PETER MORRISON TROPHY ROUND THREE
NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS A 4 SOUTH MANCHESTER SPORTS CLUB 1st 0 AET
Rob Richman believes that superior fitness told in the end as Raiders booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Jewish FA Cup following an extra-time victory over South Manchester.
The Accountants League Premier Division outfit matched NLR all the way in normal time at Hatfield University, but once NLR two-goal hero Liron Mannie broke the deadlock, there was no way back for the Accountants League Premier Division outfit.
Both teams struck the woodwork in normal time. South forward Adam Lavin hit the post after brilliantly turning his man, creating the chance for himself. South were also indebted to an excellent save from Alex Davies.
The game continued to ebb and flow, with Lavin going close again and Mark Stewart seeing a header cleared off the line, while Matt Sock meanwhile went close at the other end.
The second half saw Raiders come out the blocks quicker, as they got a hold on the ball and the game. South lost Ben Peppi to injury, prompting a slight reshuffle for South.
Both teams continued to create, however it was Davies who was the busier of the two keepers, making a couple of superb saves, while at the other end, Rawlings went close, firing into the side-netting.
However, extra-time was a different ball-game entirely - South lacked the legs and Raiders maintained their tempo. Mannie and Stock were a constant threat, and once the 'seal was broken' - there was no way back for South.
Further strikes from Josh Green and Ben Joseph added gloss for a Raiders team who remain on course for the treble.
NLR boss Rob Richman told JC Sport: We are very pleased to see off a spirited South Manchester side and progress to the last eight of the Peter Morrison Trophy.
"We were sluggish in the opening 20 minutes and were fortunate not to go a goal down when Lavin missed two very good opportunities.
"From then though we stepped things up and dominated proceedings. I'm not quite sure how we didn't score in the second half but full credit to South Manchester who did absolutely everything to take the game into extra time.
"We were always confident that we'd get the goal we needed in the extra half an hour of extra-time.
"In the end we got four, three in the first 15 minutes, The first scored by Mannie after just a minute of extra time knocked the stuffing out of South Manchester and from there our superior fitness told.
"We wish Neil, Toby and the rest of South Manchester well. They played their part in a great cup game
"For us the focus now turns back to the league with three massive games coming up in the next three weeks."
South boss Neil Collins heaped praise on his squad. He told JC Sport: "We included four 17-year-olds, and it was a great learning curve for them. They performed admirably and will play a vital role for the club moving forward.
"We competed for 90 minutes, and whilst this wasn't enough, we are only going to get stronger and stronger over the years as we mature.
"The score maybe wasn't a true reflection of the game as a whole, but Raiders deserved the victory and good luck to them moving forward."
