Wishing all JC readers and MGBSFL players, officials and supporters a happy, healthy and successful new year!
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP ROUND ONE DRAW
YOUR WEEKEND PREVIEW STARTS HERE:
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP ROUND ONE
CLUB DE CHIGWELL vs HENDON UNITED SPORTS
New boys Club De Chigwell could not have asked for a tougher first-round tie than holders Hendon United. Perhaps they will take some inspiration from Colchester’s Carabao Cup win over Spurs!
Last week’s game against FC Team was good preparation to take on the MGBSFL champions as they came up against a top-class striker in the shape of Connor Perl.
WATCH: HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2018/19 CUP FINAL - HENDON vs OAKWOOD
Not much can prepare a new team for a match against Hendon – a well-oiled winning machine, with great strength in depth. They have pace, power and quality all over the park. Indeed Club De Chigwell will learn a lot over the 90 minutes.
Hendon go into the game on the back of a third consecutive win. And they will be relishing another trip to Essex as they go in search of a place in round two.
Josh Harris has forced his way into Jordan Sapler’s starting XI. Also comfortable at centre-back, Harris is much more than a target man, with a great engine to boot. He scored twice in the 5-0 win over Fairlop FC, with Josh Bharier and a cracker from Zac Garbacz completing the rout.
And Sapler is looking forward to another shlap around the A406. He told JC Sport: “After a good win in the league and a good start to the season, it's nice to be breaking up the league games with another cup tie.
“This time we face Club de Chigwell who bring a bit of European flair to the league. James Rose has developed a good squad, we know Daniel Garfinkle well after we took him on trial last season and as the quickest player in the league it's always going to be a tough task to stop him getting on the scoresheet.
WATCH: 2018 CUP FINAL HIGHLIGHTS & ANALYSIS
“I've had my scouts watching them and they like to play football the right way, building up from the back and knowing a few of their players from my Redbridge days they definitely have talent.”
Sapler cranked up the mind games and said: “This may be the week that I don't offer Garfinkle a lift, or maybe offer to pick him up and then not show!
“Chigwell have had mixed results this season, but playing on a grass pitch that will no doubt be cut up and muddied by the heavy rain it's somewhat a leveller.
“Despite that it's business as usual for us.” Hendon are able to call upon a strong squad and Sapler described “competition for places up front is frightening”. He went on to say: “Players such as Josh Harris, Dovi Fehler, Josh Bharier, Chaim Korman, Kiki Levin, Zack Lewis and Moses Seitler will get into any other team in the division, so we may see some rotation on that front.
“We want to win everything and this is the first step to retaining the league cup. I'm confident we will show our class and ability and that will be enough to get us into the next round.
“I also overheard Daniel Garfinkle talking to one of his players on the phone and heard them talking about a new signing by the name of Ben Allen. He said that he's been restricted to being their linesman but is finally ready to be unleashed on Sunday. We've been doing some extra training with Simon and Ari Nevies to try to combat that goal threat.”
Premier Division class will tell on Sunday. I’m sure of that.
JC team news: Zac Garbacz, on the back of his wonder goal last week, is away for Rosh Hashanah. Ari Last and Jonti Arembrand are still injured. Kiki Levin, Avi and Chaim Korman are all close to returning, however this week is still too soon for them all.
Venue – Peter May
JC star man: Kiki Levin (Hendon)
DC Prediction: CDC 1 Hendon 4
WATCH: HIGHLIGHTS - HMH vs HENDON
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FAITHFOLD WHITE vs NORTH WEST LONDON BEARS
Faithfold are long overdue a good run in one of the cup competitions and their fans will be delighted to hear I’ve got this down as a home banker.
The Superhoops have had a full week to prepare for the visit of a Bears team yet to register a win in Division Two.
They have come away from tough games against Oakwood and Maccabi London with a win and a draw and they looked well equipped to reach the quarter-finals at the very least.
Having a proper keeper will make a big difference this season. Player-manager Avi Markiewicz lined up in goal too many times last season. Now he’s back to what he loves doing best – scoring goals and leading by example outfield.
The experience of Yoav Kestenbaum will also stand them in good stand. In Yoav they have a winner and his all-round game will definitely get the best out of the likes of David Leiwy, Avi Garson and Akiva Solomon.
The Bears have drawn three out of three but joint-player-manager James Harpin is confident they are heading in the right direction.
Ahead of the game, he told JC Sport: “This game gives us an opportunity to get away from the league after our poor results thus far."
