of the league hoping that they can further their victories with a tricky away trip to Sydney United 58 in round 3.

 

Manly United 1 v Sydney FC 1

Manly United and Sydney FC were forced to settle for a share of the spoils following a tense 1-1 stalemate at Cromer Park on Sunday afternoon.

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s football returned to Cromer Park with a bang, with both sides scoring in the 15th and 16th minutes respectively.

The opener arrived courtesy of an impressive Sam Gallagher header, which nestled in the far corner of Thomas Hewerd-Bell’s net.

Sydney FC then fired back instantly, as Hamish Lamberton left the Manly backline in his wake, weaving his way through on goal before poking the ball through the outstretched legs of Dylan Mitchell.

Despite the game initially shaping to be a goal-fest, the frequency of opportunities created by both sides progressively declined as the contest endured.

Sydney fcgrew to dominate the latter stages of the first half, culminating in Lamberton striking the crossbar with a well-timed rocket in additional time.

Manly then took the game to their youthful opponents in the second half, however ultimately failed to gather a clinical touch in the final third.

 

Marconi Stallions 1 v Rockdale City Suns 2

Rockdale City Suns took out its first victory of the 2019 NPL NSW Men’s campaign and condemned the Marconi Stallions to its second successive loss with a come from behind 2-1 victory at Marconi Stadium on a soggy Saturday evening in Sydney’s West.

The game oscillated in the first half and in the 7th minute, after a scramble near the box, Anthony Frangie had the ball in the back of the net for Marconi, but it was disallowed for offside.

Marconi opened the scoring from virtually nothing in the 22nd minute.

A free-kick made its way forward until it reached Richie Cardozo who beautifully chipped the goalkeeper off his line much to the delight of the home crowd.

Rockdale City Suns got their equaliser in the 68th minute when the ball drifted across to Panny Nikas who was unmarked and the prolific scorer showed that he had lost none of his midas touch as he drilled home and opened the scoring for the visitors.

It sparked a revival for Paul Reid’s men as they found a winner late in the second half.

In the 85th minute the Suns rocked the Stallions when an Alec Urosevski cross from the right reached an unmarked Lecce who, with a powerful diagonal header, beat all and sundry to give the visitors the lead much to the frustration of the Marconi bench.

It proved to be the winner much to the delight of the traveling Suns fans as the Stallions spectators looked on in despair.

 

Sutherland Sharks 0 v Hakoah Sydney City East 1

A solitary Jack Green strike proved the difference for Hakoah Sydney City East against Sutherland Sharks in a tight encounter at Seymour Shaw on Saturday night.

In an end-to-end contest that could well have produced more goals, both sides were at times wasteful in the final third.

The defining moment of the night arrived six minutes into the second half as Hakoah fullback Jack Green won the ball back on halfway and marauded into the Sharks’ penalty area, before lashing home a thunderous half-volley at the front post.

Whilst the hosts tried as they might to conjure a response, they were repeatedly denied thanks to an outstanding display from their former shot-stopper Ryan Norval.

The result signaled a turnaround in fortunes for both clubs: the hosts were ultimately unable to replicate the form that saw them topple reigning premiers Sydney Olympic last time out, while Hakoah recorded their first victory of the campaign following a disappointing Round 1 display against Sydney FC.

Round 2 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s

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Now that the dust has settled after round one of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition, a number of headlines occupied the top tier competition, none more so then what transpired at Belmore Sports Ground on ‘Super Sunday’.

The 2018 Premiers and Champions Sydney Olympic were brought back down to earth by the Sutherland Sharks, a team no longer flying under the radar, after Jeremy Cox rocked the Belmore faithful with a well taken goal thanks to a wonderful assist by Spaniard Juan Carlos Romero.

A number of juicy clashes take place across Sydney with three games hitting the pitches on Saturday and the final three on Sunday.

Here’s the low down of how round 2 will shape up.

 

Saturday 16th March

Sutherland Sharks v Hakoah Sydney City East @ Seymour Shaw 6:30pm

Fresh from their memorable round 1 victory over Sydney Olympic in round one, Terry Palapanis’ Sutherland Sharks kick off their home campaign at Seymour Shaw against Hakoah Sydney City East in front of what should be a bumper crowd.

