MGBSFL DIVISION THREE
FAITHFOLD B 2 LONDON ROVERS 4
AVI MARKIEWICZ was the hat-trick hero as London Rovers stormed 10 points clear after registering their 13th win of the campaign, with their latest success coming against promotion rivals Faithfold B.
Rovers started slowly, but they forged ahead after 13 minutes with a goal of high quality. A counter-attack saw the ball played out of defence to Dovi Vogel who ran down the left wing before playing a sublime pass to Josh Bharier who slotted his shot into the top right-hand corner.
There was little to separate the teams for the remainder of the half. Rovers enjoyed a good 10-minute period of pressure before Faithfold gained the upper hand. Both goalkeepers were tested but the hosts went into the break with a slender advantage.
Faithfold came out of the traps quickly at the start of the second half. They played with pace and purpose and looked the more likely to score, but home keeper Yaacov Goldin repelled anything in his direction, producing some fine saves.
With the second goal crucial, that man Markiewicz scored twice in a matter of minutes, making it 21 goals for the season - he now lies one strike behind the top goal-scorer Daniel Garfinkle - and he looked determined to score his a hat-trick for the first time since early December.
At 0-3 down, Faithfold did not let their heads drop, showing why they are promotion contenders. Rob Shooman's men registered twice in eight minutes, leaving Rovers fans with the scenario of 'squeaky-tuchas-time.
But it wasn't to be, as a fantastic ball from the back from Aron Luftig set up Markeweicz who broke the offside trap and slot his third and 22nd goal of the season,!
Boss Jeremy Brown told JC Sport: "I'm obviously delighted with the result and the all round performance but the boys do like to give me a fright every now and then.
"We were 3-0 up with 15 minutes to go and they got 2 back, but then Avi pops up with his hat trick and seals the points.
"Winning these two massive games back to back is a great achievement and the boys deserve all the credit."
Rovers chairman Viv Emanuel told JC Sport: "I had pleasure of attending today's game. Firstly thanks to Faithfold for agreeing to shlep to Wanstead to play today, and a massive thanks to Neal Cohen for refeereing today. Was good to see David Woolf at the game as well.
"If my maths are correct, this does mean we are guarenteed second spot in the league. It's been a great first season - one more win and I think we are champions, but one step at a time, KS Reunited will be a tough match on the 8th!"
Faithfold's Dan Yoss told JC Sport: "It was a very tough game on a difficult surface. I'd like to credit Rovers on some top finishing, and despite having a game-plan, we couldn't do anything about Avi."
