The final matches of the first leg of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition are complete and a new league leader has come out of the Round 11 action. 

With plenty to play for, the league has well and truly heated up as teams fight to separate themselves from the pack on the ladder. 

Catch up on all the action from a hard-fought Round 11 below.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 1 – Sydney FC 1 at Popondetta Park

It was points shared in a pulsating 1-1 contest between Mt Druitt Town Rangers and Sydney FC on Friday night at Popondetta Park.

Sydney FC might be disappointed not to take full points from the contest after their performance across the 90 minutes as the young side opened the scoring through a Patrick Wood thunderbolt but had to settle for a draw.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers put in a fantastic shift against one of the in-form teams of the National Premier Leagues NSW competition with Olayinka Sunmola curling home a wonderful goal to earn the hosts a point in a tightly contested game.

Sutherland Sharks FC 0 – Wollongong Wolves 1 at Seymour Shaw

A 10-man Wollongong Wolves earned a 1-0 victory over Sutherland Sharks in a fierce encounter on Saturday afternoon at Seymour Shaw.

Leroy Jennings was sent off for the visitors in the 61st minute, but just a couple of minutes later the side scored the only goal of the match through Josh Macdonald.

The match is the first for Sutherland under the new leadership of Luis Contigiani and Steve Gordon, after former coach Nick Dimovski moved to the Director of Football role this week.

Marconi Stallions FC 2 – Northbridge Bulls FC 2 at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions and Northbridge Bulls shared points in a hard-fought battle that ended in a 2-2 draw at Marconi Stadium on Saturday evening.

An early goal to Lachlan Rose was answered by Marko Jesic in the 29th minute to see the sides in a 1-1 deadlock at the half-time break before substitute Moudi Najjar took back the lead in the second half and Jesic completed his brace and equalised yet again, converting a penalty late in the game.

Marconi’s winning run came to an end against the young side that had bolstered their team with a number of A-League level players for the occasion, however they remain unbeaten for eight National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s games.

The draw demonstrates Northbridge’s ability to stand up against the experienced teams in the competition and will likely give them some confidence as they head into the second leg of the season and fight to get off the bottom of the table.

Sydney United 58 FC 2 – APIA Leichhardt FC 2 at Sydney United Sports Centre

APIA Leichhardt fought their way back into their battle with Sydney United 58, settling with a 2-2 draw at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday evening.

United 58 managed two goals in the first half through Patrick Antelmi and Chris Payne, leaving APIA stunned as they made their way to the sheds for the half-time break, but the visitors worked their way back into the match with Jack Armson scoring their first in the 60th minute and Sean Symons equalising at the death.

Blacktown City FC 1 – Sydney Olympic FC 2 at Blacktown City Sports Centre

The National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Match of the Round clash saw Charles Mendy open the scoring after a defensive error by Olympic allowed the lanky striker to nip in and find the net before Darcy Burgess restored parity, muscling his way through the Blacktown defence to sweetly strike the equaliser in the second half.

In a game that had it all, including a saved penalty, it was a stoppage-time strike from Roy O’Donovan who sealed the points for Sydney Olympic.

Rockdale Ilinden FC 0 – Manly United FC 1 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 11 saw Manly United defeat Rockdale Ilinden in a tight encounter that was only divided by a penalty from Bruno Mendes in the first half.

Both sides had their chances but in the end the visitors displayed a touch more grit to claim all three points.

The result knocks Rockdale off the top spot on the ladder, a position they held for only one week, giving Manly United valuable points as they charge ahead.

As the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition approaches the halfway mark the league is heating up with a new leader after Round 10.

With goals galore, crucial wins and big upsets, this weekend had plenty of action that had a big impact on the competition.

 

Wollongong Wolves FC 3 – Blacktown City FC 1 at WIN Stadium

Wollongong Wolves secured an impressive 3-1 win over a 10-man Blacktown City at WIN Stadium on Friday night.

After a goalless first half, Wollongong opened the scoring early in the second period with Peter Simonoski scoring from long range.

Blacktown City equalised just after the hour mark through Mitchell Mallia before Wollongong retook the lead courtesy of former City star Leroy Jennings after Daniel Collins was sent off for the visitors.

Lachlan Scott also found the net for the home side with eight minutes to play to add to the side’s advantage and cap off the match.