It was an aggressive first round display by the hungry Sharks who fought tooth and nail in getting the three points from Belmore thanks also to the goalkeeping heroics of Anthony Bouzanis while skipper Marc Warren marshalled his troops well in the backline. The Spanish duo of Juan and Raul Romero did their bit and will be once again the players to watch out for against Hakoah while last weekend’s goalscorer Jeremy Cox is hoping that he can rattle the net a few more times.

The visitors come into this match after suffering a disappointing 2-1 loss to a spirited Sydney FC side.

Amaury Gauthier scored the club’s only goal and he will be the main target for Gavin Rae’s men in getting the ball rolling.

Keeper Ryan Norval returns to Seymour Shaw with the Hakoah kit and will be looking at putting in a good display while defender James Coombes will need to be at his very best in shutting out the Sharks’ dangerous attack.

The Japanese duo of Taka Noji and Shohei Okuno will also be a main feature to look out for but whatever the case may be, this is sure to be an entertaining match.

Marconi Stallions v Rockdale City Suns @ Marconi Stadium 7pm

The talent on show at Marconi will need to lift up a gear on Saturday after the historic club suffered a disappointing 1-0 loss to APIA Leichhardt Tigers in their opening round fixture.

Peter Tsekenis wasn’t a happy camper seeing his troops fail to hit their straps and will be hoping his chargers will be more than up for the task against a gritty Rockdale City Suns outfit.

Blessed with an arsenal of attacking weapons in the shape of Mirjan Pavlovic, Mitchell Mallia, Richie Cardozo, Marko Jesic, Anthony Frangie and James Andrew, you’d like to think that the Stallions will open up their goalscoring account at home.

It won’t come easy though as they face a team in the Suns who pride themselves in these tough matches.

Paul Reid’s men held strong in their scoreless draw against Sydney United 58 at Edensor Park albeit with ten men for the majority of the match after new recruit Sasa Macura was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Down on troops, Reid is hoping to get back a couple of faces but is hoping their prized star signing in Panny Nikas shines after a quiet first game.

Jonathan Grozdanovski, although not scoring, did trouble the United 58 defence with some brilliant hold up play, could get another run from the start while Alec Urosevski, coming back from injury, is hoping that he can get more game time in assisting with the club’s attack.

One shining light in Rockdale’s match last week was that of Matthew Lecce. The former Wanderer youth player was everywhere but unfortunately came off injured and looks highly unlikely to line up against the Stallions.

A big clash with both teams hoping to get their first taste of a victory in season 2019.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers v Sydney Olympic @ Popondetta Park 7pm

You wouldn’t have thought Mt Druitt Town Rangers looked out of place in NSW’s top tier competition after Aidan Desmond’s team went down 1-0 via an own goal at the hands of rivals Blacktown City.

The Rangers were hard done by and could have gotten more out of their first match with a number of promising signs coming out from the squad. None more so than keeper Carlos Saliadarre who has not lost his touch under the sticks pulling off a few great saves that kept his team in the hunt.

A good home crowd is expected to watch the Rangers take on a formidable outfit in Sydney Olympic who no doubt will be hurting after their shock opening round loss to the Sutherland Sharks.

Abbas Saad’s men had their chances, but it was a case of what could’ve have been as the Blues were thwarted in the final third of the park.

Alejandro Sanchez will hope to be his menacing self up-front while the return to full fitness of Hagi Gligor in the centre of the pitch will certainly help the Blues’ plight in getting a positive result on Saturday.

Will the new boys give Olympic yet another shock loss or will the Blues settle their nerves with a victory? All will be revealed on Saturday.

Sunday 17th March

Blacktown City v Sydney United 58 @ Lily Homes Stadium 3pm

The Blacktown boys will again seek home comfort as they entertain Sydney United 58 in a hotly contested battle at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.

Mark Crittenden’s men celebrated its opening win of the NPL NSW Men’s season over rivals Mt Druitt Town Rangers courtesy of an own goal, but their performance wasn’t their best.

