Wollongong Wolves are back on top of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition after a huge weekend of round 2 fixtures.

Wet and wild weather was the constant throughout with the conditions having a major say in the results.

But the deluge couldn’t stop Luke Wilkshire and his Wolves outfit who stunned in a brilliant performance against APIA Leichardt on Friday night to reclaim their spot at the top of the pile. 

There were plenty of other shock results with massive performances from Rockdale Ilinden, Mt Druitt and Sydney United 58 some of the standouts.

The heavy rain did get the better of the clash between Sydney Olympic and Sydney FC which was postponed on Sunday and will be rescheduled in the coming days. 

 

Manly United 0 – Western Sydney Wanderers 0 at Cromer Park

Manly United’s struggles in front of goals proved costly once again as they were forced to settle for a 0-0 draw against Western Sydney Wanderers at Cromer Park.

The boys from the Northern Beaches couldn’t make the most of their myriad of chances early in the match and were nearly stunned in the closing stages by a fast-finishing Wanderers outfit.

Manly Captain Brendan Cholakian was the creator combining well with Marley Peterson and Dejan Pandurevic in the first half but neither could find the back of the net.

The home side maintained their control of the game after the restart with long-range efforts from Peterson and Cholakian again unable to beat the keeper.

With time running out the Wanderers went inches away from breaking Manly hearts when Stefan Nikolic fired over from only nine yards out.

It proved to be the final chance of the match with both sides disappointed to be taking only a point from the contest.

Dean Pelekanos once again showed his class in Arthur Diles’ squad as did several other young promising Wanderers stars.

 

APIA Leichhardt FC 1 (J Symons 43’) – Wollongong Wolves FC 4 Scott 23’, 69’, Juach 61’, 94’) at Lambert Park

A whirlwind second half has helped 2019 Premiers Wollongong Wolves to a dominant 4-1 win against 2019 Champions APIA Leichhardt at Lambert Park on Friday.

Three unanswered goals in the second stanza lifted Wollongong to victory with APIA unable to match it with the Wolves as Luke Wilkshire’s men proved they had plenty more left in the tank with John Calleja’s side running out of steam.

Lachlan Scott opened the scoring for the Wolves after 24 minutes but APIA hit back on the cusp of halftime thanks to a sensational solo goal from Josh Symons which has already trended on social media.

The defender dribbled around four Wollongong players before his low driven shot sailed past the outstretched arms of the keeper and into the back of the net.

Sadly for the home side, that would be the last high point of the evening with the visitors finding another gear after the break.

A howitzer from Bul Juach gave the Wolves the lead in the 61st minute before Scott nabbed his second only moments later.

Juach wrapped up the victory in style for Wollongong in the dying stages with a brilliant finish into the top corner.

 

Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2 (Roberts 48, Coskerie 89’) – Blacktown City FC 2 (Mendy 59’, Jalloh 80’) at Popondetta Park

A Cooper Coskerie goal in the final minute has helped Mt Druitt Town Rangers snatch a 2-2 draw against Blacktown City at Popondetta Park on Saturday night.

It was a dramatic finish to the match which seemed to be Blacktown’s for the taking after they took the lead with only nine minutes to play.

Thunder and lightning forced the match start to be delayed 45 minutes with the wild weather playing a role in a tight and hard-fought opening stanza which ended 0-0.

John Roberts gave Mt Druitt the perfect start to the second half when his goal gave the home side a 1-0 lead.

Blacktown were quick to hit back with a headed finish from Charles Mendy levelling the score 60 minutes in.

Hassan Jalloh thought he had scored the winner for Blacktown when he hit the back of the net in the 81st minute.

However, the home side would have the last laugh as Coskerie nailed a thunderous strike from the edge of the box to nab a point that sent the home faithful into raptures as absolute scenes unfolded at Popondetta Park in the local Western Sydney NPL derby.

 

Sydney United 58 1 (Ruhs 93’) – North Shore Mariners 0 at Sydney United Sports Centre

An injury-time goal from young gun Michael Ruhs broke the hearts of the North Shore Mariners as Sydney United 58 claimed a dramatic 1-0 win at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday.