 

Manly United FC 1 – Sydney United 58 FC 0 at Cromer Park

Sydney United 58’s woes continued as the former NSL giants suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Manly United at the newly upgraded Cromer Park on Friday night in round 10 of the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

A lone goal to Manly’s Japanese star import Seiya Kambayashi was all it took for the Northern Beaches side to collect three points from the match as Sydney United 58 were unable to retaliate.

The win gives valuable points to Manly, while the loss for United 58 was not the start new interim coach Miro Vlastelica would have liked since stepping back into the head coaching role earlier this week following the departure of Joe Haywood.

 

Northbridge Bulls FC 1 – Sutherland Sharks FC 2 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sutherland Sharks FC recorded their third win of the 2022 NPL NSW Men’s campaign in a 2-1 win against Northbridge Bulls FC on Saturday afternoon at Sydney United Sports Centre.

Two desperate sides strode onto the park at Sydney United Sports Centre, aiming to get themselves back into the winner’s circle and while Northbridge Bulls FC started the contest off brightly, they faded away against the Sharks’ press.

Nick Sullivan drove home the opener before Lukman Ahmed-Shaibu slotted home after the break to give the Sharks a two-goal advantage.

Substitute Jed Drew did pull a goal back for the hosts but they lost Anthony Sparacino to a red card which didn’t help their cause.

It will be a precious three points for Sutherland Sharks FC after their lean run in recent weeks.

 

Sydney Olympic FC 4 – Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 0 at Belmore Sportsground

Sydney Olympic convincingly disposed of Mt Druitt Town Rangers by 4-0 on a cold night at Belmore Sportsground, which had the side singing at full voice in the dressing rooms after the encounter.

It was almost all over by half time as the home side took a three-goal lead into the break thanks to a brace from the evergreen Roy O’Donovan and a goal to Sam McIllhatton, before Oliver Puflett sealed the deal in the second stanza of play by scoring his side’s fourth.

The victory gives Sydney Olympic crucial points as they fight to keep their standing on the league ladder, while the convincing loss to Mt Druitt Town is yet another blow to a less than ideal season.

 

Marconi Stallions FC 4 – APIA Leichhardt FC 1 at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions secured their fourth consecutive win in the National Premier Leagues Men’s competition, with a comprehensive 4-1 victory over APIA Leichhardt FC on Saturday night at Marconi Stadium in the ‘Italian Derby’.

With four consecutive wins and six games undefeated in the league, along with a midweek win in the Australia Cup, the Stallions are making a statement to the football community that they are real contenders in 2022.

Marko Jesic converted a penalty chance against veteran shot-stopper Ivan Necevski to take a one-goal advantage to the break before Charles Lokolingoy converted a second from the spot early in the second half to double the lead for the hosts.

Jason Romero netted one in the 68th minute to keep the visitors in the game, but young-gun Domenic Costanzo scored a third for the hosts in the 75th minute to give the Stallions a bit of relief.

A third penalty in the final moments of the game was icing on the cake of the home side.

The convincing 4-1 scoreline over a dangerous APIA Leichhardt squad should give Marconi plenty of momentum as they approach the second leg of the competition.

 

Sydney FC 3 – Rockdale Ilinden FC 4 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden knocked Sydney FC off the top of the table with a 4-3 victory in the final match of Round 10 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition at their shared Ilinden Sports Centre ground.

The eagerly anticipated fixture was settled by an incredible four-goal haul for Alec Ursoevski cancelling out three strikes from Clayton Taylor, Zac Sapsford and a late, late Hayden Matthews effort.

The victory sees a new league leader in the form of Rockdale Ilinden, with their unbeaten run extending even further over the young sky blues, who have talent he league by storm in 2022.

It was a thrilling weekend as Round 9 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition provided plenty of entertainment for football fans with some sensational goals and action-packed matches.

Marconi Stallions FC 2 – Wollongong Wolves FC 0 at Marconi Stadium

National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s Round 9 saw Marconi Stallions defeat Wollongong Wolves 2-0 at Marconi Stadium on Saturday evening, and in the process obtain a valuable nine points from their last three games.

A penalty to captain Marko Jesic in the first half and a rare goal to defender Roberto Speranza in the second stanza of play was what the Stallions needed to put the visitors to the sword on a cold night at The Palace.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 2 – Manly United FC 4 at Popondetta Park

Manly United FC were comfortable 4-2 winners against Mt Druitt Town Rangers on a cold Saturday night at Popondetta Park.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers were handed the perfect start when Fumoto Kamada put them ahead after 11 minutes but a dazzling hat-trick from Manly United FC striker Bruno Mendes humbled the hosts.