Harpin can expect to be busy on Sunday against opponents who have tricky winger and attack the wide areas well. He added: "Faithfold are a quality football side, they get the ball down, it's the quality they have on the wings and they play the right way.
"We will go into this game with no pressure on us which could benefit us. It’ll be a much-changed side for us this week. We will be working on a different system that hopefully we can use to grind out results in the league.
"There will also be game time for boys that haven’t played much yet and a couple of new faces. We want to go out there and enjoy playing football, and you never know, we may get a result.”
Sam Fresco has been the eyes and the ears off the pitch for the Bears, and he targeting an improved performance. “After our disappointment in the league so far, we are really looking forward to this game and just go out and enjoy with a few different boys playing this week hoping to make to claim to start everyweek we are looking at this game as a great opportunity to experiment and just enjoy it.
"Every underdog has their day, you just never know.”
On paper a trip to a Premier Division side is what dreams are made of. Harpin has witnessed Barnet on the right and wrong end of shocks over the years, but I can’t see his weekend ending with a fairytale finish.
JC team news: The Bears remain without striker Zacki Doumou following his recent red card.
Venue – Capital City
JC star man: Akiva Solomon (Faithfold)
DC Prediction: Faithfold 4 Bears 0
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FC TEAM vs CAMDEN PARK
FC Team will be smelling an upset when top-flight Camden Park are the visitors to their new Edgware home.
They’ve made an excellent start to the campaign, with hot-shot Connor Perl earning rave reviews from boss Mitch Young.
They kept Daniel Garfinkle quiet in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Chigwell and will feel they can finish the day as giantkillers against a Camden SIDE that has failed to score in two out of three.
Camden started well with a win over Maccabi London, but things have been tougher in recent weeks, with defeats against Oakwood and HMH.
Ahead of kick-off, a Camden spokesman told JC Sport: "We hope to bounce back from last week and most importantly get back to playing our brand of football."
I can see this tie being won and lost in midfield. Ben Sollosi and Craig Sandford will take no prisoners in their battle against Johann Jordi and Sacha Nusenbaum.
For me, if FC Team have all their big guns playing, I can see there being little between the sides and it could come down to small details.
JC team news: Camden have Josh Tiano and Steven Murad returning to the fold, Kane Gilbery has served his suspension and has passed fitness check to play.
Venue – London Academy
JC star man: Ben Sollosi (Team)
DC Prediction: Team 2 Camden 1
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NORTH LONDON GALAXY vs MILL HILL DONS
Galaxy gaffer Luke Lewis described his squad as “off the charts” ahead of the all Division One cup showdown against the Dons - their second meeting in seven days.
With Rosh Hashanah almost upon us, Tyler Smith and Jake Moss will be back from Nottingham to join the likes of Josh Shack, James Belchak and Nick Barnett in midfield. So Mill Hill Dons beware!
Galaxy beat the Dons 4-3 in the league last weekend, and they are hungry for more success. James Belchak continued his excellent early season form, while he was joined on the scoresheet by Zac Rose, Barnett and Shack.
The Galaxy boys were cruising at 4-1 until two late strikes from hat-trick hero Zach Cohen, completing his hat-trick, gave them some food for thought.
Looking ahead to the game, Lewis told JC Sport of his plans to rotate. “Given how comfortable we were against Dons last weekend, we’ll be looking to give some boys game time who haven’t featured much this season, providing them the opportunity to showcase their talent,” he said.
“Our squad is immense right now and I’m proud of the team we’ve built together here at Galaxy and the football we are playing.
“I say to the boys every week - we have the quality to do damage, but our attitude will define us.
“We tore Dons apart last week, with their players admitting they couldn't get near us. If we hadn’t got complacent and gone for the jugular the scoreline could’ve been embarrassing.”
Lewis is setting the bar high for the cup tie, and he said: “My target for the boys this week will be to win to nil - I want us to show that we’re not only an exceptional footballing team who can score goals, but we also live for clean sheets and can defend too.”
The Dons know they can ill-afford any individual mistakes this weekend, and a lacklustre start won’t be tolerated by manager Brandon Hamme. He told JC Sport: "The first 15 minutes of last week’s game cost us. We were playing catch-up from that point on and the deficit was too much to overcome.
"We did make a right go of it though and we vastly improved as the game went on."
Hamme went on to say: "There was lots we could be happy about going into this week. It’s always interesting trying to prepare from a double-header - last week’s game is very fresh in our mind and one would expect that it will play out similarly to last week’s game.
