MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
NORTH LONDON RAIDERS A 2 HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB A 3
Strikes from Rocky Spitzer, Yoav Kestenbaum and Zack Lewis helped Hendon become the second team to beat last season's champions in a five-goal thriller.
NLR forged ahead against the run of play to a goal from the excellent Liron Mannie but Hendon's response was "brilliant" and the football they played towards the end of the first half was some of the best manager David Garbacz has seen.
Lewis scored a super trademark free-kick equaliser and Spitzer to put them 2-1 up before half-time was a fabulous team move.
Raiders stepped it up in the second half and after they equalised early on through Mannie.
Although it was quite tight Garbacz was "always pretty confiden" Hendon would grab the winner and so it proved when Kestenbaum
Jubilant Hendon boss David Garbacz told JC Sport: "We fielded one of the youngest teams in Hendon history and thoroughly deserved the three points.
"Overall I was delighted with everyone's contribution - 17-year-old Zachary Garbacz at right-back was not overawed despite being up against one of the league's best players in Liron and he more than held his own as did all our youngsters, and the future really is bright considering we were missing four or five big players as well.
"Raiders will come again this season I'm sure, and despite their start it would be foolish to write them off, but we are delighted to leave them six points in our wake and two out of two wins is a great start to the season.
"We will be challenging for this title come next year make no mistake about that."
NLR manager Daniel Shafron told JC Sport: "Today was almost a carbon copy of the Redbridge game. 1-0 up, 2-1 down, back to 2-2, on top looking like we'd get the winner but got caught on the counter against the run of play.
"I'm gutted for the boys but at the same time proud of them and whilst they'll be disappointed, they shouldn't beat themselves up. I think a draw would have been a fair result.
"I'll take nothing away from Hendon, they set up well and out battled us in the first half and scored a great goal to go 2-1 up. We were more on the ascendancy in the second half but we got unlucky and these things happen.
"There are plenty of positives to take from this game. These last two weeks haven't been easy with several injuries and boys away in key positions who have been at the core of this team over the last couple of years but they're all nearly back and I can feel that it's only a matter of time before we turn this around."