Healthy performances from new recruit Leroy Jennings and midfield maestro Devante Clut rallied Critto’s troops in their round one victory, and the pairing should again be involved in all the action against a tough United 58 squad.

Miro Vlastelica’s men should have capitalised on a ten-man Rockdale City Suns outfit in their round one clash, but poor finishing let the Reds down.

Glenn Trifiro especially bore the brunt of the club’s major chances United 58 had in their opener, with the attacker missing two guilt edge opportunities that should have sent the three points to the home side.

Lacking in an out and out striker, United 58 is set to welcome back Patrick Antelmi from suspension while former Central Coast Mariners attacker Josh Macdonald is set to make his debut for the side after finalising his contract in the A-Legaue.

Veteran midfielder and skipper Nick Stavroulakis did his very best in keeping his former teammate Panny Nikas quiet during their round 1 clash, and his services will be needed once more when he takes on a midfield outfit full of energy and running.

Traditionally, this match has had a fair bit of fireworks surrounding it and Sunday will be no different as the two go toe to toe in a must watch match.

Manly United v Sydney FC @ Cromer Park 3:30pm

Cromer Park will see its first NPL NSW Men’s clash of the season as the hosts Manly United entertain Sydney FC.

The Northern Beaches side are hoping that Paul Dee’s return to the club will spark finals series talk and why not with the likes of Adam Parkhouse, Dejan Pandurevic, Brendan Cholakian and Sam Gallagher on their roster. The latter would be brimming with confidence after scoring a belter of a goal in the club’s 2-1 loss to the Wollongong Wolves, but the signs are there that Dylan Mitchell and co will be up for the task against a hungry Sydney FC outfit.

Jimmy Van Weeren’s boys sent out an early message to the rest of the NPL NSW Men’s competition that they won’t be no pushovers after a 2-1 victory over Hakoah Sydney City East.

The talk of the weekend was the performance of striker Marco Tilio.

He was too hot to handle for the Hakoah squad and is hoping he can continue his good form against Manly United.

Another shining light for the Sky Blues was the performance of defender Harry Van Der Saag while Jordi Swibel showed his class in front of goal with the striker wanting to add to his goal scoring tally on Sunday. Van Der Saag in particular will be pumped for this match as the promising youngster hails from the Northern Beaches and is hoping that he can pull out a good performance in front of his friends and family as well as the FC faithful.

A quality match will be on display at Cromer Park with two energetic teams ready for battle.

APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Wollongong Wolves @ Lambert Park 5:30pm

The final match of round 1 sees the APIA Leichhardt Tigers host the Wollongong Wolves at Lambert Park.

The Tigers were in dreamland after claiming the scalp of the league’s early title contenders Marconi Stallions last Sunday in a 1-0 victory thanks to a wonder goal from Corey Biczo.

Former NPL NSW Men’s Player of the Year Sean Symons was at his very best and showed everyone why he still is regarded as one of the best in the business with a flawless display from the skipper.

The club battled well after going down to ten men after the dismissal of defender Paul Galimi and could have won by a two goal margin if it weren’t for club stalwart Franco Parisi missing from the spot in the dying stages of the match.

It will be an intriguing battle against a Wolves outfit ready to give this league a shake-up.

Former Socceroo Luke Wilkshire was bossing the technical area last Sunday in his side’s 2-1 victory and he was buoyed by a number of good performances from his players such as Japanese import Takeru Okada, Englishman Thomas James and Harry Callahan all standing out.

It will be a fitting way to end what will be an entertaining round 2 full of NPL NSW Men’s clashes.

Round 1 Review – NPL NSW Men’s

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What a chaotic start to life it wise for some of the NPL NSW Men’s clubs as round 1 hit fever pitch on the day dubbed ‘Super Sunday’.

Sutherland Sharks caused the biggest shock of the round defeating 2018 Premiers and Champions Sydney Olympic 1-0 thanks to a Jeremy Cox goal while Blacktown City claimed derby spoils defeating new boys Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1-0.

The Wolves under life with new manager Luke Wilkshire kicked off his year on the right foot as the South Coast side defeated Manly United 2-1 while the young guns at Sydney FC rocked Hakoah Sydney City East 2-1.

