Blacktown City has stretched their lead at the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition after this weekend’s thrilling round 17 action.

Blacktown now has a four-point advantage ahead of Sydney United 58 who dropped two points after a costly draw against Northbridge Bulls.

Rockdale City closed the gap with their first win in weeks on Sunday, while Mt Druitt Town Rangers revived their finals hopes.

The battle for the top five is set to go down to the wire with only four points separating fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth.

Remember you can catch up with all the weekend’s match action on NPL.tv.

 

Wollongong Wolves 0 – Marconi Stallions 1 at Albert Butler Memorial Park

Marconi Stallions secured their third victory of the season edging past Wollongong Wolves 1-0 at Albert Butler Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.

A second-half strike from Marko Jesic was the difference as the Stallions claimed a valuable three points which keep their slim finals hopes alive.

The Wolves started strong but failed to make the most of their early dominance going into the interval still locked scoreless.

However, it was a different story in the second half with the Stallions leading the charge and claiming a penalty which Jesic would net in the narrow victory.

Blacktown City 3 – Sutherland Sharks 2 at Lily Homes Stadium

A late Travis Major stunner has helped Blacktown City FC to a 3-2 victory against a resilient Sutherland Sharks at Lily’s Football Centre on Sunday.

Blacktown was in cruise control, leading 2-0 at the break after goals to Travis Major and Jackson Bandiera had them on course to extend their lead at the top.

But Sutherland refused to quit with a peter Simonoski brace levelling the scores heading into the final moments of the match.

With the game headed for a draw, Major delivered a cruel blow to the Sharks as he curled in a dramatic late winner that keeps Blacktown on top of the table for another week.

Northbridge Bulls 1 – Sydney United 58 1 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58’s premiership hopes have taken a major hit after they were held to a 1-1 draw with Northbridge Bulls at Edensor Park on Sunday.

It was a heartbreaking result for United 58 who drop to four points behind league leaders Blacktown City with only five games left in the regular season.

Patrick Antelmi opened the scoring for United in the 36^th minute but the Bulls finished strongly with Moudi Najjar netting a 76th-minute equaliser on what was his 21^st birthday.

United 58 had plenty of chances to snatch a winner but they couldn’t get it done having o settle for a costly draw.

APIA Leichhardt 0 – Rockdale Ilinden 1 at Lambert Park

Rockdale Ilinden FC has returned to winning ways after securing a 1-0 victory over APIA Leichardt at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon.

Alec Urosevski’s 87th-minute strike was the difference as Rockdale kept their slim premiership hopes alive with a valuable three points.

A missed penalty just moments before halftime will haunt APIA as they spurned a brilliant chance to take the lead.

It came back to bite the home side with Urosevski’s late strike stealing the win and condemning APIA to another frustrating loss.

Sydney Olympic 0 – Mt Druitt Town Rangers 1 at Belmore Sports Ground

Mt Druitt Town Rangers have kept their finals hopes alive with a narrow 1-0 win against Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday.

A first-half strike from Jack Stewart was all it took as the Rangers claimed a vital three points.

It was a frustrating performance from Olympic who never found their stride during the contest.

The win keeps Mt Druitt in contention for finals football closing the gap to the top five.

Sydney FC 2 – Manly United 2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre.

A dramatic Scott Balderson equaliser deep in added time has helped Manly United snatch a thrilling 2-2 draw with Sydney FC at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

Balderson’s 94th-minute goal completed an incredible second-half fightback from Manly as they kept their finals hopes alive with a valuable competition point.

Sydney FC made a fast start to the contest with Corey Hollman and Jake Girdwood-Reich’s goals giving the Young Sky Blues a two-goal advantage inside the hour mark.

However, it wasn’t to be for the home side with Dejan Pandurevic and Balderson’s late goals spoiling the party for Sydney FC as Manly snatched a thrilling draw.

 

Week 16 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition is in the Books and Blacktown City remains in top position after another thrilling weekend of fixtures.

With only six rounds left the battle is heating up for both the premiership and a spot in the finals.

Blacktown City has further cemented their spot in first place after defeating Rockdale Ilinden on Sunday, but Sydney United 58 remains only two points back and within striking distance.

Rockdale’s defeat means they fall further away in the premiership race dropping to fourth.

Manly United moved up to third spot after a last gasp winner on Friday night against APIA.

Sydney Olympic closes out the top five but their position is far from secure going into the remaining six matches.

