There are two Faithfold teams in Division Two but it's hard to look past Glenthorne United A, last season's Division Three champions, in terms of title talk this season.
CAMDEN PARK
Competitions entered: Division 2 and both cups
Hopes for the season: We were really unlucky to get relegated last season, missing so many players through injury and unavailability, so first and foremost we want to make sure we can get our strongest team out consistently and then hopefully be in the mix to get promoted straight back to Division 1. We’re not under any illusions though, we’ve got a very young and fairly inexperienced side, we know it’s going to be a tough season.
What will your team will bring to the league this season? Lots of youthful vigour and creativity, and hopefully by the start of the season a good level of fitness. There’s never a dull moment when Camden are around.
New signings: Transfer business is still ongoing, chief scout Eddy Simons is on the look out for new talent, but our first objective is to keep our squad together, as we know that some of our players are being coveted (tapped up!) by bigger clubs.
Have any players left? Some of the Camden old guard hung up their boots at the end of last season. Phil Caplin was one of the best and most experienced keepers in the whole league and we hope that Willy ‘the Monk’ Castle can fill his boots. Old Mr Camden, Justin Rockberger also confirmed his retirement. We hope we can carry on the Camden tradition and make them proud.
Who is the captain? Max Saunders, the new Mr Camden, a rock at centre-half.
Which teams do you think will be the main challengers in your division? It’s hard to look past the big teams in the division, especially Lions B and Faithold B and we hope to be in the mix at the top of the table with them come the end of the season.
Ones to watch: New player-manager Josh Marks missed the whole of last season with a cruciate injury, now back to full fitness, he should make an immediate impact on the division. Likewise, Richard Silver is set to shine as long as he keeps focussed and sober! Finally, Luke Brookner, who was called up to the Rep squad last season after consistently impressing, has the ability to win games for us. Expect a string of good performances from the creative midfielder.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? At just 18, Jake Saunders is the young player I’m most excited about watching this season, without doubt a very bright talent.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions?
Home ground: The Hive, Edgware
Sponsors: Derwent London
Describe your club in one sentence, what would it be? There are no words to describe Camden Park
What do you love about the MSFL? The comprehensive journalist coverage.
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FAITHFOLD B
Competitions entered: Morrison, Anekstein & league
Hopes for the season: To win the division
What will your team will bring to the league this season? Good quality football
New signings: Yes
Players out Yes
Who is the captain? To be decided
Main challengers Undecided
‘Ones to watch’: We do not pick out any ‘ players to watch ‘ as we consider that we are a team , all of which are excellent in their own positions.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Yes . We pride ourselves at Faithfold of giving young players a chance , throughout the ‘A’ ‘B’ & ‘C’ teams ,we already have many guys between the 18 and 21 age group.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? We are always looking to improve the teams but only if they are going to fit in with the existing squads.
Home ground: The Hive
Sponsors: Ackerman group plc and co.
Describe your club in one sentence: Well established , well run , excellent playing and training facilities , an opportunity to join a Jewish football club that will give young and established players a chance , Faithfold Football Club is all this and more.
What do you love about the MSFL? It’s unique , its well run and we are proud to be part of it.
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FC TEAM B
Competitions entered: MSFL Division 2, the Peter Morrison Cup and Cyril Anekstein Cup
Hopes for the season: After last season, our aim is to achieve mid-table with our new signings and push on from there
What will your team will bring to the league this season? A lot of loud voices and fun – a mix of Barcelona and Barnet.
New signings: Adam Goldsmith, James Milman and Ricky Shafer
Player out: Simon Buchler
Who is the captain? Won’t be decided for a week or two.
Main challengers Lions B will be up there challenging while there are a lot of good teams coming up from division below.
One to watch: Ricky Shafer
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Not really as they’ve gone to uni
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? Yes in centre mid and one more defender.
Home ground: Aycliffe Road, Borehamwood
Sponsor: Still looking
Describe your club in one sentence: Started by a group of friends six years ago and has gone from strength to strength since
What do you love about the MSFL? Playing football every week with a bunch of local boys
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GLENTHORNE UNITED A
Competitions entered: MSFL Division 2, Cyril Anekstein, Peter Morrison
Hopes for the season: To win our third promotion on the spin and to have two good cup runs.
What will your team will bring to the league this season? Flowing attacking football, great wing play and loads of goals.
New signings: Their have been a few players promoted from the Bs, who we are working into the squad during pre-season and friendlies and we have one big signing on the horizon, which I’m going to keep close to my chest for now!
Players out: We have a few players who won’t be available as much this year as they were last but all in all we are starting the campaign with more or less the same squad. If it ain’t broken don’t fix it!
Who is the captain? Craig Mervish
Main challengers RJC C and Faithfold B
Ones to watch: Gary Tiller (full-back), