The National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Mens had some big matches on offer this week and resulted in some big results.

The league is squeezed tight all the way from top to bottom and winning results is the only way to break free of the stranglehold.

Here is how the action played out!

St George City FA 3 vs. Rydalmere Lions FC 2

With both sides in need of points, it was always going to be a long on a Sunday afternoon and the result was up for grabs right until the last.

Rydalmere opened the scoring through a strong header from Abuzar Awar. City responded just on the stroke of half time

Out from the restart, the Lions pulled back in front quickly on the back of some good build up play which ended in Adam Sayour firing a volley into the back of the net.

Shortly after, the hosts were awarded a penalty and converted from the spot to once again level up the scores.

The Lions were influenced by the strong play from Garang Awac, yet the match continued to be a battle between the sides.

Eventually a winner was scored, City netting in the last minute of the match to take all three points and jump the Lions on the ladder.

Match of the Round

Blacktown Spartans v Macarthur Rams

Spartans made their intentions clear that they belong in the race for the final six, whacking six past the Rams in front of the home fans.

Despite the final score line, it was the Rams who were out of the blocks the quickest as a back post cross found Clement Ebahece Waoci who controlled and fired at goal. The low driven shot forced  Spartans keeper Michael Figueira to get down quickly to palm the shot before it ricocheted into the post and out.

The following exchanges in the opening minutes were a little frantic at times as each side looked to impose their will in the match early.

It would be the home side who came out on top in the early periods after a corner was cleared to Lachlan Rose, who whipped in a perfect cross to Josh Tanner to head home.

The opening goal did not deter the efforts from the Rams, the next best chance fell to Sam Onana Awono who streaked down the right wing after winning the ball back and rifled a shot at goal. This time beating the keeper and striking the underside of the bar only it rather unbelievably rebounded out.

As the match continued, neither side really maintained a comfortable hold on possession and both were having difficulties building up and breaking down the defence.

That said, Spartans made the most of the few chances created and caught the Rams napping a little at the back on the counter. A deep cross found Lachlan Rose who fired across for Connor Eldridge to tap in from close range.

With minutes to half time the Rams went agonisingly close to pulling a goal back as Sam Onana Awono audacious volley was saved once again by keeper Michael Figueira. Spartans shot stopper then denied Clement Ebahece Waoci effort from inside the box to keep his sheets clean at the break.

Returning from the break, the match continued to be an arm wrestle in midfield, but Spartans knowing they had the lead began to settle and look more composed on the ball.

Again they made the Rams pay for napping at the back as a long clearance played in Lachlan Rose who slid the ball under the keeper and into the net. The goal opened the flood gates and Spartans fired another three goals in ten minutes, obliterating the Rams hopes of a comeback.

Another good counter press saw the home side win the ball back in the opponents half and quickly on the counter fired wide to Lachlan Rose, whose driven shot arrowed into the bottom corner.

That was four and minutes later number five was netted by Finley Hayhurst. Spartans Lachlan Rose once again proving pivotal, spun his defender and his shot forced an impressive save. The men in orange swarmed the rebound and just keeping it in and cutting back to Hayhurst who tapped home.

Number six and the icing on the cake for Spartans was a little fortunate, when a freekick into the box rebounded perfectly for Josh Tanner to fire home from close range.

After the sixth goal it was all smooth sailing for Spartans and the game fell into a contest in the middle of the park with little action at either end of the pitch.

In the dying embers of the game, Rams still searched for a consolation and were almost rewarded, Jamie Dib firing a low driven shot to force a save, but after copping six and out of gas no-one was there to follow up.

Spartans a dominant second half display earning them the three points and creeping towards sixth spot on the ladder.

Match Stats

Blacktown Spartans FC 6 (J. Tanner x 2, Lachlan Rose x 2, Connor Eldridge, Finley Hayhurst)

Macarthur Rams FC 0

Blacktown Spartans FC: D. Akol, H. Brown, C. Eldridge, L. Fraser, F. Hayhurst, M. Ireland, J. Orchard, E. Patramanis, K. Roberge, L. Rose, J. Tanner, N. Tarasenko, S. Tokuno, C. Torrelli, M. Ward, M. Figueira

Macarthur Rams FC: M. Arcosa, J. Dib, C. Ebahece Waoci, L. Fatica, A. Guzman, A. Haddad, J. Hilton, E. Kambisios, D. Lazarevski, J. Madden, Y. Maruyama, S. Onana Awono, C. Sheerin, M. Stojanovski, M. Trotter

 

Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 3 vs. Hills United FC 0

Bonnyrigg sent out a warning sign to the rest of the league on Saturday evening as they man handled league leaders Hills, claiming a comfortable victory to keep in touch with the top six.