Remember you can catch up on anything you missed from the weekend’s NPL NSW action on NPL.tv.

 

Manly United 2 – APIA Leichhardt 1 at Cromer Park

A last-gasp header from young gun Jordan Devries snatched all three points for Manly United in a hotly-contested 2-1 victory over fellow finals aspirants APIA Leichhardt at Cromer Park on Friday night.

The young attacker’s late heroics ensured Paul Dee’s return to Cromer Park was not a positive one and prevented APIA from climbing into the top five for the first time this season.

In a tit-for-tat battle, the sides were level at the interval as Blake Powell’s fourth goal of the season cancelled out Luca Kmet’s opener.

 

Sydney Olympic 1 – Sydney FC 0 at Belmore Sports Ground

Yu Hasegawa goal deep into added time has helped Sydney Olympic snatch a dramatic 1-0 win against Sydney FC at Belmore Sports Ground on Saturday.

Hasegawa headed home from a Michael Glassock cross in the 93^rd minute to give Olympic their second win on the trot and extend their unbeaten run to four.

It was a heartbreaking result for the Young Sky Blues, who had their chances to take the lead throughout the second half but paid the price for their poor finishing.

The result boosts Olympic’s finals hopes with another vital three competition points with only six games left to play in the regular season.

 

Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0 – Sutherland Sharks 1 at Popondetta Park

Sutherland Sharks have moved off the bottom of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition ladder with a narrow 1-0 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers at Popondetta Park on Saturday.

An Oliver Green header less than ten minutes after the interval was the difference as the Sharks snatched a vital three competition points.

Mount Druitt Town Rangers were left to rue a missed opportunity to keep their final’s hopes alive but were wasteful in front of goal.

They did have missed penalty from Jack Stewart and were left to defend with only 10-men for the final half-hour after a red card for Marc Warren.

 

Rockdale Ilinden 2 – Blacktown City 4 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

A Travis Major hat trick has helped Blacktown City stretch their lead at the top of the ladder with a 4-2 win against reigning premiers Rockdale Ilinden at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

Blacktown’s star striker couldn’t be stopped after opening his account from the penalty spot before netting twice more after the interval.

It was City’s day with the visitors opening the scoring after only three minutes before Major found his scoring touch ten minutes from the interval.

Rockdale’s Zac Sfiligoi was able to keep Rockdale in the contest early when he scored a 10^th minute equaliser, however by the time Gauthier scored the home side’s second in the 86^th minute the match was already lost.

The result cement’s Blacktown’s position on top of the competition ladder for another week, while Rockdale fall further behind in their premiership defence.

 

Sydney United 58 1 – Marconi Stallions 0 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 has snatched a dramatic late winner to claim a 1-0 victory against local rivals Marconi Stallions at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday.

United 58 substitute Tariq Maia combined with Chris Payne and Patrick Antelmi to seal the win after a hard-fought battle with plenty of chances for both teams.

The offside flag was a source of pain for both sides, as goals to United’s Payne and Marconi’s Stefan Nikolic were disallowed.

It could prove to be a vital three competition points for United 58 as they keep pace with Blacktown City in the Premiership race.

 

Northbridge FC – Wollongong Wolves at Sydney United Sports Centre

A man of the match performance from Leroy Jennings has spurred Wollongong Wolves to a dramatic 3-2 win against Northbridge Bulls on Monday.

Jennings was in fine form as he scored two and set up a last gasp winner for Stefan Dimoski as the Wolves snatched all three points at the death.

The free-scoring winger opened Wollongong’s account after only seven minutes but Northbridge hit back courtesy of a Nikola Djordjevic own goal.

Northbridge found themselves ahead heading into the break after a classy finish from Kyle Cimenti.

Wollongong turned the tide in the second half with an early goal from Jennings, before he capped off his exceptional night by setting up Stefan Dimoski for a dramatic last gasp winner.

Blacktown City has returned to the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition after a thrilling round 15 came to a close on Sunday.

Blacktown’s win on Sunday against title rivals Sydney United 58 has shaken-up the premiership race with only seven rounds to play.

United 58 drop to second on the ladder but their title hopes are far from over only two points behind Blacktown.

Manly United have reignited their playoff chances, while also denting the premiership credentials of Rockdale,  with their big win against the reigning premiers on Friday.

The battle for a spot in the top five is set to go down to the wire with wins from Sydney Olympic and APIA, while Mt Druitt’s shock loss to Sydney FC, has created a logjam for the fifth and final qualifying place for the post season.