In wild, wet and windy conditions, both teams had their chances but failed to make the most of their opportunities.

That was until Ruhs made his final moment of the game count, rocketing a driven shot into the top right corner to snatch the win after a slick one-two around the Mariners defence.

Neither side truly dominated the game but the Mariners reliance on counterattack gave the home side the possession required to find the match-winner.

Thomas Manos was in fine form for United 58 making several key stops in a confidence-building win for the Zeljko Kalac coached outfit.

 

Rockdale Ilinden 1 (Cimenti 37’) v Marconi Stallions 0 at Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden have shocked Marconi Stallions to snatch a 1-0 win at a rain-soaked Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

A 37-minute strike from Kyle Cimenti was the difference as the home side did enough to claim a huge result despite treacherous weather conditions.

Rockdale started the game strongly and took the match to their opponents from the first whistle.

They found the breakthrough with less than 10 minutes to go until the interval when Cimenti swept up from close range after Stallions keeper Nenad Vekic parried a shot from Nikola Taneski.

Marconi returned from the interval with a newfound vigour and fought their way back into the contest.

The introduction of Martin Fernandez proved to be a turning point for the visitors with the substitute getting the Rockdale defence on the back foot.

However, it wasn’t to be their night as the home side clung on thanks to some brilliant defending and a few key saves from shot-stopper David Bradasevic to secure all three competition points 

 

Sydney Olympic v Sydney FC – Match Postponed at Lambert Park

Mother Nature proved too strong for this encounter between two sides fresh from opening round 1 victories as Sydney’s Inner West was hit with severe rain and storms on Sunday afternoon.

Lambert Park played host to the match-up but the match was deemed unplayable six minutes into the second half as scores were locked 0-0.

 Football is back and the opening week of the rebooted NPL NSW Men’s season didn’t disappoint.

It was a perfect return to action for Marconi Stallions, Sydney Olympic, Wollongong Wolves and Sydney FC who all claimed wins.

Blacktown City and North Shore Mariners shared the spoils in their clash, as did Rockdale City and Manly United.

Western Sydney Wanderers Youth were unable to get a win to start their time in the NPL NSW Men’s competition but proved they will be a team to keep an eye on.

Sydney Olympic finish the week sitting on top of the table ahead of Sydney FC and Marconi Stallions.

 

APIA Leichhardt 1 (Cox 94′) v Marconi Stallions 2 (Jesic 60′ pen, Frangie 72′)  @ Lambert Park

Marconi Stallions have restarted their season in emphatic style with a 2-1 win against reigning champions APIA Leichhardt in a feisty encounter at Lambert Park on Friday.

A Marko Jesic penalty and a sublime finish from Anthony Frangie were enough to hold off a fast-finishing APIA side who were reduced to 10-men in the dying stages.

Neither side gave much away in the first half with chances at a premium.

Frangie had the best opportunity of the opening 45 minutes but he fired over the bar from the edge of the penalty area.

Marconi were the stronger side after the interval and were gifted the chance to open the scoring when the referee pointed to the penalty spot after he judged Paul Galimi’s acrobatic clearance attempt as a handball.

Jesic was clinical from the spot to give the Stallions a 1-0 lead, which would become 2-0 only moments later when Frangie hit the back of the net with a sublime finesse finish from the edge of the penalty area.

APIA came home with a wet sail and halved the deficit in added time after a brilliant finish from Jeremy Cox.

However, the home side’s chances were all but dashed when Galimi was sent off in the 96th minute with Marconi holding out for victory with a massive performance by one of its young guns Lachlan Sepping.

 

Blacktown City 0 v North Shore Mariners 0 @ Lily Homes Stadium

Blacktown City and North Shore Mariners were forced to share the spoils after a thrilling 0-0 draw at Lily Homes Stadium on Friday.

Neither side could find the breakthrough despite 90 minutes of end to end action with plenty of chances.

North Shore would’ve gone home feeling they should’ve taken all three points after they had a goal ruled out in the 29th minute after it was ruled Blacktown City keeper Shaun Catlin was impeded.

