North London Raiders A maintained their grip at the top of the MGBSFL Premier Division with a convincing win, while Redbridge Jewish Care B ended FC Team C's winning run in Division Two on Matchday 6 of the MGBSFL season. Danny Caro looks back on all the action.
MATCHDAY 6 HEADLINES
Prem Div - Raiders claim fifth win
Div 1 - Newman helps SPEC FC make their point
Div 2 - Four-mixable Redbridge end Team's winning run
Div 3 - Fogelman fires L'Equipe home in nine-goal thriller
JC HAT-TRICK HEROES
Div 1 - Mitch Hahn 4 (Woodford)
Div 3 - Richard Fogelman 4 (L'Equipe)
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PHOTOGALLERY: FC TEAM A vs HENDON UTD SC A
PHOTOGALLERY: FC TEAM C vs REDBRIDGE JC B
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CYRIL ANEKSTEIN ROUND TWO DRAW
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DANNY CARO'S MATCHDAY 6 AWARDS
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REFEREE OF THE WEEK
Richard Jaye (London Maccabi Lions White vs Norstar London Raiders A)
SAVE OF THE WEEK - JOSH RONSON
QUOTE OF THE WEEK - JOEL MINSKY
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YOUR WEEKEND REVIEW STARTS HERE:
MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
TOP-SCORERS
6 - Richard Salmon (FC Team A)
5 – Mike Pearson (Faithfold A), Yishai Last (Hendon A)
RAIDERS GO FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH
LONDON MACCABI LIONS WHITE 0 NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS A 3
Table-topping Raiders registered their fifth win in six games as strikes from Matt Stock, Jamie Wolfson and Adam Jason extended their unbeatne run.
Raiders manager Phil Peters told JC Sport: "The boys are naturally loving their football at the moment, but keeping their feet on the ground as we are as a management team. But there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy where we are at the moment and we will continue to do so for as long as it lasts."
DC Prediction: Lions 1 Raiders 2
BL Prediction: LML 1 NLR 6
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BRADY EDGE PAST OAKS
BRADY MACCABI A 3 OAKWOOD A 2
Brady moved on to six points after edging a five-goal thriller at Rowley Lane, thanks to strikes from the in-form Michael Kenley (2) and Sam Monjack.
Oakwood's goals came through Brad Wine and Dan Ash.
Brady joint-manager Joel Nathan told JC Sport: "I wasn't at the first half, but this was a great win against a strong team. It was great having Matt Sofier back today and he helps the young kids around him so much.
Oakwood joint-manager Ric Blank told JC Sport: "We can play so much better than we did on Sunday. We didn't create anything in the second half and - though it was even - I find myself accepting the draw as a decent result. I've never thought that before watching Oakwood."
DC Prediction: Brady 1 Oakwood 1
BL Prediction: Brady 2 Oakwood 0
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FAITHFOLD DO IT HOWARD'S WAY
FAITHFOLD A 2 CAMDEN PARK 1
Defending champions Faithfold were pushed all the way by newly-promoted Camden, but in the end a goal from Dan Howard sealed the points.
A sluggish Faithfold team were indebted Johnny Haik for cancelling out Rob Hershkorn's first-half opener for Camden.
Faithfold boss Zuriel Solomon told JC Sport: "We really haven't hit any consistency this year, but have ground out results. I think when we do hit form we will be very strong."
Camden boss Josh Marks told JC Sport: "We're gutted to have given the game away again in the second half. I'm not sure what exactly is letting us down, but we can't seem to go the full 90 in games and get the three points."
DC Prediction: Faithfold 3 Camden 1
BL Prediction: Faithfold 5 Camden 1
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HENDON HAVE THE LAST LAUGH
FC TEAM A 2 HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB A 3
A last-minute winner from Avidan Last, his second of the game, earned Hendon an important win over FC Team A at Old Camdenians.
FC Team's goals came through Richard Salmon and Simon Peterman.
Hendon boss David Garbacz told JC Sport: "All credit to FC Team - they are a really good enthusiastic club who love their Sunday morning football and are a fine example to some of the more established clubs. This was a massive three points against a team I expect to be well up there at the end of the season and shows that we really do mean business this year."
FC Team boss Mitch Young told JC Sport: "We are bitterly disappointed, near on devastated not to get a point. To concede such a soft goal in the last second of a hard game was really hard to take."
