League’s bottom side stun title chasers

Division Two’s bottom two both produced shock results, while there was an inter-club derby in the day’s only cup tie.

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JEWISH FOOTBALL AWARDS EVENING SCRAPPED:

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SUNDAY’S RESULTS AT A GLANCE (SCROLL DOWN FOR FULL REVIEW):

PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL:
North London Raiders A 5 North London Raiders B 2

PREMIER DIVISION:
Brady Maccabi A 1 Redbridge A 6
MATCH REPORT
FC Team A 0 Maccabi London Lions A 1
Hendon United A 7 SPEC FC 0

DIVISION ONE:
Hendon United B 0 Redbridge B 2
Los Blancos 1 Oakwood B 2
Maccabi London Lions B 3 Finchley City 2
Scrabble 3 Faithfold A 0

DIVISION TWO:
Boca Jewniors 4 North London Raiders C 4
Catford & Bromley 4 Faithfold B 1
Hertswood Vale 5 Redbridge C 1
MATCH REPORT
Real Hendon 2 L’Equipe 3

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CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW:

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PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL DRAW:

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TEAM OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS:

GOALKEEPERS:
Dan Kosky (Faithfold A)
Josh Alswang (North London Raiders B)
Rob Blackman (Scrabble)

DEFENCE:
Ollie Brill (Hertswood Vale)
Ben Davis (Hertswood Vale)
Gilad Kestenbaum (Real Hendon)
Ryan Cole (Redbridge Jewish Care A)
Adam Newman (Scrabble)

MIDFIELD:
Jamie Leboff (Boca Jewniors)
Yarden Sharon (Catford & Bromley)
Eli Davila (Finchley City)
Simon Peterman (Hendon United A)
Josh Cohen (Hertswood Vale)
Adrian Leibovitch (Hertswood Vale)
Dan Geey (Oakwood B)
Chaim Gothold (Real Hendon)
James Berkley (Redbridge Jewish Care A)
Daniel Garfinkle (Redbridge Jewish Care A)
Sam Sollosi (Redbridge Jewish Care A)
Dan Green (Scrabble)
Josh Pugh (Scrabble)

STRIKERS:
Zac Lewis (Hendon United A)
Jake Gilbert (North London Raiders B)
Jonny Blain (North London Raiders C)
Rafi Bloom (Oakwood B)
RA Noe (Real Hendon)
Elliot Espinoza (Scrabble)
Danny Sherman (Scrabble)

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TEAM OF THE WEEK

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GOAL OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS:

1) Jonny Blain (North London Raiders C)
One of his four goals was scored direct from the kick-off, a sublime effort from the halfway line

2) Josh Cohen (Hertswood Vale)
Picked out by Josh Gorb on the right-hand side of the box from a lofted cross-field pass, hit a first time effort across the goalkeeper and into the corner, right on the postage stamp

3) Zac Summerfield (Scrabble)
Picked up a loose ball on the half-way line, evaded three tackles before switching feet and firing in an unstoppable 35-yard shot 

4) Brad Gayer (Redbridge Jewish Care B)
Picked the ball up just in the opposition half, drove at defence before unleashing a ferocious 30-yard effort in to the top corner

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SAVE OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS:

1) Nathan Mehlman (Redbridge Jewish Care C)
Got down brilliantly low to his right to keep out a Hertswood Vale penalty

2) Dan Kosky (Faithfold A)
Pushed Brandon Sassoon’s fantastic dipping 30-yard shot onto the bar

3) Scott Shear (Redbridge Jewish Care B)
Produced another breathtaking penalty save

4) Dan Kosky (Faithfold A)
Produced a sensational point-blank reaction save

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QUOTE OF THE WEEK NOMINATIONS:

1) Josh Hambling (Redbridge Jewish Care C)
“Well what can I say about today..?? Firstly this is easily the worst defeat of the season by a country mile. I’m not quite sure where to start.”

2) Josh Hambling (Redbridge Jewish Care C)
“We started at 10.30 some 30 minutes after the referee blew his whistle.”

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PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL:

NORTH LONDON RAIDERS A (Prem) 5 NORTH LONDON RAIDERS B (1) 2
The Premier Division side booked their place in the last four as they prevailed in the inter-club tie.

Matt Stock scored twice, with Liron Mannie, David Cohen and Oscar Wagner also finding the back of the net.

