NSWPL Recap – The Final weeks
Blacktown City FC v Sutherland Sharks FC action during Round 22 of PS4 NPL NSW Mens 1 fixture at Lily's Football Centre, Blacktown, NSW on August 16, 2015. (Photo by Gavin Leung/Football NSW)
So it all came down to the final day. The race for the premiership, finals spots and to fend of relegation concluded this past Sunday.
The Race for the Premiership.
When I last left you, Blacktown City we’re suffering a bit of a hiccup. Coming off 3 draws they were desperate in Round 18 to clinch 3 points. Fortunately Danny Choi stepped up for them and scored 2 goals. Since then, they we’re troubled only once during a horror week for the club going down to Sydney Olympic 4-0 and losing in the FFA Cup. However wins against Marconi, Blacktown Spartans and Sutherland ensured them the premiership.
During this period however, Apia Leichhardt Tigers managed to maintain pressure on the now premiers and did this despite losing 2 key players to A-league clubs in Blake Powell and Marc Warren. Most crucially they managed to send out a finals warning shot beating Bonnyrigg 3-0 in Round 21 which clinched them 2nd place to surprise many.
Before Round 18, Bonnyrigg we’re breathing down Apia’s neck, however since then they have had a run of inconsistent results where one week they look like world beaters but the next they will just not turn up. Two performances in particular reflect this going down to lowly Parramatta in round 19 before impressively destroying any hopes for Rockdale in the final round scoring 3 goals in 15 minutes.
The Finals battle
So in the end it came down too two teams in the race for 5th place in order to play 4th in Sydney Olympic. In the end, Jacob Timpano’s South Coast Wolves secured the spot with an impressive late season run. Despite going down to Bonnyrigg in round 18, the Wolves managed to knock off fellow contenders for the finals in Rockdale and Manly which in the end proved crucial.
Rockdale we’re very much unlucky in the end. They sat as low as 10th place half way through the season but managed to secure a vital run of results before falling short on the last day with a 3-0 defeat against Bonnyrigg. However they’re some positives for the southern Sydney club who face a clash with Melbourne Victory in the FFA Cup at the start of next month.
Bottom of the table.
So relegation is decided in the end by the club championship. Therefore finishing last in the competition doesn’t mean you automatically go down. However this was the case this season because Marconi didn’t manage to get enough points to survive. However when there is a negative, there usually is a positive and that is Parramatta Fc managed to survive in its first year however they will be hoping to be stronger next year.
Full table and results can be found at http://www.nswpl.com.au/index.php?id=fixtures-results
Image thanks to Football NSW.
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