Club De Chigwell kept alive their hopes of a league and cup double as they reached the semi-finals of the David Wolff Division Two Cup thanks to a 7-2 thrashing of HMH B.
Last Sunday morning’s tie pitted together the top two sides in Division Two, but it was Chigwell who showed why they are leading the division as they put on a masterclass of attacking play.
Manager Joshua Dobias is not getting carried away with what his team could achieve this season, though: “We’re keeping level-headed as we know there are still a lot of games left and things can change very quickly,” he said, but added: “Of course we believe we can win the double, we set our standards to win every game we play in, like every team.”
Chigwell’s latest win came thanks to a hat-trick from Josh Klein – all direct free-kicks – two goals from Solly Bradley, and Sam Aylott and Stanley Offord also on target.
Delighted with his side’s performance, Dobias said: “It was an unbelievable team performance against very tough opponents who we’ve had very close games with in the league this season.” There were some “standout performances” the manager noted, namechecking Klein for his goals and two assists but, he said: “It’s very much about the team performance with all the boys playing very well. We were at our very best in most areas of the pitch.”
In terms of what this win could do for their title chances, Dobias added: “It’s great to put in a performance of that level against a tough opponent, but there is still so much football to be played in Division Two. It will be very tight, but we will just keep worrying about our own performances each week. A successful season for us would be to come away with silverware especially after the position we are currently in, but we will be taking it game by game.”
Dylan Cooper and Zak Samuels scored for HMH. Manager Nick Berger said: “It was a disappointing result primarily due to a having a team plagued with injuries.
“Physically we struggled to win our personal battles in the middle of the park, and once frustration took hold, we conceded free-kick after free-kick, and they were very good with their set-pieces today.”
He added: “We have three League games left and by the looks of it, we are well positioned to influence who will take the title.”
Reflecting on their first season in the League, Berger said: “This season has been a great learning curve for our very young team playing in a senior league, with both our striker and goalkeeper only 16 years old. We’ll take promotion only if our league position dictates it. This is slowly slipping from our grasp, but we’ll be back next season as an established force to be reckoned with.”
Joining Chigwell in the last four of the competition are Hampstead Ducks, who were 5-2 winners over Camden City.
Hendon United moved into joint-second spot in the Maccabi GB Southern Football League Premier Division thanks to a 6-2 win over HMH A.
Chaim Korman scored four times, with Gav Lewis and Rocky Spitzer netting the other two. Hendon manager Alex Rosenthal said: “The team’s shape and mentality was exceptional.”
Joshua Forshaw and Ben Gur scored for the beaten visitors.
Redbridge Jewish Care Purple consolidated their Division One promotion push as they edged out a five-goal thriller against Oakwood Town. Bradley Gayer, Danny Gold and Richard Gold scored the goals in a 3-2 win that sees them up into joint-third spot, with games in hand on the sides above them.
Redbridge Jewish Care White came away from Lads on Torah with an 8-1 win. The victory saw them move to within two points of the leaders Chigwell, but crucially with a game in hand on them. Bailey Brown netted a hat-trick, with Jacob Flitterman scoring twice. Marcus Terry, Bradley Glazer and Samuel Cahill also found the back of the net. Ethan Swead, who scored for the beaten hosts, said: “In parts we played some of the best football we have all season with quick passing that should have led to better chances and more goals.”
Millbrook Park Calcio maintained their promotion hopes thanks to a 9-0 win at Beitar Bushey. Issac Segalov scored his first ever goals for the club, with Jamie Tiller chipping in with two. Saul Shimoni, Gabe Cooke, Benji Radnor and Dean Cramer were also on target. Manager Idan Levy said: “Today was one of those games [where] we simply ran riot. I’ve always felt that there was going to be a game that everything would come together and today was the day.”
