PS4 NPL SA Round 1 Preview

Get the lowdown on the four Saturday matches in the opening round of PlayStation 4 NPL South Australia.

MetroStars vs. West Torrens Birkalla

Saturday 18th February, 3pm.

TK Shutter Reserve, Fourth Avenue, Klemzig.

MetroStars kick off the 2017 PlayStation 4 National Premier League South Australia by welcoming West Torrens Birkalla to TK Shutter Reserve in what is sure to be a showcase of fast-paced, end-to-end football.

Having just scraped into the top six after picking up form around the midway point of last season, MetroStars will look to do the reverse this year by getting off to a strong start.

In his first full season at the helm, Coach Robbie Saraceno aims to take the Klemzig based club back to the finals for a second time.

Birkalla will be looking to crack the top two and compete for the Minor Premiership in 2017 after finishing in third place for back to back seasons.

The Novar Gardens club were unlucky not to have taken out first place back in 2015 having finished just two points shy, but last season they finished a fair way back as Adelaide City and Campbelltown ran away with the competition.

Brendan Simpkins’s full preview can be found HERE.

Para Hills Knights vs. Adelaide Comets

Saturday 18th February, 3pm.

The Paddocks, Bridge Road & Kesters Road, Para Hills

Para Hills Knights return to the PlayStation 4 National Premier Leagues South Australia, after a one year hiatus in State League 1 to face Adelaide Comets at the Paddocks this Saturday.

The Knights prepared themselves for the upcoming season by strengthening their squad with PlayStation 4 NPL stalwarts Alex Sunasky, Shane Tobias, and Mathew Mullen – the former two arriving from Adelaide City with the latter arriving from Adelaide Raiders.

Matthew Mullen is also joined by his brother, Alex Mullen, who arrived from A-League side Sydney FC.

First up, standing in the way of Para Hills, is fellow finals aspirants Adelaide Comets.
The Comets signed the likes of Lewis Farquhar and Mitchell Nicholson from Adelaide City and West Adelaide in the off-season, whilst also importing Dutchman, Maarten Boddaert, from Dutch second division side FC Den Bosch.

Chris Munker’s full preview can be found HERE.

Croydon Kings vs. West Adelaide

Saturday 18th February, 3pm.

Polonia Reserve, Essex Crescent, Croydon

Croydon Kings will be hoping they can repeat their heroic display of last season’s Round 22 rout of their visitor West Adelaide in their first-round match of the PlayStation 4 NPLSA season at Polonia Reserve.

Both teams are former Champions of the league in recent times, but both had a mediocre 2016 season by their own standards. West Adelaide were out of the blocks and flying last year, but faded by round 22. Croydon in contrast found themselves fighting for survival for most of the season. The pressure of relegation finally bringing out the best in the Croydon boys, evident in their 3-0 round 22 win over West Adelaide at home.

Credit to Brazzale and his playing group who never lost faith in each other last season, even when results weren’t going their way.

Brazzale faces another tough challenge this season to get his side back into the finals race. The loss of Elvis Kamsoba has been well covered by the signing in the off season of Paul Radice (WT Birkalla).

Radice has been finding the back of the net consistently in the pre-season competition, an element in Croydon’s game that was lacking last year. Croydon also welcome back Frankie Violi after a horrific run of injuries.

The “Kings” will need to bring grit and determination to the contest on Saturday if they are to have any chance to steal a victory against a hungry West Adelaide outfit. Rocky Visconte will once again be the Kings’ barometer. Croydon will be benefit immensely if Visconte can stay fit and healthy.

West Adelaide under the guidance of new Coach Robbie Ditroia will be looking to dictate terms early in the first-round contest through their silky ball magnet Ricardo Da Silva.

Joe Pangallo’s full preview can be found HERE.

Adelaide United Youth vs. Adelaide Olympic

Saturday 18th February, 7pm.

The Parks Football Centre, Cowan Street, Angle Park

Last season, both Adelaide United and Adelaide Olympic finished near the bottom of the ladder. Despite having solid campaigns, Olympic only two points ahead of United in ninth spot, on 22 points.

Currently under new management and having bolstered their squads, both sides will look to be more of a threat in 2017.

During the 2016/17 season, Adelaide United recorded a 2-0 away win in Round 11, and Olympic also got a win on the board, securing a 2-1 triumph over the Young Reds in Round 22.

Cassandra Treppiedi’s full preview can be read HERE.