Jake Gilbert scored twice for the B’s, for whom manager Jonathan Adelman told jewishnews.co.uk: “It feels odd to say so after shipping five goals in successive weeks and losing both games, but I’m very happy with the performances, especially given our now ridiculous injury and absence list.

“To be honest at 5pm on Saturday we didn’t know if we’d be able to raise a team, but a couple of the boys played through injuries and another couple worked until the early hours on Sunday morning to make sure we could fulfil the fixture.

“We gave a great account of ourselves – we had a game plan and executed it really well until we ran out of steam in the closing stages. That’s the thing against players of the quality that our A’s have, they just keep coming at you and both Liron and Stocky were insanely good today.

“This is the one trophy the club hasn’t won yet so I’m hoping that Shaf and the A’s can make it back to Wingate and bring home the Cup.”

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PREMIER DIVISION:

FIXTURES & RESULTS:
TABLE:

BRADY MACCABI 1 REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE A 6
MATCH REPORT
Redbridge moved up to third spot thanks to this crushing win at Brady.

Daniel Garfinkle scored twice, with Dean Nyman, Ben Sollosi, Nathan Kashkett and Daniel Berg also all on target for Jon Jacobs’ side.

Reiss Mogilner scored Brady’s consolation.

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FC TEAM A 0 MACCABI LONDON LIONS A 1
Lions are up into fourth spot following this slender win.

Harry Marlow scored the winner for the Rowley Lane side, in a match which saw both sides reduced to ten men.

Team player-manager Mitch Young told jewishnews.co.uk: “Credit to Lions, they defended superbly and are probably the best defensive side in the league. We couldn’t break them down and when we did we felt we had a goal ruled out for offside which was clearly onside.

“This was a big improvement from the Oakwood performance and we looked as solid as we had done all season. Hopefully next week we can welcome a couple more player back.”

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HENDON UNITED A 7 SPEC 0
Hendon moved to within three points of top spot thanks as the division’s bottom side suffered another emphatic loss.

Zac Lewis helped himself to a hat-trick, with Josh Harris and Dovi Fehler scoring two each.

Manager David Garbacz told jewishnews.co.uk: “We did what we had to do yesterday to keep ourselves firmly in the title race. After not tasting three points for quite a few weeks that was always the number one priority but the fact that we scored seven in the process did add some gloss and has done wonders for our confidence.

“All the goals were shared among the three forwards which is a good sign for their sharpness and overall the game was just what we needed to renew our belief that we can still mount a last-ditch title push.

“It’s not in our hands but if we win our remaining four games and Oakwood win theirs to pip us then hats off to them and of course Redbridge are still very much in it as well. However, if they drop points anywhere we will be ready to pounce like a hunting tiger. It promises to be one of the closest finishes to a season in recent years and we are excited to be a part of it.

“One final word to SPEC. They have had a tough season and it must have been tempting to give up at times this year after a few of their defeats – but all credit to them for fighting on and maintaining the spirit of the league. If they don’t manage to avoid relegation this year we wish them all the best for next season and hope they come straight back up.”

SPEC player-manager Ricky Lawrence told jewishnews.co.uk: “Hendon are a very good side and we didn’t quite make it difficult enough for them. We kept going to the end though, but there is quite simply too big a gulf between the two sides.”

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DIVISION ONE:

FIXTURES & RESULTS
TABLE

HENDON UNITED B 0 REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE B 2
Redbridge kept up their title challenge as goals from Brad Gayer and Kane Hopps saw them to their tenth league win in 11 games.

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LOS BLANCOS 1 OAKWOOD B 2
Oakwood consolidated their mid-table placing with this hard-fought win.

Rafi Bloom gave them an early lead from the penalty spot, before Dani Dennison’s second goal for the club – both of which have come against Blancos – secured the win 15 minutes from time.

O’s manager Jason Stein told jewishnews.co.uk: “It was a competitive game today and an important win for us. We needed to get back to winning ways and we ground it out. With experienced heads in the side like Dan Geey, Ilan Scorah and Jon Beilin we had the nous to see the game out.

“The winner came from an unexpected source in right-back Dani Dennison. It’s his second ever goal for Oakwood and both have been winners away from home against Los Blancos. No doubt he had extra motivation today playing against his cousin Louie Libbert who had scored for Blancos.

