Round 19 Preview

6 June , 2023 By Mark Stavroulakis

Round 18 of the National Premier Leagues NSW Men's provided some interesting results as the teams begin to bunch up in the middle of the table.

Therefore round 19 offers the chance for teams to stake their claim for positions in the top places.

Here's the rundown.

Sydney FC v Manly United FC

7:30 pm, Friday 9 June, Valentine Sports Park

Sydney FC play Manly United at Valentine Sports Park on Friday night in an intriguing matchup.

The young Sky Blues got their second win in the last three weeks with a late turnaround against Sydney Olympic last weekend.

Sydney FC were down 1-0 heading into the final three minutes before Oscar Priestman and Nathan Paull each scored to get their team a vital victory.

It's kept Jimmy van Weeren's team inside the top five and only six points away from third.

Manly came back from two goals down against Rockdale Ilinden to draw 2-2 in round 18.

Matthew Sim was instrumental in the side's comeback scoring the first while being an all-round key attacking weapon for United.

Just one defeat in their last five matches has helped push the team away from relegation, now seven points clear of 15th.

With so few points between the teams in the middle of the table, a win for Patrick Zwaanswijk's side could see them shoot up the places.

Manly earned a win against Sydney FC earlier in the season getting up 2-1 which was their first victory of the campaign.

Wollongong Wolves v Bulls FC Academy

7:30 pm, Friday 9 June, WIN Stadium

Wollongong Wolves host Bulls FC Academy on Friday night at WIN Stadium in a must-win game for the South Coast side.

The Wolves were left heartbroken by the concession of a goal in the final two minutes against Marconi Stallions in round 18 to go down 1-0.

They remain in the bottom half of the table and could drop into the bottom three if they lose this one and other results go against them.

David Carney's team will need an improvement on the last time they faced the Bulls where they shared the points in a 1-1 draw early in the season.

Last weekend's defeat for the Academy was a potentially defining result losing 2-1 to Mount Druitt Town Rangers.

Zeljko Kalac's team are now 11 points away from safety and have a tough run of fixtures coming up facing four of the top six sides in the coming weeks after the Wolves match.

This is a crucial game for both teams this weekend with a much-needed three points on the line.

Sydney United 58 FC v Western Sydney Wanderers FC

5:00 pm, Saturday 10 June, Sydney United Sports Centre

Sydney United 58 play host to Western Sydney Wanderers at Sydney United Sports Centre on Saturday eager to continue their positive momentum.

Sydney United 58 got back to winning ways in the NPL NSW Men's in style knocking off league leaders APIA Leichhardt 2-1 over the weekend.

Attacking duo Patrick Antelmi and Chris Payne scored the goals in United's first win since round 14.

It's also seen the team leap back into the top six, but still 13 points behind APIA.

Couple this with earning their place in the round of 32 of the Australia Cup, it caps off a superb week for Miro Vlastelica's men.

After a series of poor results in the NPL NSW Men's, the past few days has the potential to give the team the boost they need to push back up the table.

Western Sydney lost again in round 18 following a 2-1 defeat to St George City.

The team found themselves 2-0 down by the 54th minute and couldn't get back into the game despite Jesse Cameron's goal.

Now seven points away from safety, Andrew Chirstiansen's team need to start picking up results before the gap to guaranteed NPL NSW Men's football next year gets too big.

United come into this one with plenty of confidence but the Wanderers will be desperate for the victory setting up an exciting match on Saturday.

NWS Spirit FC v Sutherland Sharks FC

5:30 pm, Saturday 10 June, Christie Park

NWS Spirit face Sutherland Sharks at Christie Park on Saturday looking to build on their recent winning form.

A blistering first-half display against Blacktown City in round 18 saw the team go into the sheds three goals to the good.

Mitchell Davidson, Ollie Wiggin and Richard Darko scored the goals to secure a result that sends Spirit 10 points clear of the relegation zone.

A win against the Sharks would lift them into the top half of the table representing a fantastic turnaround for the newly-promoted outfit.

Sutherland failed to win again in round 18 being held to a 0-0 draw with Central Coast Mariners.

It leaves Damir Prodanovic's men stuck in the middle of the table with another defeat this weekend seeing them drop back towards the bottom of the table.

However, in contrast, they remain a win away from the top six making this weekend's match an important one for the visitors.

This is one to keep an eye on with the pressure to move away from the mid-table a strong incentive for these teams.

