Temple Fortune 4-1 Redbridge Jewish Care C

Michael Winehouse watched in horror as his Redbridge Jewish Care C side missed a vital penalty-kick and lost their chance of getting back into the game.

With 30 minutes left and 3-1 down in this Cyril Anekstein Cup match, RJC were given a lifeline when Temple Fortune’s Gideon Wetrin was sent-off for deliberate handball on the line.

But Michael Konzon blasted the penalty against the post and with it went his side’s chance of forcing extra-time against a team two divisions higher.

“Of course, the penalty miss was crucial as we would have had the impetus,” said Winehouse, who felt his side were denied an early penalty after a foul on Darren Brown. “Overall, there certainly wasn’t three goals between us. We just needed to be more clinical with our finishing.”

In truth, Temple Fortune’s extra class told. After surviving a difficult first 20 minutes, when goalkeeper Adam Glekin denied Redbridge striker Craig Sandford in a one-on-one, they upped their game and Paul Walker glanced home a header from a Wetrin throw to give Temple Fortune the lead.

Facing a swirling wind, Redbridge struggled to deal with crosses, and only a fine claw away by Paul Sanders prevented Ben Isaacs from scoring.

The second arrived shortly before the break when a lovely through-ball by Oliver Squires split the Redbridge defence, with Rob Benson clipping a neat finish over the keeper.

A brilliant left-footed free-kick by Brown at the start of the second-half brought Redbridge back into the game for one minute, before hesitancy in the left-hand side of the their defence allowed Isaacs to score with a first- time shot from a tight angle.

Wetrin’s sending-off, after palming away a cross, should have presented an opportunity for a comeback, but once the penalty was missed Temple Fortune heads dropped, and they knew the game was up when the lively Benson coolly side-footed home a fourth mid-way through the half.

A late run and delivery by RJC substitute Adam Curtis found Brown ten yards from goal. But his effort came back off the post in a moment that encapsulated his side’s afternoon.

Temple Fortune manager Andy Souber felt the Division Two side’s win was well-deserved: “We controlled the game and were more menacing going forward. I never felt we were in danger of losing our grip on the game.

“I’ve no complaints with the decision to send our player off. You can’t argue with that when your player stops a goal.”

Temple Fortune: Adam Glekin; Fegan, Wetrin, Nakoff, Morris; Squires (Ben Glekin), Walker, Fisher, Woolfe; Isaacs ( Souber), Benson.

RJC: Paul Sanders; Darwin (Curtis), Silver, Baigel, Block ( Herman); Konzon, Hopps, Castle, Jake Sanders (Sinclair); Sandford, Brown.