DC Prediction: Team 2 Hendon 2
BL Prediction: Team 2 Hendon 2
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REDBRIDGE OFF THE MARK
REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE A 2 LONDON MACCABI LIONS BLUE 0
Redbridge finally got their season up and running, with goals from Adam Hakimi and Adam Stolerman enough to see off Lions Blue at Fairlop.
RJC boss Sam Rosenthal told JC Sport: "It was a very controlled performance on Sunday - we defended very well and on another day could probably have won by more. Now we look forward to Hendon next week."
DC Prediction: RJC 2 LML 1
BL Prediction: RJC 3 LML 1
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DIVISION ONE
TOP-SCORERS
7 - Jamie Kent (Shirley Park), Mitch Hahn (Woodford)
BRILLIANT BLANCOS OFF THE MARK
NORTH WEST NEASDEN 1 LOS BLANCOS 2
Blancos registered their first win of the season as Jono Gaon and Adam Waters found the net in a deserved win over Neasden.
Neasden's goal came through Shai Davidi.
Blancos chairman Joel Minsky told JC Sport: "Today's result meant a lot to us a club. Three seasons ago - our first season together - we pulled off "one of the greatest upsets" in MSFL history beating then Premier League side Neasden in the Anekstein Cup quarter-finals whilst we were midtable in Division Four. To have beaten them today three years on in a Division One league game shows how far we have come as a club - and that an upset of yesteryear was merely a pointer to the future."
NWN boss Andrew Goldman told JC Sport: "After starting the game as well as we did, it was disappointing to lose. Certain battles were lost on the pitch and our chances were not taken and we were punished as a result."
DC Prediction: Neasden 3 Blancos 1
BL Prediction: Neasden 6 Blancos 0
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BRADY STUN SHIRLEY
SHIRLEY PARK 1 BRADY MACCABI B 2
Brady B earned one of the results of the day as they beat Division One leaders Shirley at Norseman FC.
Strikes from Reiss Mogilner and Richard Winton sealed an impressive win.
Stefan Benfredj was on target for Shirley who lost their unbeaten record.
Delighted Brady boss Josh Dagul told JC Sport: "That was exactly the type of performance I've wanted to see all season. We were defensively solid, offensively dangerous and overall I couldn't have asked for any more from my players."
Shirley boss Dave Lusman told JC Sport: "That was easily one of are worst performances since are formation as a football club - we were absolutely shocking and completely disjointed across the field due to further last-minute dropouts."
DC Prediction: Shirley 3 Brady 2
BL Prediction: Shirley 1 Brady 1
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HARMEN FRUSTRATED BY BRIXTON
SOUTHGATE HARMEN 2 BRIXTON OLD BOYS 2
Strikes from Sam Castle and Ben Weinberg gave Harmen a draw, but the Southgate boys came away feeling they deserved all three.
The in-form Alon Hershkorn found the net twice for Brixton, including a late equaliser.
Harmen joint-player-manager Sam Castle told JC Sport: "We controlled the game for 90 minutes and should have killed the game in the first 20 minutes.
"We must be more clinical in front of goal, but the signs are good and we will continue to grow as a team. We're still unbeaten and will get better. Bring on Chigwell next week!"
Brixton boss Scott Smith told JC Sport: " This was a scintillating battle between two footballing sides that deservedly ended as a draw … without doubt one of the best games of the season so far."
DC Prediction: Harmen 3 Brixton 1
BL Prediction: Harmen 3 Brixton 1
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DAVE AT THE DOUBLE FOR SPEC
SPEC FC 2 CHIGWELL ATHLETIC 2
Two goals from Dave Newman, including one from the penalty spot earned joint-leaders SPEC FC a point in a tight contest against Chigwell.
Ryan Cole bagged a brace for Chigwell who led 2-0 with 15 to go.
Frustrated Chigwell boss Richard Slater told JC Sport: "Unless we learn how to see games out and kill teams off when we are on top, I fear it will be a very frustrating season."
SPEC FC's Ricky Lawrence told JC Sport: "It was a fairly even game, though Chigwell looked good for the victory with 15 minutes to go. They seemed to tire though and we grew stronger and easily could have nicked a win in the last couple of minutes. It was definitely a second half for the neutrals."