In the opening fifteen minutes the home side piled on the pressure creating numerous chances and were rewarded when some good build up from Richie Darko on the wing led to Jack Armson firing home to open the scoring.

Darko was proving to be the influential figure in the Eagles attack and it was from his free kick that led to Asmir Kadric firing home the hosts second.

The first half honours went to the Eagles and in the second period there was more fight back from Hills yet neither side really could claim periods of dominance.

Reaching the last twenty minutes, substitute Mark Symington completed the scoring after getting onto the end of a through ball before calmly finishing.

 

St George FC 0 vs. Northern Tigers FC 1

With both sides in need of points, it was another tense game that seemed would end in stalemate until the Tigers struck late to snatch victory on the road

It was a good battle for the full ninety with both sides creating their share of opportunities, Juan Carlos Heras Romero once again dangerous for the Saints. For all the hard work both sides lacked the finishing touch at the last to pull ahead.

Ultimately it was a tactical move that worked in favour of the visitors as they pushed for the winner later in the match. Adding some more pace out wide to get in behind the defence paid off with Rory Spiers notching the sole goal of the match to give the Tigers the win.

 

GHFA Spirit FC 5 vs. Canterbury Bankstown FC 0

Spirit were back on fire in the front third, smashing five past Canterbury for the second time this season and squeezing more pressure on the top three on the ladder.

The hosts faced what could have been a tricky test against the relegated threatened Canterbury, instead, they nailed two early goals to put them in the box seat for the match.

Two well worked moves from set pieces saw both Louie’s get on the score sheet early for Spirit. Louis Bozanic firing home from a cutback and Louie Zaharopoulos on the end of a rehearsed corner routine.

The remainder of the half was kept evens, however at the return of play the action picked up again.

Canterbury came out with a little more fire to get back into the match, however, against a composed Spirit, they were unable to break through.

Spirit would respond by firing three goals in the space of four minutes midway through the second half that effectively ended the affair.

The home side relished having Louis Bozanic back in the side and he struck again to complete his brace. Shortly after super-sub Travis Cooper fired home and the performance was capped off by a good finish from Christopher Arditti.

 

Western Sydney Wanderers 1 vs. Central Coast Mariners FC 1

It ended in a tense stalemate in the A-League Academy encounter, neither side willing to relent.

Central Coast began in the ascendancy forcing a couple of early saves before Michael Katsoulis fired home, raising the stakes for the Wanderers.

The home side responding in kind shortly after when their deadly duo connected. Marley Peterson found Mohamed Adam with a through pass and he made no mistake in finding the net.

The match continued to provide entertaining football and both ends of the park there were golden opportunities to take the lead. The Wanderers went within inches on a couple of occasions as shots from Rory Jordan and Mohamed Adam crashed into the post and crossbar respectively.

Not to be outdone, Central Coast had their own close calls, Alec Vinci conjuring up some great chances including cracking one against the post.

Ultimately it would be called evens with neither side able to connect and strike the net once again.

 

North Shore Mariners FC 2 vs. Mounties Wanderers FC 4

The arrival of one Mark Bridge certainly did not disappoint and Mounties seemed to step up a gear to battle past North Shore and claim a hard fought victory to cap off the round.

It was a fiery in the opening minutes with a couple of heavy challenges from both sides, trying to assert their physical dominance in the match.

North Shore shortly turned to more finesse and had the lead in the sixth minute when Chris Lindsay delicately curled his free kick over the wall and into the bottom corner.

The home side took charge following the goal, however, Mounties would rally and through strong will and determination, levelled up. Sean Rooney connected a strong header from a corner which was saved off the line, Benjamin Spruce reacted the quickest and launched above the pack to head home the follow up.

The goals kept on coming with North Shore firing the next blow, Rainer Smahel smashing home from a bit of a goal box scramble. Minutes later though, the ball was once again in the back of the net. Sean Rooney taking aim from a free kick and picking out the top corner with precision.

