Neasden title hopes dealt blow by Cole goal
North West Neasden saw their title hopes severely dented as Ryan Cole’s injury-time strike saw Chigwell come away from Hadley with a dramatic win.
MGBSFL Division One
North West Neasden 0 Chigwell Athletic 1
Sunday, 30 March, 2014
Cole sprung the Neasden offside trap, and in what proved to be the penultimate kick of the match, after Neasden then restarted the match, cooly kept his composure to slot the ball home.
Delighted with the win, Chigwell player-manager Richard Slater said: “It’s always great to win football matches, and even more so when the last kick of the game!
“We kept our focus the whole way through which was really pleasing. As the game went on it was clear one goal was going to win it and to grab the goal in injury time makes it that bit sweeter.”
The preceding 90+ minutes had presented little in the form of goalscoring chances, with Chigwell going close ten minutes before scoring the winner with a ferocious strike which rattled the bar.
And believing his side deserved the points, Slater said: “Overall I think we just shaded it. The back four kept Jamie Kent quiet and that was half the battle won. Some of our play was great, but midway through the second half the game turned flat and scrappy. But the lads once more showed a great spirit, and it was great to keep a clean sheet and win away against one of the teams above us.”
What doesn’t make him as happy is his side’s current placing in the table, which sees them sitting in sixth spot. “It’s disappointing of course,” he says. “We dropped too many points in 2013 and are playing catch up now. We have four games left, three against teams above us. The title looks to have gone but we are more than capable of winning them all. It may be enough to nick third or runners -up, but it’s a massive long shot and pending other teams results.
Commenting on the game, Neasden manager Stirling Kaye said: “It was a very even game with both sides without key players. Neasden had more of the ball over the 90 minutes, but our final ball and decision making let us down.
“When they did get forward, they looked dangerous and made our goalkeeper work. The winner came with the last kick of the game, which was a massive blow, because in the last 15 minutes, we were putting them under pressure. But it’s goals that win games and they scored, we didn’t.
“As a team we gave everything, the lads left nothing on the pitch and as a manager you can ask for no more, we just need to improve in our decision-making. That includes myself as the manager, I have had better days!
Despite the defeat, he’s now hoping his side can push on and enjoy a strong finish to the season. “We have three big games left, have a great bunch of lads and it will need all the team spirit we have built this season to see us over the line,” he said. “Players’ availability will be key and this will be a major factor, we’ve already lost two for the remainder of the season through suspension which is a big blow.
“But we won’t change our way of play and will get the ball down and get on the front foot and take the game to our opponents. You can be sure as a team we will leave nothing on the pitch.”
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.