"I don’t think you can set up expecting the game to play out similarly, though. We need to play our game and be focused throughout.
"Galaxy played some great stuff last week and we know we will be in for a game but I saw enough last Sunday to suggest we stand a really good chance of coming away with something."
The first 20 minutes will be key for me on Sunday. Galaxy hold the psychological edge and I think their big match players will deliver.
JC team news: The Dons have been dealt a major blow with news that defender Josh Cinna is back on the injury list and looks set to miss out again due to his lingering knee issues. Marc Rister is available and could be set to make his debut for the club, while Marc Charles is back from travelling and could be set to play in his first game of the season. Josh Marks has received a set-back in his recovery and he looks set to miss a further two months. Both Ben Rodol (nose) and Sam Singer (humerus) are hoping to return next year. Josh Moses (shoulder) is set to return to training after his long-term injury but will miss out this Sunday. Daniel Lande, Isaac Virchis, Jamie Nagioff, Jason Weldon and Sam Stead are also unavailable.
Venue – East Barnet School
JC star man: Jake Moss (Galaxy)
DC Prediction: Galaxy 3 Dons 1
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SCRABBLE vs MACCABI LONDON FC BLUE
Youth tackles experience in an intriguing tie which sees second division Scrabble play host to former competition winners Maccabi London Blue.
Scrabble have made a solid enough start, with a big win over West Hamdillah followed by a hard-earned point against the Bears.
They capitalised on a rare error from James Harpin to earn a share of the spoils against the Bears last weekend, with Lloyd Becker the benefactor.
But Maccabi will provide a clear step up in standard. They club have won the competition a number of times before, in different guises, and are hungry to go all the way again.
For one reason or another, Maccabi have not clicked yet. But I hear the pitches are superb at JCoSS, so this could be men against boys. But not how you think!
Venue – JCoSS
JC star man: Josh Pistol (Maccabi)
DC Prediction: Scrabble 1 Maccabi 4
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BROOK FARM ROVERS vs FAITHFOLD GREEN
Brook Farm are raring to go after sticking seven past Bayern Mincha last Sunday.
It was about as good a performance that joint-managers Ben Pollins, Dan Cohen and Tomer Tricot could’ve hoped for in a game that featured six different goal-scorers.
A decent crowd is expected for their first-ever cup game. And they couldn't have asked for a better draw.
That said, Faithfold boss Ben Kfir knows this is a free-hit for the Superhoops, and all the pressure will be on the Division One team.
But I can see Rovers doing the business, and finishing with a bit of a swagger.
Venue – Capital City
JC star man: Yoss Brownson (Rovers)
DC Prediction: Rovers 4 Faithfold 1
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TEMPLE FORTUNE vs BAYERN MINCHA
15-1 winners last weekend, Temple Fortune go in search of a big cup scalp when winless Bayern Mincha come to Furzehill Leisure Centre.
Danny Sherman, Simon Cohen and Benjii Gourgey found their shooting boots – scoring ten goals between them – and it would be fair to say Simon Linden’s men have their tails up. And about time too.
Bayern have failed to score in 180 minutes and it’s important they get their season back on track soonest.
But I can see Fortune being up for the cup on Sunday and it will be their day if they do the basics better than Bayern.
Venue – Furzehill Leisure Centre
JC star man: Jacob Kalms (Fortune)
DC Prediction: Fortune 2 Bayern 1
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PARIS SAINT-JEWMAIN vs WEST HAMDILLAH
Although it's still early days, the signs look positive for Paris Saint-Jewmain.
A brilliant reaction following a heavy opening defeat at the hands of FC Team, with victories over Club De Chigwell and Hampstead Ducks. So it's clear they are made of stern stuff. They have character and great spirit.
Every successful team needs a brilliant goalkeeper and in Joni Hirschowitz they have just the man. He showed star qualities against Hampstead last week - a performance that was ultimately the difference between three points and won. And his efforts earned him a place in my Team of the Week.
West Hamdillah have made a poor start. They looked disorganised last week in the 15-1 mauling at the hands of Temple Fortune and it was no surprise to see some of their fans leaving long before the final whistle.
If PSJ score early doors I think the floodgates will open again.
Venue – Brunel Uni
JC star man: Henry Lewis (PSJ)
DC Prediction: PSJ 4 Hamdillah 0
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DIVISION ONE
NORTH LONDON RAIDERS vs MACCABI LONDON FC RED
David Isaacs is taking nothing for granted on Sunday when Raiders welcome a "strong Maccabi team" to their Wembley home.
