Jamie Cohen scored London Lions's first goal in the Southern Amateur U21 League as they made an excellent start, with a young side performing creditably to make a point against a good Corinthian Casuals team.
October 29, 2017 19:45
SOUTHERN AMATEUR UNDER-21 LEAGUE
LONDON LIONS 1 CORINTHIAN CASUALS 1
Fielding boys from the club's under-18s, some recent graduates and a couple of older heads for experience, the team arrived in good heart.
Early chances were at a premium with both defences on top; Guy Morris and Nathan Anders doing well in particular, with Ben Schwarzmann and Daniel Jackson giving nothing away at full-back.
Lions's midfield play was good in large spells, with Ben Winters, Shaun Levine alongside the experienced Alex Levack making some nice moves with Joe Bellman also looking a threat from wide areas.
It took until three minutes after half-time for Lions to find the breakthrough – George Leigh broke down the left with a mazy run and was tripped in the box for a penalty. Up stepped the impressive Cohen who fired his penalty into the top corner to give Lions the lead.
Casuals responded however, and a mix-up allowed their centre-forward time and space on goal to equalise on the hour.
The game became stretched in the closing quarter as both teams pushed for a winner. Bloohn in the Lions goal saved well, with Anders and LouisLazarus making good last-ditch tackles; whilst at the other end Alex Rose had one blocked on the line and Charlie Dryer flashed a shot across goal as Lions nearly pinched it, but honours were even on balance and the spoils were shared.
Lions co-manager Nathan Kosky was pleased with the under-21s first outing: "Considering we had no preparation before pulling the team together, the boys couldn’t be faulted for their attitude and application.
"Individually and as a team we made a really good start together, and everyone enjoyed the challenge.
"Casuals are a top club, and it was a pleasure to test ourselves against them."
LIONS: Nathan Bloohn, Daniel Jackson, Ben Schwarzmann, Guy Morris, Nathan Anders, Alex Levack, Shaun Levine, Ben Winters, Jamie Cohen, Alex Rose, Joe Bellman. Subs: Louis Lazarus, Charlie Dryer, George Leigh
SCORER: Cohen