Geez Park Rangers kept alive their hopes of winning a cup treble this season by powering past Division One champions Sukkotingham Forest in the Maccabi Southern Football League (MGBSFL) Super Cup.
A hat-trick from Tyler Smith – which included a strike directly from the kick-off – inspired Rangers to a 5-2 win, to keep them handily placed to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
Sam Morris and Daniel Jackson, with his first goal for the club, completed the scoring. Rangers’ manager Ben Leslie said after the game: “It was a very mature performance away from home, with the boys delivering a comfortable display and scoring some excellent goals.
“We could have added more in the second half, but had to settle for five. We dominated the majority of the game and thoroughly deserved the points. Ultimately, we were just too strong for our opposition, and that was reflected in the scoreline.
“Silverware is definitely our aim. We fell short last season, securing only the Super Cup, but this year we’re looking at three titles.
"We still have the Peter Morrison final to play, have a semi-final tie in the David Wolff Premier Division Cup to look forward to and are confident that we can reach the final four of this tournament, which we’re in a good position to do. We felt a controversial decision led to our exit in the Cyril Anekstein Cup, but we’re using that as motivation.”
Summing up the feeling within the team, Rangers’ Max Diamond added: “There’s a fantastic spirit in the Geez Park Rangers camp at the moment and the team is hungry for success. A lot of credit goes to Ben, who has balanced a lot this season and has ultimately got us performing at a crucial stage.” Eytan Millan and Josh Summerfield scored for Forest, for whom manager Sam Nagioff said: “It was a very positive first half, we matched them for most of the game, but they were just more clinical.”
Hedidn’t believe the final scoreline was a fair reflection of the match, and added: “I feel like it was a tighter affair for most of the game, until they scored their third goal and then we started to lose focus.
"I think a closer scoreline would’ve been a fairer reflection, but they gained the edge from some of the quality of their players.”
Despite the loss, Nagioff is still positive on the season so far, and what they can go on to achieve before it comes to an end.
“So far it has been a good season, winning the league which was our aim,” he said. “We’re hoping to now end the season with two cup wins, which would be a fantastic and well-deserved way to round off the year.”
Rapid Viennas warmed up for their David Wolff Division One Cup semi-final by beating Brady FC 4-2, which keeps alive their hopes of finishing as runners-up in Division One. Max Aston’s 30-yard strike into the top corner gave them the lead on the half-hour mark, before Jamie Steinberg doubled their advantage soon after the restart. Zak Lewis halved Brady’s deficit, though Jack Miller restored Viennas’ two-goal lead when he lobbed the goalkeeper from 25 yards out. Lewis claimed his second for Brady from the penalty spot five minutes from time, but Joe Freedman finally sealed the win for Viennas when he converted from the penalty spot in injury time. Viennas’ manager Josh Novack said: “It was a great performance all round in a tough wind. From the first minute, we kept to the gameplan and kept the ball on the floor due to the conditions. We need to take all the positives into our upcoming semi-final.”
One Group Stage match played in the David Wolff Division Two Cup ended in a six-goal thriller as Schlepfield Wednesday and Chopped Villa played out a 3-3 draw.
The final set of Maccabi Masters League matches before Pesach saw the semi-finals of the Nathan Horwitz Cup take place.
Maccabi London Lions secured their final berth as a hat-trick from Wayne Davidson helped them on their way to a 4-1 win at Brady. Danny Schindler scored their fourth, while Kevin Lotzof netted the hosts’ consolation.
The Rowley Lane side will meet Scrabble in the final, after they thumped EHRS Stonegrove 8-1 in their last-four tie. Oli Kenner bagged an impressive five goals, with braces from Ryan Kansigger and Jonny Mack completing the rout. Jake Masteran scored EHRS’s consolation. The final will be played on April 26 at Rowley Lane.
The final of the Charity Cup final, which will see Brady meet Temple Fortune, will also be staged at this venue on May 10.
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