MANCHESTER ACCOUNTANTS LEAGUE PREMIER DIVISION
MANCHESTER MACCABI 1st 3 THE VILLAGE 2

Manchester Maccabi ended the first half of the season with a well-fought victory over a tough Village team.

After losing to The Village in their previous encounter, Maccabi knew they would need to be on their guard for the full 90 minutes.

Maccabi were slow to get going and were producing too many mistakes. Some sluggish defending and a weak back-pass saw Maccabi keeper Phil Pole summoned into action numerous times. Maccabi were soon punished when Max Foster gave away a penalty and The Village converted to make it 1-0 at the break.

Some strong words from the Maccabi management at half-time gave the Maccabi players the wake-up call they needed. They started the second half quickly and were soon back in the game. Sam Hatton capped off some excellent wing play by finding Ryan Silvester whose quick feet confused the Village defence before he curled the ball around the keeper and into the back of the net.

Maccabi were carving out chance after chance and the second goal came when Alex Lee smashed home from inside the box.

Maccabi had done well to turn the tie and weren’t taking their foot off the gas. After only being on the pitch for five minutes, Oliver Grant found himself one-on-one with the keeper, rounding him with one touch and slotting home for Maccabi’s third.

At 3-1 up, Maccabi should have been cruising however, to The Village’s credit, they kept going and put Maccabi under some heavy pressure. They were finally reward when Maccabi captain Ashley Loofe headed the ball into his own net. However, it was a little too late for The Village who were disappointed not to get something from the game.

Maccabi manager Martin Simons said: "It was important to get the win today and go into the winter break on a high.

"We have had a fantastic first half to the season and are still in contention for all competitions.

"The boys deserve a break and we’ll come back fighting in January."

Maccabi return to action on January 4 against Miam Miam in the Handi-cup semi final where a potential final with AFC Flixton is on the cards.

Maccabi: Pole, Jackson, Foster, B. Loofe, Hatton, A. Loofe, Basso, Lewis, Herman, Lee, Silvester, Grant, Myers

Scorers: Silvester, Lee, Grant