It was a highly entertaining match and more opportunities soon arose as Mitchell Smith went close with a header for North Shore. Up the other end, Mounties had more success, some clever interplay led to a shot which ultimately rebounded up into the air before Tai Smith rose highest and nodding home

From the restart North Shore again were hottest to start and did net another goal, however, it was called back for offside. Mounties though maintain on course and a clever through ball saw Sean Rooney beat the keeper to the ball and nip it past into the net.

The excitement didn’t stop there, Daniel Saric was sent off to make the comeback trail that much more difficult for North Shore. Sean Rooney almost secured his hattrick with another free-kick, keeper Ryan Wood making the save of the day to deny.

Mitchell Smith made every effort to secure something for the home team but his header from the six yard box couldn’t hit the target.

Mounties winning number four on the trot and earning vengeance for their heavy defeat earlier in the season.

 

A final note – Thank you to Football NSW for the opportunity to cover NPL football, the fans and a big thank you to the players, our stars of the show.

This is goodbye for now, but I am sure I will see you all again on the pitch soon!

Eric Subijano will now take charge till the end of the NPL 2 NSW Men’s season.

 

NPL 2 Chief Writer – Marcus Flottmann

Twitter – @MarcusFlottmann

Is it Winter already?!

The matches on the weekend faced the brunt of a cold snap, chilling to the bone.

Round 5 produced another fine display of competitive football, the action keeping supporters warm on the sidelines.

Find out which teams were able to fire up their way to victory this week in the National Premier Leagues 2 NSW Mens.

Match of the Round: St George FC v Mounties Wanderers

It blew an absolute gale on Saturday evening at Ilinden Sports Centre as St George and Mounties matched up for the first time since the 2018 Grand Final, on this day, Mounties got their revenge.

Another old tale of two halves as St George coughed up a comfortable first half lead, Mounties storming their way to the finish line, running rampant in the second half with four unanswered goals, winning back some pride and the all-important three points.

The cold chilly weather was freezing all in the stands, yet it was delight to see it didn’t affect the action on the park, as it heated up immediately and kept on flaming bright until the final whistle, evident as out of the blocks, the hosts took the lead.

In only the second minute of the game, a simple recovery in possession allowed St George to get onto the front foot and counter, sending winger Marcus Beattie into space. He drove hard and fast towards the box before cutting back to Hussein Akil, who positioning himself pretty at the top of the box, cracked a first time curling shot, striking it into the underside of the crossbar and over the line.

Minutes later, Mounties had struck back. A free kick wide of the box was sent in towards the six yard box causing danger for the Saints, as Sean Rooney challenged keeper Anthony Costa for the ball, forcing an error as it dropped kindly to Tomi Mijic who tapped it in.

Had you turned your head away you would have missed more action as St George went close to taking the lead again with fantastic build up between Marcus Beattie and Kevin Lopes, seeing the latter, nod a ball into space in the box, with Beattie firing off a free shot but sending it over the bar.

It would be positive signs for the hosts as they did take the lead once again. Hussein Akil bent a free kick up and over the wall, dipping dangerously towards goal, Mounties keeper Dion Shaw looked to palm it clear, however, didn’t get enough on it and the ball settled into the back of the net.

Again the action would not relent as almost immediately from the restart Mounties should have levelled up. Tai Smith controlled a long ball, then cut it for Sean Rooney who looked to strike but deftly dropped it for the free run of Bruno Pivato, the midfielder firing a clear shot at goal too high.

Then in the blink of an eye, St George had bagged their third with Hussein Akil completing his hattrick. Stuck in a bit of trouble on the wing, Ali Nasreddine whipped the ball to Akil who cleverly flicked it past his marker and into the box before emphatically thumping home.

Mounties were still in the game, however they seemed to be only just holding on as St George continued to pepper their defensive resolve. The remainder of the first half, neither side could string together clear cut chances that had kept all spectators on the edge of their seats, the half ending with no further change to the score.

The return of the players to the field was welcome after the half-time break as it bore more waves of wintery air, again the action lightning up from the outset.

St George were aiming to keep themselves composed with their two goal advantage, however, that lead would be wiped away in a flash as Mounties brought the thunder.