“It’s always exceptionally strange when northerners move to London and choose not to play for Oakwood. And that’s certainly the case with a really talented player like Louie. Maybe he’s trying to hide his northern heritage. If so it’s a very sad state of affairs. If he ever decides to come out we will welcome him with open arms.”

Louie Libbert scored for Blancos.

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MACCABI LONDON LIONS B 3 FINCHLEY CITY 2
Lions maintained their four-point lead at the top of the table after they saw off Finchley in this five-goal thriller.

Michael Kenley scored twice, with Sammy Kingston hitting their third.

Yoel Deal and Shim Bensoor scored for Finchley, with manager Joel Holder telling jewishnews.co.uk: “I can’t quite believe how we did not take maximum points on Sunday. The boys absolutely bossed the game, especially the first half where we could of been at least 4/5 goals up.

“A combination of some outstanding saves by the Lions goalkeeper, two corners and a controversial penalty ultimately cost us. Lions could hardly get out of their own half for the first 45 minutes.

“Our goalkeeper didn’t have to make a save all game, but we got undone by two carbon-copy corners which took us into half-time level. A controversial penalty awarded to Lions mid-way through the second half took the stuffing out of us. We huffed and puff, missed a couple of good chances, but it wasn’t to be.

“Anyone watching the game knows we deserved to come out with something, so there are still a lot of positives to take. The first 35 minutes was the best football I have seen any team play this season. I hope we are not too disheartened by the result, because our performance was superb and there is still a lot to play for this season. I am expecting a bit reaction against Faithfold next week.”

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SCRABBLE 3 FAITHFOLD A 0
Scrabble consolidated third spot as they made it five wins on the spin, goals from Elliot Espinoza, Zac Summerfield and Josh Bharier saw them to another three points.

Manager Ray Abrahams told jewishnews.co.uk: “I thought our performance today was outstanding and we won this game with an outfield player in goal. Our three frontline goalkeepers are all injured, so Rob Blackman to his great credit volunteered, took the shirt and kept a clean sheet. Such is the spirit in the squad at the moment and the boys are full of confidence after our fifth straight win.

“We took the game to Faithfold with an attacking 3-5-2 formation and we were superb.On another day some of our strikes would have gone in and not hit the woodwork but that’s football.

“Faithfold are a tough physical side and tried to intimidate us but we matched them and showed a steely side to our game.Once again our football did the talking and with our neat pressing and passing game we certainly outplayed them.Some of our football was pretty breathtaking at times and I’m so proud of the lads.

“We move on now. Talk of promotion is nice to hear but premature. We have five more games left yet and a big job to do so we have to stay focused.Whoever we are playing now these players will give everything are a credit to the club and deserve success.”

Faithfold manager Rob Shooman told jewishnews.co.uk: “Although Scrabble won 3-0 the score doesn’t reflect the game, It was a good game, played at a good pace in the right way, with both teams competing for everything. Scrabble played that bit better and deserved to win.”

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DIVISION TWO:

FIXTURES & TABLES
TABLE

BOCA JEWNIORS 4 NORTH LONDON RAIDERS C 4
Raiders saw their promotion hopes take a mighty blow as they were held to a point in this eight-goal thriller.

Jonny Blain scored all four goals for the Raiders, with manager Sam Rose telling jewishnews.co.uk: “A disappointing result for sure. We weren’t at the races in the second half and that aligned with a pitch that was cutting up has cost us.

“Credit to Boca, they fought for that result right until the end, but we have our last game against Redbridge next week and our boys will but up for signing off with a flourish.”

Sam Simon scored twice for the hosts, with Jamie Leboff and Benjamin Retter goals earning them a point. Assistant manager Anton Nyman told jewishnews.co.uk: “We always looked in control of the game and yet gave them such sloppy goals that we can’t really be too happy with the result. Having taken an early deserved lead, we gave them a goal with a direct shot from kick-off, and likewise at 2-2, they went straight at us and scored again. Let’s not take anything away from the team mind, we were cohesive across the team and if we continue playing like that, we’ll do well for the rest of the season!”

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CATFORD & BROMLEY 4 FAITHFOLD B 1
Catford moved up into joint-fifth place thanks to this comfortable win.