L'Orange are flying are back to back wins, but they will need to be wary of a MLFC team who have yet to click.
Victories over SPEC and Jewdinese have featured some excellent, free-flowing football for a Raiders team managed by Gideon Gale and Isaacs. Striker Aron Gale has become one of the hottest properties around in the Maccabi League and goalkeeper Dan Lipman will be keen to impress against his former club.
"The boys are still buzzing from Sunday’s win against a strong 'Nese team," Isaacs told JC Sport, "but we know we can’t be complacent against a strong MLFC team. We have a few ex-Lions players who are extremely excited for the match.
"Although MLFC lost their first match, we can’t be complacent as we want to continue our 100 per cent record so far this season and get another three points on the board."
Isaacs was keen to single out NLR's captain marvel, and said: "A big shout out to our Joshua Bloom who kept arguably one of the best strikers (Reiss Mogilner) in the MGBSFL out of the game last week, having been struck down with food poisoning 12 hours before the match."
All I can really tell you about MLFC is they have lots of young players, so lasting the distance won't be a problem.
The question is, can they live with Aron Gale and Liron Mannie and co in a game that will have a bit of a derby feel about it.
JC team news: Alex Jacobs is out for Raiders after a horrible collision with Jewdinese keeper Ben Halmer last weekend. However, L’Orange welcome back Gavin Fox and Tal Cohen.
Venue – Ark Academy
JC star man: Daniel Behar (NLR)
DC Prediction: Raiders 2 Maccabi 1
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE vs SPEC FC
Daniel Jacobs assured me last week's 0-3 defeat against Hertswood Vale was nothing more than a blip and he is expecting a big reaction ahead of the visit of SPEC.
RJC were undone by the brilliance of James Millet - they were not the first and they certainly won't be the last.
Things will be equally tough on Sunday. "The boys are ready and raring to make amends for last week's poor showing against Hertswood," RJC boss Daniel Jacobs told JC Sport.
Assistant-boss David Castle, currently out in Brazil, added: "I've heard the boys worked hard in training this week and we're looking forward to getting back to winning ways in time for Rosh Hashanah."
I'm predicting a close affair against an organised SPEC team on Sunday, and can't see there being too many goals.
RJC old boy Zack Neiman will make an emotional return to Fairlop. Home fans still hold him in the highest regard after the excellent shift he put in in the famous RJC colours.
But there will be no room for sentiment on Sunday, according to SPEC player-boss Ricky Lawrence. Like RJC, SPEC have won one and lost one, so neither side will start as favourites.
Speaking from the SPEC training ground, Lawrence told JC Sport: "We gave a good account of ourselves against Raiders last time out. They showed against Jewdinese why they are people's favourites for the title.
"Our two games so far have given us confidence that we can hold our own in this division but travelling to Essex on a wet, cold, windy morning might be one of the toughest tests we face all season.
"We're looking forward to the game but we'll be hoping to enjoy the drive home too and that won't happen if we don't deliver on the pitch."
I remember playing in a game where Matt Leader, Mark Leader and Adam Joselyn starred in a famous North London Raiders' win over RJC at Fairlop (Ed. yes they are that old!). And if SPEC play their cards right, they can come away with the right result in a game of attrition.
JC team news: RJC have "no fresh injury worries," welcoming back James Gordon, Ben Nathan and Scott Mckenzie into the squad.
Venue – Fairlop (last-minute pitch change from NWL to Essex, away fans have been informed and refunds have been issued).
JC star man: Mark Leader (SPEC)
DC Prediction: RJC 0 SPEC 1
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DIVISION TWO
BORUSSIA BARNET vs HAMPSTEAD DUCKS
There's nothing more frustrating than having a week off after claiming your first win.
Borussia played Temple Fortune off the park a fortnight ago and they have had ample time to recover. Now they are ready to go again.
A spine that includes Joe Botchin, Jack Mattey and Michael Kenley should certainly be challenging for a top-four finish and I can see them dominating possession in the battle of the new boys.
The Ducks finished second best against PSJ last week. But it wasn't for the lack of trying. They put on a good show but it just wasn't to be.
Borussia fans home they can turn the Bridgestone Arena into a fortress this season and roar the Barnet boys to another home win.
Venue – Bridgestone Arena
JC star man: Adam Freeman (BB)
DC Prediction: Borussia 3 Ducks 1
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