Geez, that was close! Rangers hold their nerve in shoot-out

Reflecting back on the match, Leslie continued: “It was very closely contested and could have swung either way, but our entire defence and midfield worked tirelessly today and this got us over the line. Overall I felt our determination and spirit got us the win which we deserved.”

Looking forward to the clash against Hendon, whom they’ve already beaten 7-2 and drawn 3-3 in their two league games, Leslie said: “They’re always well-contested games. We’re very confident that we can book our place in the final of this competition, which means a great deal to the league and our boys for obvious reasons this season.”

Hoping a win in the competition can make up for their failure to challenge for the Premier Division title, he added: “League form is of course very important, but we have undoubtedly fallen short in it this season for a number of reasons. That aside, we’ve definitely made a name for ourselves as a cup over the years and are really motivated to end our season with some silverware to add to our collection.”

Yallatasary manager Buddy Smith was left frustrated with the result, saying: “I feel disappointed to not walk with away with a win today in all honesty. I’m frustrated we couldn’t break them down and convert a chance into a goal, but we did have some big moments throughout the game especially from set-pieces and should’ve put one or two away. On another day, we score a couple of goals, but in all fairness they also had some dangerous moments and could’ve scored, defended well and worked hard off the ball.

“It was a close game, the difference being the finest margins, us not putting away massive chances and vice versa for them. They got it over the line on penalties, but it couldn’t have been closer. I wouldn’t say we deserved more, but certainly on another day we could have come away with a result.”

Still playing for silverware, they have a Peter Morrison Trophy semi-final to look forward to next month, Smith added: “That’s a massive game for us and we will be prepared for it. The last 13 days has seen us play four intense matches that we’ve had to dig deep in, for us to lose on penalties was a heartbreaker, but the reality is we’ve done very well this season so far and are in a final of the Cyril Anekstein. We have a lot we can still achieve and I believe in my group of boys, I hope we push on and sustain the belief and confidence we’ve built on, today is a killer but we will bounce back from this and won’t let this result define the rest of our season.”

There were also three group stage ties played in the David Wolff Division Two Cup. Two goals from Charlie Dagul helped Chopped Villa on their way to a 5-2 win over Scrabble. Oliver Dagul, Harley Conway and Marc Smith netted their others. A 50-yard thunderbolt from Mike Selby, coupled with a late penalty from Akiva Solomon saw Real Masmid come away from Redbridge Jewish Care B with a 2-0 win, while Beitar Bushey recorded a comfortable 3-0 win over Schlepfield Wednesday thanks to two goals from Adam Oberlander, plus Theo Tobias’ strike.

Max Cohen scored twice for Scrabble, for whom manager Ollie Sugarman said: “We started with a positive attitude and belief we could get a result, but struggled in the first half. The second half was better, but it was the same story we’ve seen all season — not clinical enough in front of goal.”

There were also four group stage ties played in the MGBSFL Super Cup. The most emphatic winners were Bochur Juniors, where a Chaim Bordon double helped them on their way to a 5-0 win at Mill Hill Minyan. Uriel Isaac Saul, Zack Mason and Solly Levy also all found the back of the net, with manager Joel Ucko saying: “Both teams came into the game very depleted, but that said, it was a highly professional performance from us. We played some good football and, after waiting so long for our first clean sheet, just like London buses, two have come at once.”

Stopinsky came away from Temple Fortune with a 4-1 win, the latter of whom put in a spirited performance despite struggling to raise a team all week, and who took the lead through Ben Krieger. Fortune’s admin officer Kerry Higham said: “We did well to fulfil the fixture, given the problems trying to raise a side, thanks to those who stepped forward late in the week to make it happen.”

Goals from Akiva Restan, Benji Hirsch and Josh Cuby all scored for Hendon United in their 3-1 win over Brady. Hendon manager Alex Rosenthal said: “Fair play to the Brady who tested us, but our second half performance was class with Akiva Restan running the show and youngster Benji Hirsch coming on to make the difference.” Daniel Slavid replied for Brady. Game of the day was a nine-goal epic which saw Hampstead Ducks beat Rapid Viennas 5-4.

The one match played in the Maccabi Masters League saw EHRS Stonegrove defeat Hendon Harriers 4-3 in the Nathan Horwitz Cup. Harriers went ahead through Ben Simons, before Nick Riesel equalised for EHRS, only for John Marrache to restored Harriers’ lead before the interval.

A spirited second half saw EHRS take command with two goals from Jake Masteran and one from Ian Leader, and although Nick Roman scored a late penalty for Harriers with a minute to go, EHRS held on for the win.