Five-star Lions complete league and cup double
Rowley Lane side secure Herts Senior League Premier title after 5-0 win at Hatfield Social.
London Lions clinched an inevitable league title – the second Herts Senior County League Premier championship in the club’s history – as they made it a league and cup double within the space of four days.
Herts Senior County League Premier Division
Hatfield Social 0 London Lions 5
Saturday, 25 March, 2017
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS TO FOLLOW ON MONDAY…
This young team have dominated the league from the first game of the season, and while it they made it look easy at times, this is a title the club originally took 15 years to win before claiming it for the first time in 2010.
The margin of victory shows a team with much more to give and the hope is now with the outstanding facilities, a dynamic group of players, and a management team whose rebuilding over the last two years has been vindicated, there is more to come from this side.
Today’s game was merely the final flourish to the season’s competitive league games, and the result probably doesn’t do relegation threatened Hatfield justice as they hung in for long periods, but Lions have been irresistible all season.
It took Lions 26 minutes to take the lead when Max Kyte was fouled in the box. The big striker dusted himself off despite sustaining a hand injury which was later revealed to be a break. His failed from his first spot kick, only for the referee to give him a reprieve and he confidently scored the re-take.
As the game drifted toward the interval, Lions showed their class to double the lead. The in-form Austin Lipman found Adam Burchell and the pacy winger chipped the ‘keeper expertly.
With Rocky Spitzer driving the team forward with a great display in midfield, Lions had to work for further goals – and waited until 14 minutes from the end when Hatfield’s resistance crumbled. It was worth the wait as Charlie Rubin scored the goal of the day – firing in directly from a free kick.
Late on Kyte added a further two to complete his hat-trick, add a sheen to the score-line, and see Lions sprint over the title finish line.
The final positive was the return to action of Charlie Kasler, who made a late cameo from the bench.
Speaking afterwards, manager Andy Landesberg praised his special squad, saying:The boys have been superb throughout and it’s a special achievement. They have learnt to play in different ways, win different types of games, in all kinds of conditions and have rarely let their standards slip.
“We have a special group, very close knit and they have come through a tough week with two trophies, and one more to play for. They have shown they are good enough to play at a higher level.”
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS TO FOLLOW ON MONDAY…
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