DC Prediction: SPEC FC 1 Chigwell 1
BL Prediction: SPEC 2 Chigwell 2
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MAGIC MAN MITCH DAZZLES HENDON
HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB B 1 WOODFORD WANDERERS 9
MITCH HAHN was in majestic form as Woodford won for the third consecutive week after putting Hendon B to the sword.
Another hat-trick was scored by HARRISON MIDDA, with Joe Sumray and Elliot Gold joining the party for Tony Charles' men.
Hendon's consolation came through R.A Noe.
DC Prediction: Hendon 2 Woodford 1
BL Prediction: Hendon 2 Woodford 3
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DIVISION TWO
TOP-SCORERS
7 - James Joseph (FC Team C)
6 - Ben Zloof (AC Mill Hill)
RAIDERS SHOW GOOD STRENGTH IN DEPTH
BLIZZARD STORM 0 NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS B 3
An under-strength Raiders B team moved joint-top of the table after an impressive 3-0 win over Blizzard.
Strikes from David Esterkin, Danny Bloom and Simon Buchler did the trick as Jonathan Adelman's boys made it four out of four.
L'Orange are now the only team in the entire league with a 100 per cent record. Manager Jonathan Adelman told JC Sport: "Although we were good value for the win, the scoreline probably flatters us a little. Ben Sheldon made a series of saves to ensure we kept a clean sheet, without them it could have been a very different story."
Blizzard boss Simon Linden told JC Sport: "Raiders have to be the favourtites to win this league. I was encouraged by our first-half performance, coming in at 0-0. Second half, once they scored they took control. On another day we may have got ourselves back in the game as we did have some chances."
DC Prediction: Blizzard 2 Raiders 2
BL Prediction: Blizzard 2 Raiders 1
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HAROLDEANS CLAIM FIRST WIN
LONDON HAROLDEANS 2 FC TEAM B 1
London Haroldeans claimed their first win of the season after a hard fought 2-1 success over FC Team B.
A first-half strike from Oli Joseph followed by one in the second by James Abrams saw them home.
Matt Davis registered his first goal for FC Team but it wasn't enough.
Haroldeans managers Sam Huglin and Jonny Abrams were "delighted" with the result which will "hopefully give the team a much-needed confidence boost and will kick start our season."
DC Prediction: Haroldeans 2 Team 1
BL Prediction: Haroldeans 1 Team 1
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OAKS EDGE PAST IMPROVING FAITHFOLD B
OAKWOOD B 4 FAITHFOLD B 3
Dave Eden maintained his 100 per cent record as stand-in manager of Oakwood, but his team breathed a sigh of relief when the final whistle sounded following Faithfold B's best performance of the season.
Oakwood's goals came through Haydon Davidson (2), Charlie Cohen and Vic Librae.
Leor Harel scored twice for Faithfold, with Ben Rosenblatt also finding the net.
Faithfold manager Dan Yoss told JC Sport: "It was a great game to be involved in and we were very unlucky not to come away with something. We could have nicked a point at the end.
"There were fantastic performances from Leor Harrell and Ben Rosenblatt who combined very well on the left. I'm very confident of getting our first points next week."
DC Prediction: Oakwood 5 Faithfold 0
BL Prediction: Oakwood 4 Faithfold 0
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BAUMS DO THE BUSINESS
AC MILL HILL 2 ATHLETIC BILBAUM 3
The Bilbaum boys edged a high-quality contest thanks to goals from Ben Bell, Adam Bier and Jake Gilbert.
They had just enough to see off promotion rivals Mill Hill, for whom Alex Olcot and Jonny Horwitz found the net.
DC Prediction: Mill Hill 3 Bilbaum 2
BL Prediction: Mill Hill 2 Bilbaum 0
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SUPER SOLLOSI ON FIRE FOR RAMPANT REDBRIDGE
FC TEAM C 2 REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE B 4
Redbridge B got back to winning ways with two-goal hero Nathan Sollosi helping them FC Team C's 100 per cent record in a thriller at Old Camdenians.
Further strikes from Jordan Sapler and Adam Goldman sealed a memorable win.
FC Team's goals came through Shim Bensoor and James Joseph.
Victorious RJC boss Jon Jacobs told JC Sport: "Sticking to our footballing principles, a very disciplined performance against the previously unbeaten Team C.
"Football is the winner with a divine finish from Nathan Sollosi the cream on top."
