SHON TROPHY GROUP STAGE
HEATON PARK ROVERS 8 OAKHILL LIONS 6
Oakhill Lions boss Max Levy didn’t know whether to laugh or cry following the 14-goal thriller with Heaton Park Rovers.
The Shon Trophy group game resembled more of a rugby score as both teams went goal crazy.
Alex Swift netted five goals for HPR – but that wasn’t the story of a topsy-turvy game.
HPR led 6-2 at one stage before a four-goal blitz saw the depleted students – who were forced to play with 10 men for over an hour - launch a stirring comeback.
Levy said: "I'm so proud pf my players. We played for over 60 minutes with a man down as we couldn’t raise a team at kick-off due to exams.
"But they never threw the towel in and we couldn’t believe it when we were level by scoring four goals in a short space of time.
"Unfortunately we couldn’t hang on but it was an incredible game to be part of."
Harry Roache, Joe Copeland and Mark Williams added to Swift’s five-goal haul for HPR.
Oakhill responded with a Roy Skop hat-trick while a brace from Gal Rowieski and Dan Vandermolen was still not enough.
HPR are all but through to the semi-finals of the competition but player-manager David Seligman was far from satisfied.
He said: "We were cruising and then collapsed. I've never known anything like it. At least we composed ourselves to win the game.
"Never mind a rugby score, it should have been a cricket one with the chances we created."
Elsewhere, Reich Insurance Rangers cruised to a 7-1 win at Maccabi Manchester Yellow.
Michael Crosby emulated Swift’s feat by scoring five goals. Yossi Brownson and Joseph Mann also weighed in during the rout.