St George City FA v Marconi Stallions FC

7:00 pm, Saturday 10 June, Penshurst Park

St George City and Marconi Stallions go head-to-head at Penshurst Park on Saturday night, providing one of the games of the weekend in the NPL NSW Men's.

St George made it back-to-back wins in round 18 edging past Western Sydney Wanderers 2-1.

Presley Ortiz and Kosta Petratos scored the goals in a result that kept the team inside the top four and lifted them to 10 points away from the summit.

Marconi also earned a big win in round 18 scoring in the final two minutes to get a win against Wollongong Wolves.

Marko Jesic bagged the goal off the bench which was his first since round nine and his first appearance in the competition since round twelve.

APIA Leichhardt's defeat has seen the team go just three points behind the league leaders making them the new nearest challengers in second.

It was a thrilling fixture when these teams met in round four with St George announcing themselves to the competition with a 3-2 victory.

This is a high-stakes fixture in the battle for the title with the teams needing to keep the pressure on APIA.

Mount Druitt Town Rangers v APIA Leichhardt FC

7:00 pm, Saturday 10 June, Popondetta Park

Mount Druitt Town Rangers seek to continue their best form of the season up against APIA Leichhardt on Saturday night at Popondetta Park.

Mount Druitt made it back-to-back wins for the second time in 2023 edging out Bulls FC Academy 2-1 last Saturday.

Rhett De Silva gave the team an early lead that was cancelled out by halftime before Abdelelah Faisal came off the bench to net the winner in the last minute of the game.

Now seven points clear of the relegation zone, three points for Stewart Montgomery's team could see them rise into the middle of the table.

APIA Leichhardt lost their second game of the season going down 2-1 to Sydney United 58 last Sunday.

It trims their lead at the top of the competition to three points putting the pressure back on the league-leading side.

Franco Parisi's team produced a professional performance against the Rangers in round four with a 2-0 victory.

This promises to be an exciting clash where the hosts have the chance to pile on the APIA misery and cause another major upset in the NPL NSW Men's.

Rockdale Ilinden FC v Sydney Olympic FC

3:00 pm, Sunday 11 June, Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre

Rockdale Ilinden take on Sydney Olympic on Sunday at Rockdale Ilinden Sports Centre keen to put a tough run of results behind them in what will be a hotly contested battle between two arch-rivals.

It's been a torrid past couple of weeks for Ilinden crashing out in the Australia Cup to FNSW League One side Inter Lions while also failing to win their last three league matches.

Last weekend, Paul Dee's team held on for a 2-2 draw with Manly United.

The side found themselves 2-0 up before the half-hour mark through Alec Urosevski and Nikola Ujdur, but they gave that lead up early in the second half.

However, APIA's defeat to Sydney United 58 in round 18 has moved Rockdale to only five points behind the league leaders.

Sydney Olympic suffered a late comeback against Sydney FC last Sunday to lose their eighth match of the season.

Roy O’Donovan gave the team a first-half lead before two goals in the final three minutes of the match condemned the reigning premiers to defeat.

That result has seen Labinot Haliti's men drop into 11th on the table and they could fall into the bottom three if results don't go their way this weekend.

These NPL NSW Men's giants could both do with the points this weekend with the sides finding wins hard to come by at the moment.

Blacktown City FC v Central Coast Mariners FC

3:00 pm, Sunday 11 June, Landen Stadium

Blacktown City take on Central Coast Mariners on Sunday in a vital game for the struggling champions at Landen Stadium.

City were left stunned by a sensational first half from NWS Spirit last Saturday finding themselves 3-0 down at the break.

Goals to Jak O’Brien and Carlos De Oliveira weren't enough for Mark Crittenden's side to mount an extraordinary comeback, meaning it's just one win in five for the team.

Blacktown are slipping towards the middle of the table now and the Mariners could leapfrog them this weekend with a victory.

Central Coast shared the points with Sutherland Sharks in a 0-0 draw at Seymour Shaw last Friday night continuing their strong form recently.

The side have lost only once since round nine which was that Manly game that took more than two weeks to be completed.

City managed to snatch the points against the Mariners in round four with a narrow 1-0 victory.

That win was one of only three times they’ve picked up maximum points away from home in 2023.

Both teams will be raring to go for this one with a place in the top half of the table up for grabs.

Preview by Timothy Gibson, on Twitter @Timg123_

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