Blacktown City has loosened their grip on the PlayStation®4 NPL NSW Men’s Premiership after suffering a shock loss during the weekend’s Round 19 action.
APIA Leichhardt Tigers moved to only three points behind Blacktown with three rounds remaining in the competition.
The battle for finals positions is the closest it has been all season with wins to Wollongong Wolves and Sydney United 58, as well as a loss to Sydney Olympic FC, closing the gap to only two points between all three sides fighting for fifth spot.
Manly United’s clash against Blacktown City FC on Saturday at Cromer Park was the Match of the round with the result setting up an exciting closing weeks to the season.
Manly United FC 2 - Blacktown City FC 1 at Cromer Park
MANLY United showed they are a genuine PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition title contender after beating league leaders Blacktown City FC 2-1 on Saturday night at Cromer Park.
A brace from Dejan Pandurevic ended Blacktown’s incredible undefeated run and boosted his Manly side’s finals hopes.
Joey Gibbs had put Blacktown in the lead after only five minutes before Pandurevic levelled the scores just after the halftime break.
With ten minutes left on the clock, Pandurevic struck again to clinch a vital three points and keep the Premiership race wide open for at least another week.
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Sydney FC 1 - Hakoah Sydney City East 1 at Lambert Park
Sydney FC and Hakoah Sydney City East shared the points on a frosty night at Lambert Park, settling for a 1-1 draw after exchanging goals in the first half of the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s competition clash.
Hakoah's player-coach Gavin Rae opened the scoring early, albeit for the opposition, with an own goal, before Hakoah pegged their opponents back with a Neil Jablonski header a little under twenty minutes later.
A goalless second half wasn't for the want of trying, but a draw would have appeared the fairest result – and so it ended.
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Wollongong Wolves 3 - Sutherland Sharks 0 at Albert Butler Memorial Park
Wollongong Wolves kept their PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s playoff push on track with a comfortable 3-0 win against a youthful Sutherland Sharks at Butler Memorial Park on Sunday.
The home side took charge early on with striker Peter Simonoski finding the net twice in the first twenty minutes.
A 60th minute penalty from star man Yuzo Tashiro wrapped up the result for the Wolves.
The win keeps Wollongong in a three-way battle for the competition’s final playoff spot with three rounds to play.
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Rockdale City Suns 2 - Bonnyrigg White Eagles 1 at Ilinden Sports Centre
A brace from Alec Urosevski has helped Rockdale City Suns snatch a 2-1 PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s victory against Bonnyrigg at Ilinden Sports Centre on Sunday.
A goal in each half from Urosevski helped the home team claim an unlikely victory after Bonnyrigg failed to turn their domination of the match into goals.
Former Socceroos shot stopper Ante Covic delivered an inspired performance for Rockdale making save after save to deny a relentless White Eagles attack.
Shervin Adeli gave the visitors hope when he struck from the penalty spot, but Bonnyrigg could not break down Covic and the Suns defence.
The win moves Rockdale into outright third on the ladder with only three rounds remaining until the playoffs.
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Parramatta FC 0 - Sydney United 58 FC 5 at Melita Stadium
Sydney United 58 have re-entered the PlayStation®4 National Premier Leagues NSW Men’s top five after easily accounting for 10-man Parramatta 5-0 in their round 19 clash at Melita Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Mark Rudan’s side struck twice in an eventful opening fifteen minutes with the Reds racing to a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Panny Nikas and Matt Sim.
Parramatta were reduced to ten men after 13 minutes following a bizarre red card to Victor Anyimba who was dismissed for lashing out at Peter Markovic on the halfway line.
The striker’s removal cut any hopes of an unlikely Parramatta comeback short, and although Marshall Soper’s side battled diligently for the remainder of the contest, the visitors added three second half goals through Sim as well as substitutes Adrian Vranic and Yutaro Shin to leapfrog Sydney Olympic into fifth position.
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Sydney Olympic FC 1 - APIA Leichhardt Tigers 2 at Belmore Sports Centre
APIA Leichhardt Tigers have sent a message to league leaders Blacktown City after a 2-1 win against Sydney Olympic FC at Belmore Sports Ground on Sunday, a loss that saw the Blues exit the top five for now.
APIA raced to an early lead through a David D’Apuzzo penalty before doubling their advantage early in the second half thanks to a Sean Symons goal.
A late to Jinya An strike gave the Tigers some heart palpitations late in the game, but in reality it was too little too late from the home side.
The win moves APIA only three points behind Blacktown City and busts the race for the Premiership title open with three weeks to play.
CLICK HERE for the full match report.