Photogallery to follow ...
DC Prediction: Team 3 Redbridge 2
BL Prediction: Team 2 Redbridge 0
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DIVISION THREE
TOP-SCORERS
12 – Richard Fogelman (L’Equipe)
10 Dan Gordon (Faithfold C)
AURET AT THE DOUBLE FOR WHETSTONE
AC WHETSTONE 3 KING CROWN 2
As predicted, AC Whetstone completed back-to-back wins, with Philippe Auret and Dan Cohen on target for the second week in a row as they edged past King Crown.
Benji Greenblatt and Daniel Cohen were the scorers for King Crown who were unable to equalise having pulled it back to 3-2 with 30 minutes remaining.
Whetstone joint-manager Clive Nathan told JC Sport: "This brought us back down to earth after all last week's plaudits. We didn't play well other than for the first 10 minutes. We need to keep the ball better and pass quicker. The only good thing to come out of today was that it was sunny and we won."
DC Prediction: Whetstone 3 King Crown 2
BL Prediction: Whetstone 3 King Crown 0
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FOGELMAN WINS BATTLES OF THE STRIKERS
L’EQUIPE 5 FAITHFOLD C 4
RICHARD FOGELMAN won the battle of the hotshots as L'Equipe came from 3-1 down at half-time to beat Faithfold C in a nine-goal thriller.
In a match labelled Schnitzelman vs Flash, it was Faithfold's Dan Gordon who gave his team a dream start, with Ben Simons also finding the net to put the Superhoops in the ascendency.
Josh Kaye pulled one back for L'Equipe, but it was Fogelman who took centre stage with four fine finishes in the second 45 minutes. Faithfold scored a fourth through Stefan Simons, but it was L'Equipe's day.
L'Equipe joint-manager Dan Cordell told JC Sport: "We got the three points and that's all that mattered at the end of the day - a big win for us and we showed a lot of fight in the second half."
Faithfold boss David Garson told JC Sport: "We snatched defeat from the jaws of victory."
DC Prediction: L’Equipe 2 Faithfold 3
BL Prediction: L’Equipe 3 Faithfold 0
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THREE CHEERS AS HENDON WIN AT LAST
LOUGHTON ORIENT 0 HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB C 3
Hendon C cruised to their first win of the season with an easy victory over Loughton in Walthamstow.
Alex Elf, Ezra Duisberg and Ben David were the goal-scoring heroes for Hendon.
Hendon boss Adam Glekin told JC Sport: "We're very pleased to get the monkey off our back and claim that first win, which I felt was fully deserved."
Loughton boss Dan Curtis told JC Sport: "We were very poor all over the pitch today and got what we deserved."
DC Prediction: Loughton 3 Hendon 3
BL Prediction: Loughton 1 Hendon 2
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CATS BACK ON TRACK
TEMPLE FORTUNE 1 CATFORD & BROMLEY MACCABI 3
The Cats returned to winning ways thanks to a double from Yonni Bord and a headed strike from Gary Conway.
Fortune's Darren Zitren halved the deficit with the goal of the game to make it 2-1.
Fortune manager Jonathan Cohen said: ""I'm a bit disappointed losing, even though Catford are top of the table. Full credit to them to be fair. I can see plenty of encouraging signs for the games ahead and we will many more games if we play like we did in the second half."
DC Prediction: Fortune 1 Catford 3
BL Prediction: Fortune 1 Catford 4
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RAIDERS C HIT JEWDINESE WHERE IT HURTS
NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS C 2 JEWDINESE 1
A goal of the week contender from Liam Stein and another strike from Jamie Weinrich helped Raiders C come from behind to condemn Jewdinese to their first defeat of the season.
Jewdinese's goals came through Zack Collins.
Darren Lawrence, the Jewdinese boss, told JC Sport: "How we haven’t won this match I do not know. Every team has a slip-up at one point during the season and I hope that this is our only won. It hurts for everyone but we will look to bounce straight back with a huge game against Catford next week."
Club chairman Jake Erlich told JC Sport: "We had the chances to kill the game off but we didn’t take them. This result hurts as we know this should have been a comfortable win and I hope we don’t look back at this with regret when it comes to the end of the season."
DC Prediction: Raiders 1 Jewdinese 2
BL Prediction: Raiders 2 Jewdinese 3