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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.

 

Round 1 Preview – NPL NSW Men’s

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The long wait is over, the highly reputable National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition kicks off in what has been billed as ‘Super Sunday’ with all six matches taking place.

Th 2019 NPL NSW Men’s football season promises to be one of the most competitive yet as twelve clubs lock horns with eyes on the prize, namely the Premiership and Championship.

Regarded as the best NPL competition in Australia, a number of new names will be unearthed from this year’s competition as will seasoned campaigners who will once again show their worth hyping up their chargers in getting those three crucial points week in week out.

‘Super Sunday’, what a time to be alive, for those who won’t have the chance to watch their clubs or any action at the grounds, Football NSW has you covered as each and every NPL NSW Men’s game will be live streamed on the official NPL NSW Facebook and Football NSW YouTube page.

Good luck to all participating clubs, players and officials as the NPL NSW Men’s 2019 will hope to be one year remembered by everyone as one of the toughest but best in the history of the competition.

 

Sunday 10th Match

Wollongong Wolves v Manly United

Albert Butler Memorial Park – 3pm kick-off

The battle of the beaches takes place at the makeshift home-ground for round 1 for the Wollongong Wolves as they face Paul Dee’s Manly United outfit in a fascinating encounter.

It will be former Socceroo star Luke Wilkshire’s first official game in charge of the Wolves and he hopes that he can kick things off with a winning start as the Wollongong faithful are hoping for finals football this year.

Wilkshire will have a number of local products at his disposal with the likes of skipper Chris Price, Darcy Madden and experienced keeper Justin Pasfield raring to go. Japanese import Takeru Okada will hope he can emulate the success of his former countryman in Yuzo Tashiro, who is now the assistant coach at the club, with some eye-catching performances while former Sutherland Sharks skipper Nick Littler will hope his huge presence at the back will steady up the club’s defence.

Dee returns to the coaching post after taking some time off due to work commitments and has done well recruiting some well-known figures along the way at Manly.

Former NPL NSW Men’s Player of the Year Adam Parkhouse returns to his former club after a stint in the A-League with the Wellington Phoenix while ace marksman Dejan Pandurevic will call Cromer Park home once more after his time in Serbia with FK Zemun.

Dylan Mitchell will once again lead the charge as the club’s number one shotstopper with familiar faces Kieran Paull, captain Jaime Lobb, Travis Oughtred and Sam Gallagher pushing together as a formidable back-line.

The wizard of Cromer Brendan Cholakian will hope his bag of tricks will assist in the club’s fortunes alongside the hopeful goals of Nikola Taneski while a lot of the defensive midfield duties will fall on the shoulders of Dom Ferguson.

It’ll be an interesting clash at the neutral venue but one that could see a few goals fly through.

 

Sunday 10th March

Blacktown City v Mt Druitt Town Rangers

Lily Homes Stadium – 3pm kick-off

A local derby will kick things off in Sydney’s West as the new kids on the block, Mt Druitt Town Rangers make the short trip to Lily Homes Stadium to take on their highly fancied brothers, Blacktown City in a match that either team will want to win for bragging rights.

A massive crowd will be on hand to witness the Rangers’ first competitive match in the top tier after gaining promotion following a successful 2018 season in the NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition.

The Rangers do mean business and under the watchful eye of coach Aidan Desmond, they hope that the underdog tag given to them week in week out will work to their advantage.

Led by the charismatic Carlos Saliadarre underneath the sticks, the Rangers do boost some firepower with former Rockdale City Suns player Toufic Alameddine along with ex-Sutherland Sharks striker Adrian Vranic assisting in the club’s attack. Club stalwart Matthew Clowes will hope he can steer his chargers on while look for the exciting Fijian international Alvin Singh to provide some entertainment.

Mark Crittenden’s men were dealt with some massive blows entering the 2019 season with the loss of a number of seasoned campaigners with the likes of Zach Cairncross, Connor Evans, Mitchell Mallia and the Speranza brothers jumping ship to rivals Marconi.

Not to be deterred with these losses, the club has gone through a reshuffle but will nevertheless be one tough team to crack.

New faces such as the exciting William Mutch, Leroy Jennings, James Demetriou and Jackson Bandiera will be on hand to guide the club towards a new direction while it will be a special match for Emmanuel Gonzalez – a key striker that took the NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition by storm…with the Rangers, he changed clubs in the off-season and will know his former teammates will be targeting him on Sunday.

With the likes of seasoned campaigners Matt Lewis, Joey Gibbs, Grant Lynch, Yianni Spyrakis and the exciting Devante Clut, write Blacktown City off at your peril who will also have former NSL star Matthew Bingley assisting Crittenden on the sidelines.