In a fiery encounter it was all scoreless at Edensor Park as Sydney United 58 and Rockdale City Suns settled for the draw while APIA Leichhardt Tigers were the talk of the town taking out arch-rivals Marconi Stallions 1-0 in the round’s late kick-off.

 

Wollongong Wolves 2 Manly United 1

A new-look Wollongong Wolves kicked off their 2019 National Premier League NSW Men’s campaign off in the best possible way with a 2-1 win over Manly United at Albert Butler Memorial Park on Sunday.

In coach Luke Wilkshire’s first competitive game in the Wollongong dugout, the Wolves netted all three points thanks to goals from Thomas James and Jordan Nikolovski, while an early goal of the season contender from Manly’s Sam Gallagher gave the travelling fans something to cheer for.

 

Blacktown City 1 Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0

Blacktown City welcomed new boys Mt Druitt Town Rangers to the National Premier Leagues NSW Mens competition in a scrappy but dominant match at Lily Homes Stadium decided by a solitary own goal to the unfortunate Rangers defender Nick Trimble.

In typical season opener, local derby, the pace was urgent and full bodied with Blacktown City penning their visitors back with the high press that produced several half chances without any clear-cut opportunities.

The spoils went to Mark Crittenden’s men though as the final whistle went much to the delight of the home fans.

 

Sydney Olympic 0 Sutherland Sharks 1

Reigning Premiers and Champions Sydney Olympic were unable to continue their winning ways, kicking off the season with a shock 1-0 loss to Sutherland Sharks at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday evening.

It only took one goal for the home side to fall to the Sharks in what was a very physical match, with new recruit Jeremy Cox netting the winner in the 70th minute.

Spanish import Juan Carlos Romero played in an inch-perfect pass to Cox who slotted home for the only goal of the match as coach Terry Palapanis kicked off life in the top tier competition on a high.

 

Hakoah Sydney City East 1 Sydney FC 2

Sydney FC proved they won’t be pushovers in this season’s National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition claiming the scalp of Hakoah Sydney City East FC at Hensley Athletic Field as new coach Jimmy Van Weeren started off his campaign on the right note.

Goals on either side of half time to young gun Marco Tilio and the winner from Jordan Swibel ensured that they came away with the spoils.

For home side Hakoah Sydney City East, it was clear that their combinations haven’t quite yet clicked. Despite this Amaury Gauthier was able to score from the spot and did show signs of getting in to the match but it wasn’t to be as the Sky Blues claimed all three points.

 

Sydney United 58 0 Rockdale City Suns 0

Round 1 of the 2019 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season saw Sydney United Sports Centre play host to a tense stalemate between Sydney United 58 and a ten-man Rockdale City Suns outfit on Sunday night.

The eagerly-anticipated clash between two historic rivals ended scoreless, despite the visitors playing a man down for over an hour following new recruit Sasa Macura’s 31st minute dismissal for two cautions.

It was also a return to his former ground with Panni Nikas, the much-hyped signing for the Suns, being kept quiet by his former teammates.

Notably, a frenetic conclusion saw United 58 custodian Thomas Manos stand tall to deny clear-cut chances for Howard Fondyke and substitute Alec Urosevski, whilst his teammate Glenn Trifiro failed to convert two golden opportunities up the other end.

The hosts may well have snatched all three points in second half stoppage time, as Matt Sim’s curling effort was denied by the woodwork to the dismay of the spirited Edensor Park faithful.

 

APIA Leichhardt Tigers 1 Marconi Stallions 0

APIA Leichhardt Tigers started life under new coach John Calleja on a positive with a monumental 1-0 victory over arch-rivals Marconi Stallions at Lambert Park.

It took a super goal from Tigers attacker Corey Biczo to break the deadlock just before the break that separated both teams.

The scoreline could have been more for the Tigers had Franco Parisi converted from the spot in the 90th minute but Nenad Vekic was on hand to save his team’s blushes but the match went the favour of APIA in the end.