Remember you can catch up with every minute of the Round 15 action on NPL.TV.

 

Manly United 3 – Rockdale Ilinden 0 at Cromer Park

A clinical Manly United performance secured Adam Griffiths’ troops a vital three points in the race for finals football with a 3-0 victory over a wasteful Rockdale Illinden at Cromer Park on Friday night.

Despite Rockdale enjoying their fair share of dominance, the home side established a two-goal buffer at the break thanks to a Dejan Pandurevic penalty and well-struck Luca Kmet effort, before putting the result beyond doubt late on through fullback Kieren Paull.

It was a second straight defeat for Rockdale who slip further behind in the premiership race with further dropped points.

The win moves Manly United up to 24 points and secures their place in the top five for another week.

 

Sutherland Sharks 0 – APIA Leichhardt 2 at Seymour Shaw Park

APIA Leichhardt picked up a vital three points as it asserted itself into the top five of the NPL NSW Men’s competition with a 2-0 win against Sutherland Sharks at Seymour Shaw Park on Saturday.

The Sharks failed to back up their rock-solid performance against Sydney United 58 back on their home ground this afternoon conceding late goals to Harry Callahan and Peter Kekeris which rounded up a good week for the Inner West club.

The Sharks best chances came through from the set piece through Brendan Hooper in the second half but they paid they price for two late defensive lapses as APIA secured all three competition points.

 

Wollongong Wolves 1 – Sydney Olympic 5 at Albert Butler Memorial Park

Sydney Olympic moved above Wollongong Wolves on the National Premier Leagues NSW ladder with a blow-out 5-1 win at Albert Butler Memorial Park on Sunday afternoon.

Olympic took the lead early on through Benjamin van Meurs before Lachlan Scott equalised for the Wolves not long after.

Michael Glassock’s goal with 10 minutes to play in the first stanza saw the away side head into the sheds in the lead.

Three second-half goals from the visitors with a brace to Mohamed Adam and a goal to Jason Madonis secured Ante Juric’s side the three points.

 

Blacktown City FC 2  – Sydney United 58 0 at Lily Homes Stadium

A gutsy Blacktown City FC have returned to the top of the National Premier Leagues NSW ladder with a 2-0 win against Sydney United 58 FC in front of a strong crowd at Lily Homes Stadium.

The win was a huge three competition points for City who took an early lead through Jak O’Brien before Daniel Collins wrapped up the win in front of a passionate home crowd on ‘Back to Blacktown day” in the dying minutes.

United 58 suffered a costly early injury as Matt Sim was forced from the field inside the first five minutes with the visitors struggling to rediscover their rhythm.

Patrick Antelmi had a handful of chances to find the back of the net but was unable to score against his former club Blacktown who went on to take a huge win in the context of the premiership race.

 

Marconi Stallions 2 – Northbridge FC Bulls 2 at Marconi Stadium

A ten-man Marconi Stallions have fought back to snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw against Northbridge Bulls in a wild and at times fiery clash at Marconi Stadium on Sunday.

The Stallions fought back from 2-0 down to secure their tenth draw of the season in a match which had a little bit of everything.

Goals to Northbridge’s Kyle Cimenti and Stephan De Robillard had the Bulls on track for a sensational upset, but Marconi’s Mitchell Mallia and Marko Jesic found the back of the net on each side of the interval to secure the home side another competition point.

The incredibly fiery match saw eight yellow cards and two red cards awarded, with Northbridge Bulls coach Mile Sterjovski and Marconi Stallions forward Anthony Frangie both sent from the field in the late stages of the game.

 

Sydney FC 5 – Mt Drutt Town Rangers 2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

A second-half onslaught has helped Sydney FC stun Mt Druitt Town Rangers 5-2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

The Young Sky Blues scored five unanswered goals in the second stanza to come back from 2-0 down at the break and notch their first win since round three

A much-changed Sydney FC outfit, incorporating several U-18 players, fell behind to first-half strikes from Jason Perez strike and Mitch Smith.

However, a Clayton Taylor goal on the hour mark turned the momentum in the home side’s favour with Thomas Fay netting a hat-trick in just over ten minutes before Adrian Segecic wrapped up an incredible victory with a goal in the closing stages.

Sydney United 58 hold onto the top spot of the National Premier Leagues NSW men’s competition after a thrilling Round 14 came to a close on Sunday night.

United 58 dropped points in a scoreless draw on Sunday but they still managed to hold onto first place with other results going their way.

