Reigning Champions Sutherland Sharks look on course for more silverware at the half way point of the NPL NSW Men’s 20’s season.
Can anyone stop the Sharks in the second half of the campaign?
Match of the Round
APIA Leichhardt Tigers v Manly United, Sunday 1.30pm at Lambert Park
APIA Leichhardt Tigers host Manly United at Lambert Park on Sunday afternoon looking to avoid a fourth straight defeat.
The Tigers currently reside in eighth position and are five points of fifth-placed Wollongong Wolves but risk slipping further into the chasing pack if they are unable to secure a victory over Manly on the weekend.
Franco Consentino’s side will certainly consider the opening half of the campaign as one in which the Tigers have underperformed with APIA, the only team yet to register a draw this season, failing to string back to back wins together all year.
It’s been a similar story for visitors Manly United who sit level on the Tigers on twelve points, but enter the game in far better nick having defeated Wollongong Wolves, Sydney United and drawn with Bonnyrigg White Eagles in their last three fixtures.
The Cromer Park outfit appear to be hitting their stride after struggling early on, particularly after improving at the defensive end of the pitch: Manly have conceded just the single goal in their last three fixtures and will arrive at Lambert Park with a great chance to lift themselves up the table.
Saturday
Sutherland Sharks v Rockdale City Suns, 4.30pm at Seymour Shaw
Sutherland Sharks are aiming to extend their competition lead when struggling Rockdale City Suns come calling at Seymour Shaw on Saturday afternoon.
The Sharks currently hold a six-point advantage over nearest rivals Blacktown City, whom Sutherland comfortably beat 3-0 at home last Saturday in a performance that underlined the side’s dominance of the NPL NSW Men’s 20’s competition in the last two years.
Outside a shock 2-1 loss at home to Sydney Olympic at the start of the month, the reigning champions have been imperious this campaign and will be brimming with confidence ahead of their clash with Rockdale.
A massive performance is required from the visitors if the Suns are to pull off an upset, but Rockdale will be bolstered by a superb comeback against third-placed Sydney FC last Saturday, in which the Suns clawed their way from two-nil down to clinch a draw with the competition heavyweights.
Rockdale should also be buoyed by their 1-1 draw with the Sharks secured back in round one, a match that saw former striker James Temelkovski net a late equalizer against the Suns to rescue a point for the 2017 champions. Temelkovski has scored seven goals in 10 appearances for Nick Dimovski’s side this season.
Bonnyrigg White Eagles v Sydney Olympic, 5.00pm at Bonnyrigg Sports Club
Bonnyrigg White Eagles will have their sights set on three points in their fixture with bottom-placed Sydney Olympic at Bonnyrigg Sports Club this Saturday.
Currently in seventh position on the ladder, The White Eagles have been quietly impressive over the last two months and are starting to turn heads entering the second half of the campaign.
Hamish Brown’s side have kept a remarkable four clean sheets in their last five matches, and this gritty organization leaves the White Eagles with a superb platform to mount an assault on the top five in the second half of the season.
They’ll want to start by dispatching the challenge of Sydney Olympic, who come into the encounter on the bottom of the table but have enjoyed their best form of the season in recent weeks. The Blues have drawn with top-five sides Sydney FC and Wollongong Wolves while also notching a massive upset victory over Sutherland Sharks in their last four matches.
Although Olympic were beaten 3-1 by Sydney United 58 last Saturday, their recent turnaround in form and results ought to guarantee a fiercely contested battle in Bonnyrigg.
Sydney United 58 v Marconi Stallions, 5.30pm at Sydney United Sports Centre
Sydney United 58 have their season back on track and are aiming for two wins on the bounce for the arrival of Marconi Stallions in Edensor Park this Saturday evening.
The Reds snapped a six-match losing streak by defeating Sydney Olympic 3-1 last Saturday but know further improvement is required if United 58 are to contest for silverware this campaign.
United 58 will enter the clash with Marconi four points adrift of fifth-placed Wollongong Wolves and face an uphill battle over the course of the next 11 rounds to return among the competition heavyweights.
Their cause should be helped by the signing of former Rockdale striker Dimitrios Petratos, who netted a crucial goal on debut against Olympic last weekend. Prior to the victory over Olympic the Reds had scored just twice in five matches and will be hoping to rejuvenate their clinical edge in front of goal against Marconi, in which the likes of Petratos and Sam Perre should feature heavily.
The visiting Stallions are searching for a much-needed win knowing anything less could see Marconi drop into last place. Nahuel Arrarte’s side have lost six of their last seven fixtures and have failed to score in three of their last four.
Sunday
Hakoah Sydney City East v Sydney FC, 1.00pm at Hensley Athletic Field
A big opportunity awaits Hakoah Sydney City East this Sunday with third-placed Sydney FC arriving at Hensley Athletic Field.
A victory for Hakoah will see the fourth-placed outfit leapfrog the Sky Blues in the table and firmly stake an outside claim in the premiership race. After a disastrous start to the season, Paul Hubbard’s gritty Hakoah side has won six of their last seven and will no doubt enter the clash with Sydney in high spirits.
Hakoah’s optimism should be buoyed further by Sydney’s stuttering recent form over the past month, in which the Sky Blues have dropped points against bottom clubs Sydney Olympic and Rockdale City Suns. Sydney have also been less than convincing from a defensive standpoint this campaign, conceding seven more goals than their opponents and sharing the second-worst record alongside Marconi.
However, Hakoah will be equally guarded by Sydney’s deadly frontline in Hamish Lamberton and former player Jordan Swibel, who lead the competition’s top scorers with 12 and 11 goals apiece. Sydney’s attacking prowess matched against Hakoah’s superb organization will make for an intriguing and potentially crucial encounter at Hensley Athletic Field.
Blacktown City v Wollongong Wolves, 1.00pm at Lily’s Football Centre
A wounded Blacktown City side will accept nothing less than three points and a big performance when they host Wollongong Wolves at Lily’s Football Centre on Sunday afternoon.
John Carnevale’s outfit were handsomely beaten 3-0 by premiership rivals Sutherland last week and with the gap between the competition leaders extended to six points Blacktown know the margin for error is diminishing by the week.
They’ll want to lift themselves back into the premiership discussion with a commanding display at home over a finals rival in Wollongong, who have run into an inconsistent patch of form in the last month with just two wins from five, but have proven tricky opponents over the course of the year.
The Wolves also boast one of the competition’s standout attackers in Tory Musumeci, who has netted nine goals in 11 appearances for Wollongong and accounts for over half of the side’s goals scored this season.
-By Jacob Windon
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