With three games remaining in the Bankstown Umbro Premier League competition, this weekend brings us one of our most exciting games yet as we see two top four clashes in Round 16.
Our Match of the Round this weekend sees Yagoona Lions go head-to-head with Panania Diggers as Yagoona Lions look to extend their win streak to seven games.
Earlier, we get round two of our 2022 Grand Final rematch as Padstow Hornets host the Bankstown Sports Strikers on Friday night, before Georges River Thistle look to keep their finals hopes alive as they take on Revesby Workers.
Elsewhere, Padstow United look to extend their unbeaten streak to three matches as they host Bass Hill Rangers at Playford Park.
Central Sydney Wolves have a bye this round.
Match of the Round: Yagoona Lions vs Panania Diggers, 15th July 4pm @ O’Neill Park
Previous Meeting: Panania Diggers 2-1 Yagoona Lions – Rd 5, 2023
Yagoona Lions took another step towards Minor Premiers honours in Round 15 as they defeated Bass Hill Rangers 5-1 at Padstow Park, while Panania Diggers dropped down to 3rd position on the competition ladder after they were defeated 2-1 to the Bankstown Sports Strikers in Round 15.
When these two sides clashed in Round 5, Panania’s striker Nicholas Vertsonis as he scored a brace for his side to come back from a goal deficit and win the game 2-1.
1st placed Yagoona Lions have won six games straight and will look to continue their winning form; with three rounds left, if Yagoona were to win all their matches, they will claim minor premiership which would be in the back of their minds heading into this match.
Yagoona Lions will look to use their pace in wide areas to get behind Panania’s defence and create goal scoring opportunities which they will need to convert.
Jamie Bazevski will look to be Yagoona’s main target in attack once again as he looks to continue his run of goalscoring form, expect Panania Diggers to apply a lot of pressure to him in defence to limit his chances in front of goal.
3rd placed Panania Diggers will be eager to get back to winning ways and not suffer back-to-back losses for the first time this season after they lost 2-1 to Bankstown Sports Strikers last weekend.
Panania Diggers will be without Hayden Probert who has scored in back-to-back matches after he received a second yellow card and was sent off in their match against the Strikers.
A loss this weekend could be detrimental to the Diggers as they could fall to 4th position if results don’t go their way; Panania would be eager to finish in the top 3 this season which will have them fired up for a winning performance this weekend.
Every match becomes critical for both sides heading into the final three weeks of the season; expect both sides to be craving success this weekend as they look to finish as high as possible on the ladder.
Bankstown Sports Strikers vs Padstow Hornets, 14th July 8:30pm @ Stuart Street Reserve
Previous Score: Padstow Hornets 3-4 Bankstown Sports Strikers – Rd 6, 2023
Bankstown Sports Strikers will look for three wins on the trot after they won 2-1 against Panania Diggers in Round 15, while Padstow Hornets had a minor setback as they drew 2-2 with Georges River Thistle in Round 15.
These two sides met in what could be this year’s game of the season back in Round 6, Bankstown Sports Strikers were down 3-1 with ten men before they came back to win 4-3.
2nd placed Bankstown Sports Strikers showed their resilience in defence as they went up 2-1 against Panania Diggers in 58th minute before holding Panania out for the rest of the match to win the game 2-1.
Bankstown Sports Strikers were the better of the two sides in attack as they created many chances in front of goal against a strong Panania defence, however they lacked the finishing touch as they will look to be more clinical in front of goal this weekend.
Bankstown Sports Strikers will be lacking a few members of their squad for this clash as their top goal scorer Robson De Souza and Abbas Saleh were sent off Round 15 against Panania Diggers.
With their top goalscorer out this weekend, Bankstown Sports Strikers will look too Cameron Campisi who scored a double in their Round 6 clash and has looked a threat all season.
4th placed Padstow Hornets had won four games on the trot before they had a minor setback last weekend as they drew 2-2 to Georges River Thistle.
The Hornets will welcome back Mike Cklamovski this weekend as he was missed in their clash against Georges River Thistle having been suspended for five yellow cards this season.
Padstow Hornets also picked up a suspension of their own in Round 15 as the experienced Sean O’Connell who has previously played NPL 1 football for the powerhouse Marconi Stallions was sent off against Georges River Thistle.
With a win this weekend potentially taking Padstow Hornets up to 2nd position, expect them to bring enthusiasm to this match as they look to continue their climb up the competition ladder.
The Grand-Final rematch returns for the second time this season and if their Round six clash is anything to go off, this is a clash you won’t want to miss out on.
Georges River Thistle vs Revesby Workers, 15th July 4pm @ Coleman Park
Previous Meeting: Revesby Workers 1-5 Georges River Thistle – Rd 5, 2023
Georges River Thistle picked up a strong point in their 2-2 draw against Padstow Hornets in Round 15, while Revesby Workers will be feeling refreshed off a two-week break as they had a bye in Round 15.
When these two sides met in Round 5, Georges River Thistle were dominant as they won the game 5-1.
6th placed Georges River Thistle were strong in their 2-2 draw to Padstow Hornets in Round 15 but were unable to hold their 2-1 lead to claim a much needed three points.
Georges River Thistle now sit five points off Central Sydney Wolves in 5th position, however, with a game in hand a win this weekend could see Thistle move two points off a finals place.
Georges River Thistle have struggled with consistency of late, however with there finals still a possibility, expect Georges River Thistle to come out firing from the start of this match.
8th placed Revesby Workers return off a bye as they look to finish their season on a good note.
After a season where they have struggled to put in strong performances each week, Revesby Workers will be starting to plan for next year’s competition.
Revesby Workers recent struggles have been defence and they will be hoping to put together a stronger 90-minute performance to deny Georges River Thistle goal scoring opportunities.
One team with it all to play for and another playing for pride, don’t expect this to be any easy match for Georges River Thistle as results have been unpredictable this season.
Padstow United vs Bass Hill Rangers, 15th July 4pm @ Playford Park
Previous Meeting: Bass Hill Rangers 3-4 Padstow United – Rd 7, 2023
Padstow United come off a 2-2 draw against Central Sydney Wolves in Round 15, while Bass Hill Rangers conceded three late goals as they lost 5-1 to league leaders Yagoona Lions in Round 15.
When these two sides met in Round 7, Padstow United’s Rafa Coutinho was a hatrick hero as he led his side to a 4-3 victory.
7th place Padstow United were strong in their 2-2 draw against Central Sydney Wolves as their marquee striker, John Martinez scored two goals for the hosts.
Padstow United’s season did not go how they would have liked this year as they considered themselves one of the front runners for finals position this year, however they will be eager to finish their season on a good note to take good momentum into next season.
Rafa Coutinho was the hero when these two sides met earlier this season, however he has been out for several games this season as they will look to other members of their squad to put the ball in the back of the net this weekend.
9th place Bass Hill Rangers lost 5-1 to league leaders Yagoona Lions in Round 15, however they were more positive in their approach to the match as they scored their first goal in five matches and held the Lions at bay for a long period of the match.
Bass Hill are another side who have seen their season slip away unable to win a match all season, however with two matches to go they will be eager to finish their season on a good note and try to pick up a victory in their remaining matches.
Bass Hill Rangers took it to a strong Padstow United side when they met in Round 7 and expect them to do the same this weekend with pride to play for.
Although two teams clash this weekend who can not make finals; expect an exciting match with a lot of attacking flair as both sides will still give their all this weekend.