Blacktown City missed their chance to move back on top as they too were held to a draw this weekend.

Rockdale’s slide continued as they were stunned by a Marconi side who ended a ten-week winless run.

Manly United’s draw against Blacktown helped them move back into the finals places as they finished the weekend in fifth place, while Mt Druitt’s big win on Saturday moved them up to fourth.

APIA and Sydney Olympic both missed a chance to edge closer to the top five as they battled out a 1-1 draw at a raucous Lambert Park as part of the Festival of Football.

Remember you can catch up on all the action from round 14 on NPL.TV.

Northbridge Bulls 2 – Sydney FC 2 at Sydney United Sports Centre

A Jake Jovanovski header deep into injury time has helped Northbridge Bulls snatch a dramatic 2-2 draw against Sydney FC at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday.

Jovanovski’s 94th minute headed goal denied the Young Sky Blues their first win since round 3 as the Bulls fought back from behind twice to snatch a vital competition point.

Sydney FC took a 1-0 lead into the break thanks to a Clayton Taylor strike but Northbridge hit back after the interval through Lachlan Sepping to level the score.

With only six minutes left on the clock, Corey Hollman put Sydney in front and on the cusp of an incredible victory.

However, it wasn’t to be for the Young Sky Blues as Jovanovski found the back of the net in the dying seconds to secure an incredible late equaliser for Northbridge.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers 3 – Wollongong Wolves 0 at Popondetta Park

Mount Druitt Town Rangers secured a vital 2-0 success against Wollongong Wolves to keep their top five hopes alive at a frosty Popondetta Park

The Rangers got themselves back in the winner’s circle with a pair of second-half goals from star striker Jack Stewart, while a late Fumoto Kamada strike ensured the home side took all three points.

Earlier custodian Carlos Saliadarre saved a spot-kick which helped to kickstart their revival in the second half.

Wollongong Wolves will be disappointed to miss their chance to secure a spot in the top five of the National Premier Leagues Men’s competition.

They did have a spot-kick for Lachlan Scott which was saved at the start of the second half which was their best chance.

Blacktown City 2 – Manly United 2 at Lily Homes Stadium

A Jackson Bandiera strike deep into added time has helped Blacktown City snatch a thrilling late equaliser in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Manly United at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.

It was a hard-fought battle between the two teams for the entirety of the match, but Bandiera’s last-gasp equaliser denied a shock Manly win on the road.

The wonder goal was the second of the day from Bandiera and cancelled out goals from Manly United’s youngster Ben Gibson and Dejan Pandurevic.

The result keeps Blacktown in second place on the competition ladder only a point behind leaders Sydney United 58, While Manly’s point means they finish the round in fifth.

Rockdale Ilinden 0 – Marconi Stallions 2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

A Chris Hatfield brace has helped Marconi Stallions breakthrough for their second win of the season as they claimed a 2-0 victory against Rockdale Ilinden at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Saturday.

Goals on either side of the break from Hatfield was the difference as the Stallions ended a nine-game winless run dating back nine weeks to round five.

Rockdale fell behind in the 12th minute as Hatfield tapped home from a Giorgio Speranza cross before the pacy striker secured the victory in the 65th minute when he finished a slick counterattack.

The result means Rockdale fall further behind in their premiership defence and have now won only once in their past five league matches.

Sydney United 58 0 – Sutherland Sharks 0 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 were held by a dogged Sutherland Sharks FC side in a pulsating 0-0 draw on Sunday afternoon at Sydney United Sports Centre.

Sitting at the top of the ladder, United 58 were frustrated by the Sharks defence on an afternoon where they celebrated club stalwart Matthew Sim.

Custodian Danjel Nizic saved a penalty but the home side’s potent attack was blunted today.

The point keeps Sydney United 58 at the summit of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder.

APIA Leichhardt 1 – Sydney Olympic 1 at Lambert Park

A second-half strike from Sam McIllhatton has helped APIA Leichhardt fight back to claim a 1-1 draw against Inner-West Sydney Rivals Sydney Olympic during their Festival of Football clash on Sunday.

In front of a raucous 4000 plus Lambert Park crowd, Sydney Olympic took the lead in the first half through Oliver Puflett before McIllhatton equalised for the home side midway through the second stanza.

It was a game that had everything but a winner as both sides repelled wave after wave of attack on a big day for the historic clubs.

The result was a missed opportunity for both Olympic and APIA to move closer to the top five and finals place.

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.