Blacktown had their own missed opportunity late in the first half as former Western Sydney Wanderer, Mario Shabow missed an open net after a brilliant bit of play from Leroy Jennings.

The home side had one final moment to snatch the win in the dying stages of added time but Daniel Collins headed a difficult chance over the bar from six yards out.

 

Manly United 0 v Rockdale City Suns 0 @ Cromer Park

Both sides traded chances in the opening stages in an exciting first 45 minutes.

Manly shot-stopper Dylan Mitchell made a pair of fine saves during the opening stanza to deny two brilliant Rockdale chances as the match remained locked at 0-0 going into the interval.

A deflected free-kick from Nikola Taneski in the 66th minute nearly broke the deadlock, but it sailed inches over the crossbar.

Marley Peterson was inches away from scoring as his lunging attempt to finish a deadly ball into the box was unable to get the touch required.

It proved to be the last real chance of the game as both sides took home a hard-earned point.

 

Wollongong Wolves 1 (Okada 72′) v Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0 @ Albert Butler Memorial Park

Wollongong Wolves have restarted their NPL NSW Men’s season with three competition points after claiming a very hard fought 1-0 win against Mt Druitt Town Rangers on Sunday.

Takeru Okada scored the only goal of the match deep into the second half as the home side did enough to snatch the win.

However, the goal didn’t come without some conjecture with the referee waving down the flag of his linesman and awarding the goal.

Young Wolves recruit Marcus Beattie was a stand-out performer for the home side and was a handful all afternoon for the Rangers defence.

It was a difficult start to Franco Cosentino’s tenure as Mt Druitt coach, but he will take away several positives into round two.

For Wolves coach Luke Wilkshire he will be impressed with his side’s resilience and ability to snatch victory after the departure of star striker Thomas James.

 

Sydney United 58 0 v Sydney Olympic 2 (Ferreira 17′, 21′) @ Sydney United Sports Centre

A Fabio Ferreira double has helped Sydney Olympic and new coach Ante Juric to a 2-0 win against rivals Sydney United 58 at Sydney United Sports Centre on Sunday.

The former A-League star was on song to claim his brace inside 20 minutes as Olympic flexed their muscle early on.

United 58 struggled to match it with the visitors in the opening stanza but managed to claw their way back into the contest in the second half.

However, the home side couldn’t find the back of the net as Olympic cruised to a well-earned win.

 

Sydney FC NPL 3 (Wood 21′, Hollman 28′, 41′)  v Western Sydney Wanderers NPL 2 (Auglah 61′, Nikolic 81′) at Ilinden Sports Centre

Sydney FC Youth have clung on for derby honours defeating Western Sydney Wanderers Youth 3-2 in a thrilling NPL NSW Men’s clash at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

The young Sky Blues raced to a 3-0 lead in the first half through goals from Patrick Wood and a double from Jake Hollman but were forced to hold on as the Wanderers fought back in a big way after the interval with Ali Auglah and Stefan Nikolic setting up a thrilling finish.

Sydney FC dominated the first half and broke the deadlock in the 21st minute when Wood found the back of the net.

Hollman doubled that lead for Sydney in the 28th minute before claiming his second and his team’s third just before the half-time break.

The Wanderers refused to quit and opened their account through Auglah midway through the second stanza.

When Nikolic found the back of the net to make it 3-2 in the 81st minute the game was balanced on a knifes edge as Western Sydney searched desperately for an equaliser.

However, it wasn’t to be as Sydney hung on for a hard-earned three points defeating their arch-rivals.

Don’t forget you can watch each and every match LIVE and EXCLUSIVE on NPL.TV, Register FREE Today .

Week 3 of the National Premier Leagues Mens competition is in the books and it is Marconi Stallions holding on to top spot after yet another impressive performances.

The Stallions sit in first place and alongside Blacktown City are the only two teams with a perfect record still in tact.

The round also featured big performances from Sydney FC, Manly United and Rockdale Ilinden.

Only five matches were played this week with Mt Druitt’s match against Wollongong Wolves postponed.