 

Sunday 10th March

Sydney Olympic v Sutherland Sharks

Belmore Sports Ground – 4pm kick-off

How better can Sydney Olympic get after the 2018 season they had?

They defeated everything that came in front of them as the Blues marched on to clinching a famous double taking out the Premiership and Championship in style.

Abbas Saad worked his magic and through that claimed the Coach of the Year plaudits, but will 2019 be the same?

It will be pretty close as Saad has stuck with the same squad however losing the influential Max Burgess to the Wellington Phoenix.

One player that caught the attention of many not just in NSW but across the country was that of Spanish sensation Alejandro Sanchez. The key attacker has already gone down as one of the craftiest players ever to cross the NPL NSW Men’s competition and he will be looked at in more ways than one this year.

Age will not weary club legend Paul Henderson who will don the number one jersey this year while club regulars, skipper Jason Madonis, Will Angel, Tom Whiteside and Niko Tsattalios will be putting in their heart and souls in recapturing their 2018 form.

There’s been some key returns to the club with the likes of Mitchell Stamatellis, Troy Danaskos and Harris Gaitatzis all calling Belmore home once more while Michael Gaitatzis, will link up with his brother and will hope to bang in the goals after a successful 2018 NPL 3 NSW Men’s season with the Gladesville Ryde Magic. Look for the return to fitness from injury of the talented Hagi Gligor who is tipped to turn some heads this year.

Their Sunday opponents the Sutherland Sharks come into their first-round match full of hope with new manager Terry Palapanis at the helm.

The Sharks fans will have every reason to be optimistic with a number of fresh new faces set to make a mark with the Shire based team.

Former Hakoah shotstopper Anthony Bouzanis is one of them set to make a big impact on the squad as well former A-League player and club captain Marc Warren. Add the two Spanish stars who destroyed the NPL 2 NSW Men’s competition in Raul Beneit Romero and Juan Carlos Heras Romero as well as the youthful presence of Jeremy Cox up-front, you can be sure the Sharks will be ready for a big year.

One of Palapanis’ former players whilst coaching at St George FC, Tarik Ercan will also be one to watch as he hopes he can cement his spot as one of the leading defenders in the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

A big match up between two teams hoping to stamp their authority on the league early on.

 

Sunday 10th March

Hakoah Sydney City v Sydney FC

Hensley Athletic Field, 5pm kick-off

It will be an intriguing battle in Sydney’s East as Hakoah Sydney City entertain Sydney FC in an interesting opening round clash.

Scottish legend Gavin Rae was dealt with some key losses during the off-season break but has managed to secure the likes of keeper Ryan Norval and Japanese import Shohei Okuno to bolster what will be a young squad. A number of the club’s exciting young talents have been given first team contracts and will want to repay their manager’s faith with some big performances.

Club captain Brad Walker will steer the team’s backline while the club will rely heavily on the goals from classy marksman Amaury Gauthier who hopes he can bang a few away against the young boys of Sydney.

FC come into this opener with a new manager in Jimmy Van Weeren.

Never short of talent, the pool keeps on delivering and this year will no doubt see more new faces added to the list of youngsters produced by the Sydney FC club.

Captain Liam McGing will be leading the team from the back while the likes of exciting players such as keeper Thomas Heward-Belle, Jerry Skotadis, Daniel Blachura, Harry Van Der Saag, Hamish Lamberton and Marco Tilio will be names to look out for.

Current Sky Blues senior star Luke Ivanovic has been named in the club’s roster and will link up with his team post A-League season to add more zing to the team.

 

Sunday March 10th

Sydney United 58 v Rockdale City Suns

Sydney United Sports Centre, 5pm kick-off

What a mouth-watering clash we have in stall as Sydney United 58 take on the Rockdale City Suns in a match that has so many dominating headlines pre kick-off.

The major one being Panny Nikas returning to his old stomping ground with the new colours of the Suns.

The question remains, will Nikas be able to replicate his golden form he once had at United 58 with his new troops?

Head coach Paul Reid who hung the boots last year will no doubt look towards Nikas for that magic alongside some other big players the club has managed to snare with ex-Manly United star Sasa Macura being another.

The club lost influential midfielder Blake Ricciuto who will no doubt be a huge loss for the club but Reid will have players such as skipper Daniel Petkovski, Alec Urosevski, Alec Canak, Idris El Hafiane and Jordan Figon to spearhead the side to glory.

United 58 coach Miro Vlastelica will need to cope with the loss of not only Nikas but another goal getter in Chris Payne who made the off-season switch to APIA.