Substitute Marcus Lal added the fourth to the Northern Beaches boys and although the home side found a late consolation goal to substitute Olayinka Sunmola it didn’t help them rise from the bottom rung of the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

Blacktown City FC 1 – Sutherland Sharks FC 0 at Blacktown City Sports Centre

Blacktown City held on to get a 1-0 win over Sutherland Sharks at Blacktown City Sports Centre on Sunday afternoon after going down to 10 men in the first half.

The red card just before the half-time break gave Sutherland an excellent opportunity to use their one-player advantage to take something from the game, but the visiting Sharks couldn’t capitalise on the opportunity.

A solid Blacktown City side bunkered down for the final 45 to keep Sutherland at bay, with a first half Hirokai Ayoama header the only goal of the match.

The win gives the hosts a valuable three points as they continue to battle at the top end of the ladder as the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s season heats up.

Sydney United 58 FC 1 – Sydney FC 6 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney FC have retained top spot in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition, with a convincing 6-1 victory over Sydney United 58 on Sunday afternoon at Sydney United Sports Centre.

A Jaiden Kucharski hat-trick, along with a brace from Clayton Taylor, saw the Sky Blues put on a clinic in front of goals.

Taylor opened the scoring in the 17^th minute, shortly before Kucharski bagged a brace to finish off the half – scoring in his fifth straight game and getting into double figures for the season.

The flood gates opened in the second-half, as Taylor secured a double and Kucharski capped off his afternoon with his third goal minutes later.

After setting up the opening two goals, Zac Sapsford netted the visitors sixth in the 65^th minute.

Glen Trifiro magnificently picked out the top corner in the 86^th minute, giving United 58 an earned consolation.

Rockdale Ilinden FC 4 – Northbridge Bulls FC 2 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden extended their unbeaten streak with a 4-2 victory over Northbridge Bulls at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday evening.

Northbridge Bulls brought youthful exuberance to the Round 9 National Premier Leagues NSW Mens’s encounter with Rockdale Ilinden in a terrific advert for football.

Northbridge hit the front early through Diego Bonilla, but were behind after another sensational Jaden Casella effort and a Jamie Percevski header to give the home side the lead only to be pegged back by Bonilla’s second before the break.

Second-half strikes for Bai Antoniou and Alec Urosevski settled the tie for Rockdale in a thoroughly absorbing game for the fans.

Sydney Olympic FC 0 – APIA Leichhardt FC 4 at Belmore Sportsground

A killer cameo and hat-trick from Jason Romero helped APIA Leichhardt strike four times in the second half to earn a 4-0 win over Sydney Olympic in the Festival of Football match on Sunday evening at Belmore Sportsground.

As the two giants of Australian football vied off in Belmore, it was United States international Romero who stole the show: the 27-year-old’s half-time substitution a lethal injection that swung a dour match comprehensively in favour of the men from Lambert Park.

The striker applied three fine finishes and set up another for Jack Armson, a virtuoso display that left Olympic, who had edged the first half, absolutely stunned.

The ANZAC Day long weekend brought together yet another masterclass of headlines, results and shocks as the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition celebrated eight rounds of quality football action.

Wollongong Wolves 3 – Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 0 at WIN Stadium

Wollongong Wolves secured a 3-0 win over Mount Druitt Town Rangers at WIN Stadium on Friday night.

Two goals to Lachlan Scott and one to Nicholas Duarte took the hosts to three as they held out Mt Druitt, who have been known for their high-scoring matches.

Scott would score the first of the match in the 29th minute as Senna Stevenson played the ball across to Scott centrally outside the box who speared his strike into the bottom-left corner.

The home side found the second goal from a corner in the 73rd minute, Duarte was found free in the middle and headed home.

Only three minutes after this, Wollongong added a third with Duarte causing problems again this time driving into the left of the box before sliding the ball across to Scott who passed it into the netting.

Sutherland Sharks FC 0 – Rockdale Ilinden FC 3 at Seymour Shaw

Sutherland Sharks hosted a rampant Rockdale Ilinden in a fiery local derby eventually settled 3-0 by the visitors at Seymour Shaw Park in Round 8 of the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

Two wonderful 30-yard curling strikes from Jaden Casella and a late Alex Maschiovecchio goal gave the visitors the advantage as they ran away with a win on the road.

Casella opened the scoring for the visitors in the 31^st minute when deftly curling a magnificent shot beyond Anthony Bouzanis, a contender for Goal of the Season, after being given enough time and space to pick his spot.