It seemed a switch in mindset from the Mounties, with Jacob Poscoliero moving into the heart of defence and Theo Kofinas taking up a role in midfield, moving another imposing figure forward. With only five minutes into the half, Mounties subbed on Matthew West and the change brought immediate impact as he scored with his second touch of the game.

A long ball out from Dion Shaw found the head of West and he nodded on for Tai Smith who attacked the space ahead and cut back for the darting run of West who slid the ball into the back of the net.

Only one minute later the scores were tied up when Sean Rooney curled in a dangerous cross, beating the first man and finding the run of Theo Kofinas, the big man making no mistake and heading home.

Mounties kept up the attack and their clear sign of intent to get forward was proving beneficial to the side. Having played link up man for most of the match, Tai Smith went close to giving his side the lead, only for his clear chance to be fired straight at the keeper.

Still in the ascendancy, Mounties went dangerously close again as Sean Rooney got in behind the defence and one-on-one. Nervous tension filled the home side as he drew nearer to goal, thankfully for the Saints, keeper Anthony Costa came up with a massive save to deny the shot and ensure the scores remained even.

There was not much Costa could do only minutes later when Mounties did take the lead. Peter Triantis knocked a simple ball in behind, with Matthew West racing to the ball first, knocked it past the oncoming rush of Costa and into the net.

The goal seemed to knock the wind out of St George, who could barely believe they had given up their lead. They continue to compete and make waves towards goal, but Mounties kept on pushing back harder and harder. With five minutes left to play Mounties sealed their win when Sean Rooney whipped a deep curling corner to the back post to find the rising Tomi Mijic who headed into the path of Mitchell Davidson, and with a free header puts it in the back of the net.

There was one last push from St George but the match was already done. Simply blown away by the wind and the rampaging Mounties, the visitors dominant with four unanswered second half goals, claimed victory.

St George FC: H. Akil, S. Ali, J. Bandur, B. Bartels, M. Beattie, C. Jeong, M. Kokubo, B. Kubecka, D. Loe, K. Lopes, A. Nasreddine, T. Norval, M. Paz, A. Costa

Mounties Wanderers FC: N. Chianese, M. Cklamovski, M. Davidson, J. Groeneveld, J. Ingle, T. Kofinas, T. Mijic, B. Pivato, J. Poscoliero, S. Rooney, A. Schmidt, A. Schroeder, D. Shaw, T. Smith, P. Triantis, M. West

 

Bonnyrigg White Eagles FC 0 vs. Rydalmere Lions FC 0

A freezing cold fixture that ended in stalemate with neither side heating up enough to get themselves on the score board.

There were moments in the match that had the supporters off their feet as Bonnyrigg went unbelievably close to scoring, crashing a shot into the crossbar.

Rydalmere created a bunch of good opportunities and will be ruing that they were unable to beat Bonnyrigg shot stopper James Chronopoulos who put in a fine display.

All in all a match that entertained but deserved goals, the sides leaving with a point each.

 

Blacktown Spartans FC 2 vs. St George City FA 1

Spartans fought hard and got themselves back in the winners circle, notching a win at home against City.

Connor Eldridge put his side ahead early in the match and midway through the first stanza the Spartans had doubled their lead. The second coming off the back of a great cross from Lachlan Rose who found Shun Tokuno at the back post and fired home with a tidy volley.

Spartans would hold their two goal advantage into the second half, but City turned up the heat from the restart and found a way back into the match. Looking sharp in attack, City were led by Steve Kuzmanovski once again who netted to claw a goal back for the visitors.

With the momentum, City gained an air of superiority in the match and went in search of an equaliser. Building up as much as they could, they lacked the cutting edge to really drive home in moments when it mattered most.

The home side still had opportunities to seal the tie but went wayward in front of goal. Fortunate for the Spartans there was no further goals scored and they wrapped up another three points in front of the home crowd.

 

GHFA Spirit FC 1 vs. Macarthur Rams FC 1

It was almost the smash and grab story of the season when Macarthur rolled in to face Spirit. Scoring early and holding their lead until the final ten minutes, when the league leaders finally found the net to equalise.

There was shock and silence around the home crowd when Anthony Haddad smacked one into the back of the net for the Rams, only ten minutes into the match. It then seemed to be all defence for the Rams who held tight and compact fending off the league leaders.