Marconi Stallions 2 – Sydney Olympic 0 at Marconi Stadium 

Marconi Stallions made it three on the bounce with a comfortable 2-0 win against Sydney Olympic FC at a soggy Marconi Stadium on Saturday.

A first half brace from Anthony Frangie was enough to secure the points for the home side.

Marconi Stallions remain unbeaten for the season and were in control across the contest against a downbeat Sydney Olympic FC.

The blows keep coming for Sydney Olympic FC who remains win-less. 

There were bright patches for Terry Palapanis’ side including the performance of new signing Go Hayama but not enough to trouble Marconi on the night.

Manly United 2 – Sydney United 58 0 at Cromer Park

Manly United left it late to clinch their first three points of the National Premier Leagues NSW men’s season with a tight 2-0 triumph over Sydney United at Cromer Park on Saturday night.

The hosts struck with two goals in the last five minutes as a bullet header from substitute Marley Peterson and Yianni Perkatis own goal shocked a United 58 side who were unable to push on following their 5-0 rout of Mt Druitt last weekend.

A drop in concentration in the dying stages proved costly for the visitors who are still looking for consistency.

It was a brilliant performance from Manly who bounced back after two defeats to open the season.

Blacktown City 3 – Sutherland Sharks 1 at Lily Homes Stadium

Blacktown City have made it three wins on the trot after a comprehensive 3-1 victory over the Sutherland Sharks at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday

A brilliant brace from Matty Lewis in his 300th game set the tone for the home side before Leroy Jennings secured the points with an 85th minute finish.

Peter Simonoski levelled the score at 1-1 midway through the second stanza but Sutherland were unable to contain an in form Blacktown side.

The win keeps Blacktown in second spot on the ladder, behind Marconi on goal difference, while Sutherland are still without a win after three games.

North Shore Mariners 0 – Sydney FC 4 at Lambert Park

Sydney FC made amends for last week’s loss in the National Premier Leagues NSW men’s season with a dominant 4-0 win over North Shore Mariners at Lambert Park on Sunday. 

Jimmy Van Weeren’s Sky Blues made up for their 4-0 loss to Marconi by venting their frustrations against North Shore, with Sydney dominating the majority of the match. 

Patrick Flottman opened the scoring after 14 minutes before Jordi Swibel and Jaiden Kucharski added to the visitor’s tally going into the break.

Swibel claimed his brace in the closing stages as the Young Sky Blues collected their second win of the campaign.

Rockdale Ilinden FC 1 – APIA Leichhardt FC 1 at Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden FC have ended a horror run of six straight defeats against APIA Leichhardt after holding on for a 1-1 draw at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

An Alec Urosevski goal late in the first half looked like it was enough to give Rockdale their first win against APIA since 2013.

However, Adrian Ucchino had other idea’s curling a brilliant free-kick into the back of the net in the 39th minute to ensure the two teams shared the spoils.

The result means both sides are still yet to lose after their opening three games for the season.

Week two of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition is in the books and it was another huge round of fixtures.

Marconi Stallions remain in top spot after a another big win while Blacktown City are the only other side with a perfect record of two wins from the opening two games.

North Shore Mariners have followed on from their strong display in round one with their maiden win in the state league top flight while reigning Champions APIA Leichhardt also snagged their first victory of the season.

It was a bad week for Mt Druitt Town Rangers who slumped to a big defeat at the hands of Sydney United 58 who bounced after losing in week one.

Sutherland Sharks 1 – Rockdale Ilinden 1 at Seymour Shaw Park

A Blake Powell strike in the closing stages has helped Sutherland Sharks fightback to claim a 1-1 draw against Southern Sydney rivals Rockdale Ilinden FC at Seymour Shaw on Saturday.

The result was a solid improvement from the Sharks after their round one drubbing at the hands of Marconi but new coach Nick Dimovski still has plenty to do in a performance which was still lacking at times.

After a scoreless first half, Rockdale thought they had done enough to claim the win when Sam Gulisano fired home from range with only 20 minutes left to play.