He added the second in similar, if not better, style late in the half before Alex Maschiovecchio had the simple task of wrapping it up before the end.

It was the first of the two-legged Leader Cup contested by the sides each season, adding extra spice to a much anticipated and fiercely competitive match.

Marconi Stallions FC 4 – Sydney United 58 FC 2 at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions took all three points with a 4-2 victory over Sydney United 58 at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night in a six-goal thriller.

There was plenty of action and excitement at the Palace as a late comeback from the visitors had home fans on the edge of their seats, but the hosts’ held on to secure the victory.

Charles Lokolingoy, Domenic Costanzo, Thomas James and Samuel Gulisano all added points to the scoreboard in the home side’s second win of the season, the first since their opening victory over Sutherland Sharks in Round 1.

Two consolation goals to Kyle Cimenti got the visitors on the scoreboard late in the game but wasn’t enough to change the result of the match.

The win, and successful attacking display, will give Marconi important momentum as they head into a make-up clash with Mt Druitt Town Rangers on Tuesday night.

While the performance will give Marconi positive momentum, the result will leave United 58 scratching their heads as they continue a lackluster run in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition.

Northbridge Bulls 3 – APIA Leichhardt 3 at Sydney United Sports Centre

Northbridge Bulls have pulled off a stellar last-second comeback to secure a well-earned 3-3 draw against National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s high-flyers APIA Leichardt.

The Bulls found themselves in an incredible position in the first half, after the deadly duo of Jed Drew and Diego Bonilla combined for a two-goal lead at the half hour mark.

However, APIA proved their quality and came back, with goals from Sean Symons and Matthew Cahill levelling proceedings heading into the break.

Symons popped up for a second with 20 minutes remaining, which looked like it would be the winner.

Mile Sterjovski’s young chargers didn’t give up and forced the issue until the final seconds of the game, where they were rewarded through a late Mason Wells equaliser.

Sydney FC 3 – Sydney Olympic 1 at the Ilinden Sports Centre

Sydney FC continued its rich run of form in the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition as the young chargers took care of business defeating Sydney Olympic 3-1 at the Ilinden Sports Centre in a sparkling displaying of counter attacking football.

A stunning Jaiden Kucharski brace and assist for Zac Sapsford put a resolute Sydney Olympic to bed cancelling out substitute Marley Peterson’s opener in the second half.

First-half substitute Peterson was on hand to fire in a scorching shot from the edge of the area to open the scoring in the 54th minute before Sapsford set up Kucharski in the 59’ minute to restore parity.

Kucharski levelled the score with another trademark run to set up Sapsford for Sydney FC’s third proved invaluable in wrapping up the game when drifting through what has been a tough Olympic defence with five minutes remaining.

Blacktown City 3 – Manly United 1 at the Blacktown City Sports Centre

Jordan Smylie stole the headlines once again with a brace that ultimately decided Blacktown City’s professional 3-1 win over Manly United at Blacktown City Sports Centre on Sunday night.

Smylie was joined by Hiroaki Aoyama and Manly skipper Jimmy Oates on the scoresheet as Round 8’s ‘Match of the Round’ fell the way of Mark Crittenden’s men.

Jackson Bandiera whipped in a dangerous delivery that wasn’t dealt with by the Manly defence, allowing Smylie to pounce and prod home from close range.

Less than 20 minutes later it was two, as Aoyama swiveled in the area and rolled the ball past Jack Greenwood in the Manly net.

Once again it was a delivery from the left that sealed the deal, with Aoyama’s set piece falling to the former Central Coast Mariner who made no mistake in slotting home his eighth goal of campaign.

From that point on Manly United slowly but surely worked their way in to the contest, and after 63 minutes clawed one back.

Seiya Kambayashi’s corner sailed towards the back of the net, resulting in an attempt to palm it away by Alex Robinson offering Manly skipper Oates the simplest of finishes.

It was to be too little too late for the Northern Beaches who were no match for the current red-hot Blacktown City outfit.

It was a jam-packed Easter weekend for football fans as the National Premier Leagues Men’s competition provided plenty of entertainment with a new league-leader at the end of Round 7.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC 4 – Northbridge Bulls FC 2 at Popondetta Park

Mt Druitt Town Rangers took home their first win of the 2022 NPL NSW Men’s season with a 4-2 victory against Northbridge Bulls FC on Good Friday at Popondetta Park.

The maiden victory of the 2022 competition came in style, with four rapid-fire goals coming for the hosts after conceding the first goal.