Richard Winton scored direct from corner, Callion McGregor’s left-footed mis-hit from outside the box accounted for their second, with Jamie Sinai’s tap in and an own goal sealing the win. Player-manager Jeff Gotch told jewishnews.co.uk: “In the end it was pretty comfortable.

“The first half was a cagey affair, but after they lost a player to injury and had ten, we stepped up and took complete control.

“That’s three out of three and four out of the last five, we look forward to facing a rejuvenated Hertswood next week.”

Richard Fogelman scored The Green’s consolation, with Avi Garson telling jewishnews.co.uk: “We were winning 1-0, but a string of injuries forced us to play most of the second half with 10 men, which they took full advantage of.”

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HERTSWOOD VALE 5 REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE C 1
MATCH REPORT
Vale claimed arguably the upset of the day as they claimed their second consecutive league win with victory over title-chasing Redbridge.

Josh Cohen helped himself to a hat-trick, with Ben Davis and Danny Feuer also both on target.

Joint-manager Jacob Emanuel told jewishnews.co.uk: We were 3-1 up at half-time, missed a penalty and had a man sent-off in the 43rd minute meaning we had to play 47 minutes with 10 men.”

Rafe Neiman scored Redbridge’s consolation, for whom manager Josh Hambling told jewishnews.co.uk: “Well what can I say about today..?? Firstly this is easily the worst defeat of the season by a country mile. I’m not quite sure where to start

“It all started off so well I turned up four minutes late to the required 9.10 meet time only to find every player in the changing rooms getting ready. I thought this is brilliant a perfect start to the day. That’s about as positive as it got. We started at 10.30 some 30 minutes after the referee blew his whistle as prior to that and going three goals down through some shocking defending and man marking it was hard to believe I was watching my team. The pitch was nothing short of dreadful and didn’t suit our game whatsoever, but eventually we adapted. They had a player sent-off for the most stupid hand ball, then we grabbed a goal just before half-time through some good pressure. Only five minutes later, we conceded a penalty which Nathan Mehlman produced a fantastic save low to the right corner.

“The half-time team talk wasn’t difficult, mostly involving a few choice words and staring at players in disbelief. 3-1 down a man up and with quality in our side winning this was meant to be a piece of cake. It couldn’t have been further from the truth. We struggled on set-pieces to create anything couldn’t get behind them as they sat back and ended up losing the half 2-0 through some counter attacking goals.

“Strangely some of the boys didn’t play that terribly, we just couldn’t find the openings or goals needed. It just wasn’t meant to be today simple as that. I’ve also learnt some interesting things from the game: Ben Oldstein can’t be lino anymore, Scott Oldstein’s missus and friends should attend every game to keep me company on the sidelines and I’m dropping everyone for next weeks game against raiders other than the keeper as we don’t have another.

“Credit to Vale who were actually excellent today even with 10 men it felt like they had more men than us. A special mention to their striker Josh Cohen who scored two fantastic goals and I’m sure will be in then GOTW shortlist. I can’t wait for the revenge game!”

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REAL HENDON 2 L’EQUIPE 3
The leaders extended their lead to 14 points – though were pushed all the way in claiming their latest three points.

Jonny Kay, Dave Prager and Grant Bates scored for L’Equipe, with player-manager Nick Stern telling jewishnews.co.uk: “I know I have said this a lot this season, but I was so so proud of my team this Sunday. We had a much depleted squad missing our two top goalscorers as well as half of our starting defense from last week’s game, but seemingly nothing stops us this year.

“The attitude that the team showed, the belief that they have even when backs against the ropes is something very very special. I was also one of those to drop out this week, but under the brilliant leadership of David Prager we fought like we have done all season and came out with a huge win.

“A lot of respect to Real Hendon who shouldn’t be in the position that they are based on the views of the majority of my team, but a team like us has the belief and confidence that we will win no matter what and again that is something very special. We know how close we are but that’s still all it is close.. we go again in two weeks against Faithfold with the same attitude and desire that we have shown all season and then the rewards will come!”

RA Noe and Gilad Kestenbaum scored for the hosts, with joint-manager Motty Korman telling jewishnews.co.uk: “We lost, but I’m very proud of all our boys. We played very well against the team that is running away with the league and I’m not quite sure how we didn’t get a point or even three.

“We dominated the game in the second half, but they defended very well and we didn’t take our chances.”

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