NPL Round 3 Preview – Manly United vs Blacktown City

By Tobias Canning

Manly United take on Blacktown City in a round 3 clash this Friday night at Cromer Park. Kick-off at 7pm.

Both sides come into the encounter undefeated through two games and this should produce a classic encounter, which is usually the case when Manly takes on Blacktown.

Manly come into this clash after securing a hard-earned away point in Wollongong, drawing 1-1 with the Wolves. The game was played as part of a historic NPL/A-League double-header at WIN Stadium. For Blacktown they beat Northbridge 2-0 at home.

Blacktown average a goal a game this season and last campaign through 11 matches they produced 19. No doubt Sam Benton will be called into action in this one.

And he’s more then capable of stepping up to the task. In round two he thwarted many of Mt Druitt’s shots and he did the same thing again against Luke Wilshire’s side. He kept Manly in the game when they needed him the most.

Richie Cardozo is also key as he scored a fantastic freekick when he looped the ball into the top left corner last Sunday. He was also a constant threat, drawing multiple fouls and Manly will once again look for the dangerous attacking midfielder to lead the charge against the away side.

Further helping Manly will Daniel Fabrizio, who produced some solid moments in his debut against the Wolves.

If you don’t have plans for Friday night, head down to Cromer Park as this game is guaranteed to be a cracker.

If you can’t make it to Cromer Park, you can watch catch a live stream of the match through the Football NSW NPLTV Channel.