Bul Juach fired home a brace, while Fumota Kamada and Jack Stewart added the other two goals in the win.

For Northbridge Bulls FC, they got the perfect start when Michael Ruhs fired home after six minutes but were stunned by the Rangers’ display.

Ruhs found the back of the net again in the first half to make it 4-2 before he clattered a spot-kick against the bar, leaving the visitors sitting rock bottom on the competition ladder.

APIA Leichhardt FC 3 – Sutherland Sharks 0 at Lambert Park

APIA Leichhardt secured a convincing 3-0 victory over Sutherland Sharks at Lambert Park on Saturday evening.

Goals to Jack Armson and Josh Symons, along with a penalty conversion from Jason Romero, saw the hosts come away with three points and a clean sheet after a dominant performance in the match.

Battling it out for top spot on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder, the win gives APIA valuable points as they look to edge out Sydney FC.

The loss, and particularly the conceded penalty, leave Sutherland with their fifth loss and sixth penalty conceded this season as they struggle to find consistency despite showing some promise throughout the year so far.

Marconi Stallions FC 1 – Manly United FC 1 at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions and Manly United played out a 1-1 draw at Marconi Stadium on Saturday night in Round 7 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition.

In a game that could be best described with the old cliché ‘game of two halves’, Manly United tended to have the better of the first half, while Marconi clearly won the second stanza of play.

A spectacular goal to Lucas Rainbird was cancelled out by a Taylor McDonald finish to give the sides a goal apiece.

It was a crucial three points for Marconi that went begging in some ways, even though they have a game in hand as the Stallions face the daunting task of playing four games in two weeks: Blacktown City, Manly United, Sydney United 58 FC and Mount Druitt Town Rangers – as well as an FFA Cup clash.

Blacktown City FC 4 – Sydney FC 2 at Blacktown City Sports Centre

An incredible six-goal thriller ended Sydney FC’s unbeaten run as Blacktown City secured a 4-2 victory over the young sky blues on Sunday afternoon at Blacktown City Sports Centre.

A double from Jordan Smylie and goals from Hiroaki Ayoyama and a deflected own goal from Sydney FC gave the hosts a 4-0 lead at the half time break, and despite Jaiden Kucharski and Zac Sapsford getting Sydney FC back into the game in the second half, it was too little too late for the league leaders to salvage any points from the battle.

Sky Blues coach Jimmy Van Weeren had to also contend with losing several of his usual starters to the senior squad currently playing in the AFC Asian Champions League.

Adrian Segecic, Patrick Wood, Corey Hollman, Jake Girdwood-Reich, Clayton Taylor and Adam Pavlesic were all absent from the squad.

The loss will see Sydney FC drop out of the top spot as Blacktown City add a valuable three points to their tally after a tough start to the 2022 season.

Rockdale Ilinden 2 – Wollongong Wolves 1 at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden proved too strong for a plucky Wollongong Wolves in a tense 2-1 win at Ilinden Sports Centre in Round 7 of the NPL NSW Men’s competition.

In an evenly fought contest the home side managed to secure two through ace marksman Alec Urosevski to trump one goal to Wollonong’s Josh Macdonald.

Nick Littler and Banri Kanaizumi combined to bring down Urosevski in the area in the 15th minute awarding the home side a penalty duly dispatched by the Rockdale striker to open the scoring.

The lead lasted barely four minutes as Wollongong equalised through Josh Macdonald in bizarre fashion from a free kick from 25-yards out that drifted into the area and was missed by everyone, including David Bradasevic.

The ball caught up in the breeze and bamboozled everyone to creep its way into the net at the 19 minute mark.

Urosevski beat the offside trap when played through by substitute Will Mutch and restored Ilinden’s lead in the 80th minute when slipping a curling left-footed shot beyond the despairing dive of Durose.

Sydney United 0 – Sydney Olympic 3 at Sydney United Sports Centre

A Roy O’Donovan brace ignited a stellar team performance from Sydney Olympic, as they defeated Sydney United 58 3-0 on Easter Monday at Sydney United Sports Centre.

Olympic came into this match up with a three-game win streak and looked eager to make it four on the spin, as they continue to chase the top spot on the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s ladder.

Michael Glasslock opened the scoring for the visitors with a perfectly placed finish, shortly before Roy O’Donovan doubled Olympic’s lead 15 minutes later and finished his double in the 66th minute as Olympic’s continued persistence paid off.

United 58 were unable to make their mark on the match, with Olympic’s league-leading defence keeping out the home side.