The Reds will be down on numbers on opening day as their new signings in former Uruguayan youth international Sebastien Gallegos and former Wolves attacker Peter Simonovski have been ruled out through injuries sustained during the off-season.

Former Australian youth international Liam Rose will hope he can spearhead his playing career once more with his coming to the club while Vlastelica will rely heavily on the shoulders of inspirational captain Nick Stavroulakis as well as the experience of Yianni Fragogiannis, Petar Markovic, Yianni Perkatis, Matthew Bilic and Glenn Trifiro to get their season off to a good start.

Club keeper Tom Manos will once again pull the strings underneath the goal posts while Patrick Antelmi, although suspended for this game, will hope he can regain his 2017 form by hitting the back of the net for the club in more ways than one.

Expect fireworks at Edensor Park, a huge clash to kick things off.

 

Sunday 10th March

APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Marconi Stallions

Lambert Park, 7pm kick-off

The Match of the Round that is sure to dominate in more ways than one closes what should be a massive ‘Super Sunday’ at Lambert Park as two familiar foes meet in the form of APIA Leichhardt Tigers and Marconi Stallions.

Both clubs have bought incredibly this year meaning a number of high-quality players will be on show on Sunday evening.

Could this be a possible Grand Final match? Very early to say but looking at both team rosters you’d think it would be a big chance.

The Tigers will have John Calleja as the gaffer and his experience will be needed to steer this team towards some silverware.

APIA have recruited well with Sam McIIIhatton set to be a key signing. The pint-sized midfielder was arguably Sydney FC’s best player last year in the NPL as the then captain pulled in some massive performances for the club that earned him the status of one of the players to watch for 2019.

He will be joined by some familiar faces with former Bonnyrigg White Eagles star Tynan Diaz and ex-Sydney United 58 goal getter Chris Payne as well as former Hakoah star Michael Kouta calling Lambert Park home.

The club has again retained the services of captain Sean Symons, brother Josh, Ivan Necevski,Themba Muata Marlow, Paul Galimi, Corey Biczo, David D’Apuzzo and of course the APIA Legend himself, Franco Parisi, who will once again strut his stuff like no other player does in the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

Their opponents the Stallions come into this match as probably one of the punters favourites to win the league.

Why wouldn’t they when they’ve recruited some of the best players out in the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

Nathan Millgate will hope to enter the correct dressing room after spending the last few seasons with the Tigers, will make his debut with the Stallions – what a way to kick your career off with your new club against your former right?

Joining Millgate will be a host of former Blacktown City FC stars, five in fact, with the Speranza brothers Roberto and Giorgio, Connor Evans, Mitchell Mallia and Zach Cairncross making their much publicized moves.

Former Hakoah star Anthony Frangie will add firepower up top while former Wolves defender James Baldacchino is set to sturdy up the club’s defence.

A familiar face returns to the NPL NSW Men’s competition in the form of lethal marksman Richie Cardozo, a player coach Peter Tsekenis hopes will hit the back of the net a number of times this year.

If these names weren’t enough to get the Stallions fans excited add in keeper Nenad Vekic, Marko Jesic, a now fully fit Mirjan Pavlovic as well as the deadly speed of James Andrew and you have yourself an almost All-Star squad.

Oh wait, there’s also former Western Sydney Wanderer Liam Youlley and the exciting Lachlan Sepping thrown into that mix.

What a match to kick things off for round 1 right?

The pick of the bunch but one that has entertainment plus written all over it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pandurevic returns for Manly United

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Manly United has bolstered its squad on the eve of the 2019 National Premier League NSW Men’s season by confirming the signing of local junior Dejan Pandurevic.

The 22-year-old has returned to Manly United after spending the last year playing for FK Zemun in the Serbian First Division.

The former Australian U20 attacker returned to Australia late last year and has been training with Manly United awaiting his International Transfer Certificate, which has come through in time for the start of the season.

“Dejan is a class player and a great addition to our squad,” said Manly United Coach Paul Dee.

“He adds to the quality we have in the attacking third with Adam Parkhouse, Scott Balderson, Charles Mendy, Nik Taneski, Brendan Cholakian and some talented young players, giving us some really strong options.”

Pandurevic played all of his junior football at Manly United before starring for the senior side from 2015 – 2017, scoring 23 goals in 58 matches, culminating in the 2017 NPL Grand Final victory.

“Not only is Dejan a talented player but he is a Manly Junior and we are committed to not only developing junior players but giving them opportunity in the first team. Part of that is bringing back former Manly Juniors and Dejan is a tremendous example of this.”

Manly United starts its season this Sunday against Wollongong Wolves away this Sunday before the first home game of the season against Sydney FC at Cromer Park on Sunday 17 March.