 

Football NSW Launches exciting NPL 2019 Season

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The National Premier Leagues NSW 2019 Season was launched by Football NSW at Ultra Football in Alexandria on Saturday where media and representatives from the NPL community attended.

A cocktail function for 120 guests with Master of Ceremonies and Fox Sports’ very own Adam Peacock took control of proceedings which also included representatives from all Football NSW National Premier League Clubs, FFA, Football NSW Board Members and Major Sponsors.

A player’s panel representing both top tier National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s and Women’s competitions took shape as Marconi Stallions coach Peter Tsekenis, Sydney FC’s rising young gun Luke Ivanovic, Sydney Olympic’s Spanish sensation Alejandro Sanchez, Football NSW Institute coach Leah Blayney, Sydney University’s W-League star Taren King and former Socceroo ace Scott Chipperfield who is now the Illawarra Stingrays coach all promoted the key role the NPL has played with the continual development of the world game in NSW.

The launch also played way to Football NSW announcing its landmark three-year live stream deal that will see all six NPL NSW Men’s and Women’s matches live streamed as well as a match of the round for the NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition on top of each of the NPL NSW Men’s 20’s matches.

Football NSW Chief Executive Officer Stuart Hodge stated that the event accomplished its intention in celebrating the launch of all National Premier Leagues NSW competitions.

“I’m thrilled to be able to enjoy the launch of this season with so many of those that champion this competition.

“The NPL in New South Wales is a very important part of the football landscape and player pathway in Australia and I know it will continue to strengthen with what will be a solid 2019 football season for all involved.

“Season launches are wonderful occasions to come together socially and catch up with old friends, and even adversaries, but in football terms they are a time for optimism, for positivity, for anticipation, for expectation and hopefulness for the coming season.

“It’s a great way to launch the year with our blockbuster live stream deal that will see us watch a plethora of football action each and every NPL weekend from both top tiers of our NPL as well as a match of the round in the NPL 2 NSW Men’s.

“I would like to wish all the clubs the best of luck as I know we will be treated to some fantastic football this year.”

Both the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s and Women’s competitions commence on Sunday the 10th of March with some huge clashes that are sure to light up both leagues to kick off round 1 proceedings.

Sportswear giant MITRE will once again support the competition as the Official Ball of the NPL NSW Men’s and Women’s Competitions using the Delta Max for each of the respective matches this season.

Football NSW Announces Landmark Live Streaming Schedule For NPL NSW

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In a major boost for football fans, Football NSW today announced a landmark broadcast schedule for National Premier Leagues (NPL) competitions in NSW.

As part of a three-year production arrangement, NPL NSW fans will see an astonishing 445 matches broadcast, live and free across various platforms in 2019.

This will include all NPL NSW Men’s top tier matches, all NPL NSW Women’s and all NPL NSW Men’s U20 matches.

A “match of the round” from the NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition will also be shown.

Football NSW’s centrepiece matches including both the NPL NSW Men’s and Women’s Finals Series as well as the historic Waratah Cup Final will also be broadcast live for fans.

Fans will also be able to watch highlights and games on-demand via Football NSW’s NPL social media channels.

In addition to the live coverage, participating clubs, coaches and referees will also have access to vision both live and on-demand throughout the year for ongoing development and analysis.

Football NSW CEO Stuart Hodge was thrilled to announce the plans.

“This is fantastic news for football and our fans,” Hodge said.

“Over the past two seasons, we have seen the impact and growth of our live streamed matches and we are delighted to be able to further extend on that success in 2019”

“The broadcast of 445 NPL NSW live matches will be a game-changer for the sporting and commercial profile of the NPL competitions and our clubs.”

“Football NSW has continued to enhance our streaming capabilities over the past couple of years. Further growth in this area will harness the growing interest in the NPL competitions.”

“Never before has football viewing been more accessible. I’m excited that our top-tier competitions will be available to a worldwide audience.”

The live broadcast will commence with the Match of the Round in the opening NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition round as Blacktown Spartans take on Bonnyrigg White Eagles on Saturday 2nd of March while all 6 NPL NSW Men’s top tier and 20s matches will be streamed live on the 10th of March.