Surprisingly Spirit were the side finding it difficult to find their groove, with a bit of the wintery wind playing its part in disrupting their flow. Macarthur made life uncomfortable for the home side and a few of their counter attacks looked to be showing signs of danger for Spirit.

At the return of play, it was another deep block from the Rams, their defensive resolve holding steady despite Spirit beginning to make headway towards goal.

It seemed time was going to run out for Spirit yet they finally found a way through the Rams defence with substitute Travis Cooper coming to the rescue. With the momentum heading into the dying moments it seemed another win was on the cards for the home side, yet Macarthur defended well denying the hosts, the match ending with the scores locked at one a piece.

 

Northern Tigers FC 3 vs. Canterbury Bankstown FC 0

Tigers put in the hard yards and defeated Berries at home, capturing three points, the perfect response to last week.

The home side began the match with an intensity to get on the front foot and take it to their opponents, only to find frustration staring at them in the face. During the first period, Berries found ways to continually repel the Tigers efforts, even going close to taking the lead themselves. Tigers had debutant keeper Benjamin Taylor to thank, making his mark with some strong saves.

As the halftime whistle was about to be blown, Joshua Swadling finally lashed one in, giving the hosts the lead.

A response was clearly needed by the Berries and in the second half the visitors began to go on the offensive, seeking a way back into the match.

Their tactical change in combination with the gusts of wind weening down seemed to favour the Tigers as the game opened up. With the lead already intact, the home side were able to find players in pockets of space and kept on the attack for goals.

It proved profitable for the Tigers and they grabbed another goal through Shervin Adeli midway through the second half. Now with a comfortable lead, the game seemed to be out of hands for the Berries. The Tigers added salt into the wound in injury time as Matthew Warner fired home a third, the home side claiming three points.

 

Western Sydney Wanderers FC 4 vs. Hills United FC 1

Two teams that came into the fixture on a run of two wins each, left it all on the pitch with the Wanderers arising victorious.

Hills seemed to be the side that got the better of the chances in the first half, striking the crossbar and going close in a one-on-one.

The second half, the Wanderers were the better team and broke through just as play had resumed, Dan Wilmering the fastest to react from a deflected shot, scoring the opening goal.

Hills would strike back and levelled up through Daine Merrin, setting up a thrilling final third of the match. Their goal was quickly cancelled out when the Wanderers broke quickly with Wilmering turning provider for Mohamed Adam who finished off the cross.

Again the visitors rallied and pushed hard, mixing it up and pressing on they were dangerously close to finding the equaliser on several attempts, leaving hands on heads instead.

With the game still in their hands the Wanderers made more strides towards goal and Marley Peterson found the back of the net as injury time loomed, essentially knocking off the last of the Hills attacks.

In injury time, the Wanderers capped off the strong performance as Mohamed Adam completed his brace, a long range effort taking a slight deflection and hitting the net.

 

North Shore Mariners FC 2 vs. Central Coast Mariners 1

As the referee called a close to play, North Shore raised their arms and voices in jubilation as they were triumphant in the Mariners derby.

In a fiery fixture, there would be no crashing of the homecoming party at Northbridge Oval, as the home side maintained a level of dominance throughout the first half. Their physicality too great for the Central Coast, as the young side got sucked into the battle and straying from their typical style of play.

North Shore were gifted the lead mid-way through the first half when a clearance deflected into the path of Mitchell Smith who fired easily into the open goal. They almost doubled their goal tally yet, Central Coast keeper Joe Gauci made a fantastic save.

The second half continued to be a battle for supremacy between the sides and Central Coast will be regretting that they were unable to put away a penalty to level up the tie. North Shore recaptured their momentum and struck the post sending clear sign that a goal was imminent.

Not yet out of the match, Central Coast conjured up their chances and were also unfortunate to strike the post.

The final fifteen minutes proved to be a frantic race to the finish. Mitchell Smith displayed immense power, pace and poise, breaking free on goal and calmly firing home to double the home side’s lead.

It finally shook awake the Central Coast and with time running low they finally pulled one back through Dylan Ruiz-Diaz. Press as hard as they could it was too little too late from the visitors, losing Jordan Smylie to a second yellow card and eventually the match.

NPL 2 Chief Writer – Marcus Flottmann

Twitter – @MarcusFlottmann