Moving into Round 5 of the BUPL this week we see sides still searching for their first points of the season while our table leaders start to drift away from the rest of the competition.
Our round 5 match of the round will see Bankstown Sports Strikers look to get back to winning ways as they take on a red hot Padstow United at Padstow Park.
Elsewhere, Greenacre Eagles and Bass Hill Rangers will play off with both sides looking for their first points of the season, while Panania Diggers and Yagoona Lions go head to head in a top of the table clash.
Revesby Workers will play an inform Georges River Thistle at Marco Reserve, while Central Sydney Wolves look to go back-to-back against a strong outfit in Padstow Hornets.
Friday 31st of March 2023
Match of the Round: Bankstown Sports Strikers vs Padstow United, 8:30pm @ Padstow Park
Previous Meeting: Bankstown Sports Strikers 1-0 Padstow United – Rd2, 2022
Bankstown Sports Strikers are in search of an important three points this weekend as they take on Padstow United coming off a massive 13-2 victory against Revesby Workers.
The last time these two sides met was in a catch-up game in 2022 where Bankstown Sports Strikers would come away with a 1-0 victory after a decisive goal by strikers number 9 Esoghume Dominic.
Bankstown Sports Strikers were upset in last week’s games against CSW which will have them even more determined to get the three points this weekend.
They would will look to have a strong defence against a side who has been firing in front of goal this season with 19 goals in 4 games.
However, Padstow United have conceded 10 goals in their opening 4 games which will be something Bankstown Sports Strikers will look to exploit.
Padstow United are coming off a big victory in round 4 against Revesby Workers.
Both Padstow United’s attackers John Martinez and Rafa Coutinho picked up 6 goals each in last weekend’s match against Revesby Workers and they will need to be firing again as they look to get the win against strong opposition.
With both 2022 finalists looking to stay up around the top 5 of the table, we expect this weeks match of the round to go down to the wire.
Saturday 1st of April 2023
Greenacre Eagles vs Bass Hill Rangers, 4pm @ Allum Park
Previous Meeting: Greenacre Eagles 6-1 Bass Hill Rangers – Round 10, 2021
Greenacre Eagles will take on Bass Hill Rangers at their home ground Allum Park as this looks to be another massive fixture as both sides look for their first points of the season.
The last time these two sides met was in round 10 of the 2021 campaign where Greenacre Eagles ran over Bass Hill in a 6-1 win.
Greenacre performed well against our current leader in Yagoona Lions last weekend, however a late charge by Yagoona Lions saw Greenacre lose 5-1.
Greenacre will look to improve on their defence if they’re to get the three points this weekend.
Bass Hill also went down last week to Georges River Thistle after conceding twice in the last 10 minutes of the match to lose 2-0.
Bass Hill have gone into halftime at 0-0 for 4 straight weeks, the question is, will there be a goal in the first half of this match?
I can promise you one thing, with both sides eager to put points on the board, both sides will come out with a lot of energy, grit and determination to get the three points this weekend.
Panania Diggers vs Yagoona Lions, 4pm @ Kelso South
Previous Meeting: Panania Diggers 0-1 Yagoona Lions – Rd 20, 2022
Panania Diggers will host Yagoona Lions in a top of the table clash as both sides are undefeated heading into round 5 with Yagoona Lions sitting two points clear of Panania Diggers.
The last time these two sides met was in round 20 of 2022 where Yagoona were able to hold out Panania Diggers to win the match 1-0.
Panania Diggers have had one of the best defences to start off the competition having only conceded 2 goals in their opening 4 matches. Panania Goalkeeper Logan Hession and defenders Josh Bull, Douglas Nabaki, Anthony Di Lucchio and James Dedousis will need to be strong if they are to hold out Yagoona’s firing attack.
Yagoona’s attackers Jamie Bazevski, Joshua Briskoski and Adrian Ristevski have been the focal point for Yagoona’s strong start to the season. If they are to get the three points this weekend, they will need all three firing in front of goal.
However, Yagoona will be hoping to improve on their defence If they’re to stay towards the top of the table this season.
With this being a top of the table clash, and a battle between one of the best attacks and defences in the league, I can promise you, this is a game you will not want to miss.
Revesby Workers vs Georges River Thistle, 4pm @ Marco Reserve
Previous Meeting: Georges River Thistle 0-6 Revesby Workers – Rd 22, 2022
A struggling Revesby Workers will play at home against a Georges River Thistle looking to go back-to-back-to-back.
The last time these two sides met was in Round 22 of the 2022 season where Revesby Workers absolutely dominated the game and won 6-0. Revesby Workers will need to do it tough to get a scoreline like this again.
Revesby Workers have struggled so far with keeping the ball out of their own net conceding 30 goals in their opening 4 games. If they’re to be competitive in this match, they will need to be more structured defensively.
However, Revesby Workers have proven they can score goals this season hitting the back of the net in all of their games and they will need to be clinical in front of goal to find their first points of the season.
After a slow start to the season, Georges River Thistle have picked up back-to-back wins in their last two games.
After conceding 7 goals in their opening 2 games, Georges River Thistle have switched on defensively and kept 2 clean sheets in their last 2 games. Their defensive has ultimately been focal to the turnaround in their results and will be important if they’re to make it three wins in a row this weekend.
With both sides having something to play for this weekend, we expect this game to have high intensity for the full 90 minutes in a game that will be won through each sides defence.
Central Sydney Wolves vs Padstow Hornets, 6:15pm @ Lockwood Park
Previous Meeting: Central Sydney Wolves 0-25 Padstow Hornets
Central Sydney Wolves will take on Padstow Hornets at Lockwood Park in a game where both sides have an opportunity to climb the ladder with three points.
The last time these two sides met Padstow Hornets absolutely embarrassed Central Sydney Wolves in a 25-0 victory. Central Sydney Wolves will be eager to get a result in this game to show their improvement in 2023.
Central Sydney Wolves picked up a massive 1-0 win against Bankstown Sports Strikers in last weekends game.
Central Sydney Wolves defence has been strong to start the season, however, they will looking to score more of their chances going forward if they are to beat a Padstow defence that has only conceded 2 goals in 4 games.
Padstow Hornets have been very strong to start the season as they continue their undefeated run.
However they will be disappointed to have drawn two games in their opening four matches and will see this fixture as a must win game.
Padstow Hornets struggled to create chances in their round 4 fixture against Panania Diggers and they will need to be better across the pitch to create more chances and beat a strong Central Sydney Wolves defence.
This looks to be an exciting game to end round 5 where the result could go either way.