However, the Sharks rallied in the closing minutes with Powell finding the equaliser to ensure Sutherland went home with their first competition points of the campaign.

Manly United 0 – Blacktown City FC 1 at Cromer Park

For the second consecutive week, Matthew Lewis proved to be the match winner as his spot kick sealed a hard-fought three points for Blacktown City against Manly United at Cromer Park on Saturday night.

For both sides the result offered a similar story to their season openers last weekend.

Manly often appeared disjointed in the final third and were punished for a momentary lapse of concentration.

On the other hand Mark Crittenden’s men excelled defensively, allowing for them to grind out another victory by the narrowest of margins.

Wollongong Wolves 2 – North Shore Mariners 3 at Albert Butler Memorial Park

North Shore Mariners secured a dramatic 3-2 victory over reigning National Premier Leagues NSW premiers Wollongong Wolves on Sunday afternoon at Albert Butler Memorial Park.

Mitch Smith’s strike in the dying stages helped stun the reigning premiers as the Mariners secured their first win in the state league top flight.

Thomas James got the reigning premiers off to  a fast start with a goal in the 12^th minute but Panny Nikas, who made his debut with the club after a pre-season injury, curled one in on the cusp of the interval to level the score at the break.

Emmanuel Peters gave the visitors the lead with less than 20 minutes to play but James was on target yet again to have the game seemingly headed for a draw.

But North Shore were to have the final say as Smith found the back of the net with a composed finish in the final seconds to secure the unlikely triumph.

Mt Druitt Town Rangers 0 – Sydney United 58 5 at Popondetta Park

Sydney United 58 have powered to their first win of the NPL NSW thrashing Mt Druitt Town Rangers 5-0 at Popondetta Park on Sunday.

It was a coming out party of sorts for United 58 as they flexed their attacking muscle against an out of sorts Mt Druitt side who slumped to their second loss in as many weeks.

Nearly everything went Sydney United’s way in the first half.

A comical own goal from Rangers defender Travis Oughtred opened the scoring before Thomas Manos made a brilliant penalty save to stop Mt Druitt claiming an equaliser.

From then the floodgates opened with goals to Matt Sim, Devante Clut and a brace to Patrick Antelmi wrapped up a very one sided performance and Zeljko Kalac’s first win in the NPL NSW as United head coach.

APIA Leichhardt FC 2 – Sydney Olympic 1 at Lambert Park

A late Chris Payne strike has helped APIA Leichhardt claim their first win of the season edging Sydney Olympic 2-1 at Lambert Park on Sunday.

It was a game of two halves but Payne’s finish only three minutes from full-time proved the difference between the two rivals from Sydney’s inner-west.

APIA dominated what was a physical first half of football, taking the lead in the 17^th minute through a David D’Apuzzo header.

Olympic hit the pitched refreshed after the break and took control of the second stanza, with Bai Antoniou netting the equalizer in the 60^th minute.

The match looked likely to finish in a draw, but as the game came to a close Payne pulled off an 87^th minute thriller that saw the home side take all three points.

Sydney FC 0 – Marconi Stallions 4 at Ilinden Sports Centre

Marconi Stallions have given Sydney FC an early reality check in a dominant 4-0 win at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

The Young Sky Blues claimed a brilliant upset last week against Mt Druitt Town Rangers, but they were no match for the experienced Stallions who have now made it two wins from as many games.

A brace by Anthony Frangie was bookended by goals from Anthony Costa and Nathan Millgate as Marconi sent a clear signal that they will be one of the teams to beat this season.

The Stallions have now scored eight goals from their opening two matches further cementing their place on top of the NPL NSW ladder.

The National Premier Leagues NSW season has kicked off in emphatic style with a blockbuster opening round.

With new teams, new players and new coaches there was plenty for fans to get excited about and the first week of action certainly delivered.

Reigning Premiers Wollongong Wolves kicked off from where they finished the 2019 regular season with a win, while Rockdale Ilinden FC, Blacktown City, Marconi and Sydney FC also tasted victory.

Grand Final winner APIA Leichhardt had a tougher time in Round 1 as they were held by competition new boys North Shore Mariners on Saturday.

The weekend’s fixtures also marked Bushfire Relief Round with all clubs doing their bit to raise vital funds for those affected by this summer’s deadly bushfires.

North Shore Mariners 1 –  1 APIA Leichhardt at Lambert Park 

North Shore Mariners have made a strong start to their maiden National Premier Leagues NSW campaign as they shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw with APIA Leichhardt on Saturday.

The Champions got themselves off to a strong start in the new battle of Lambert Park as a first half header from Chris Payne put them into the lead on half-time.

Emmanuel Perters saved the day for the Mariners finding the back of the net 78 minutes in to set up a thrilling finish.

APIA were disappointed to lose control of the contest and not hold onto the three points.

For newcomers North Shore Mariners, they acquitted themselves well in their National Premier Leagues NSW debut.

Mount Druitt Town Rangers 1 – 2 Sydney FC at Popondetta Park

Sydney FC has opened the season in emphatic style stunning Mt Druitt Town Rangers 2-1 at Popondetta Park on Sunday

The young Sky Blues blasted into the lead after a two goal salvo from Jordan Swibel and Cameron Peupion inside the first nine minutes.

Sydney FC were able to hold on despite a late Rangers penalty to kick their campaign off with three points.

It was a frustrated first half from Mount Druitt, the home side rallied in the second half and created chances through Mirjam Pavlovic and Toufic Alameddine.

The latter got on the scoresheet late with a well-taken penalty for some consolation.

Blacktown City 1 – 0 Sydney United 58 FC at Lily Homes Stadium

A first half goal from Matt Lewis has helped Blacktown City clinch a hard-fought 1-0 win against Sydney United 58 at Lily Homes Stadium on Sunday.

The City captain scored the game’s only goal midway through the first half before marshalling a rigid Blacktown defence to secure three points for his side in their opening match of the campaign.

United 58 made plenty of work for Blacktown City shot stopper but they were unable to get past the experienced Tristan Pendergast.

It was certainly a game of two-halves as United then found themselves on the back foot after as it became City’s turn to squander opportunities before Thomas Manos came into his own and earned his keep.

Sydney Olympic 1 – 2 Wollongong Wolves at Belmore Sports Ground

Wollongong Wolves have opened their NPL NSW Premiership defence with a 2-1 win over Sydney Olympic at Belmore Sportsground on Sunday.

A Bul Jauch goal in the dying stages helped the Luke Wilkshire coached side to victory with the contest seemingly headed for a draw.

Lachlan Scott gave the Wolves the perfect start with a 10th minute strike but Olympic found an equaliser courtesy of Jason Madonis just after the restart.

But with time running down the Wolves youngster delivered for his side when it matters most to secure all three points.

Rockdale City Suns 2 – 1 Manly United FC at Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden FC have opened their season on a winning note overcoming Manly United 2-1 at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.

Goals to Alec Urosevski and Nikola Taneski were the difference for the home side as they held on despite a fast finishing Manly side putting the pressure on late.

Urosevski opened the scoring after 11 minutes from the penalty spot but Manly evened the ledger in the 38th minute when they too successfully dispatched a spot kick.

Manly were the aggressors in the second half but it was Rockdale who found the winner when Taneski scored against the run of play midway through the second stanza.

A late salvo from the Northern Beaches side nearly snatched a draw but it wasn’t enough as new Ilinden boss Steven Zoric tasted victory in his first official game in charge.

Marconi Stallions 4 – 1 Sutherland Sharks at Marconi Stadium

Marconi Stallions have defeated Sutherland Sharks 4-1 in an entertaining game at Bossley Park.

After securing the early lead thanks to a Mitchell Mallia strike, the home side were caught by the Sharks when Lachlan Everett balanced the ledger.

It was not until the second half that Marconi pulled away with two goals in fairly quick succession and then a late strike to round out the scoring.

The first goal of the second half belonged to Marko Jesic, followed by Connor Evans and then substitute Brandon Vella got in on the action at the death.

It was a dominant display by the Stallions, while the Sharks will be desperate to move on quickly after a tough start to the season.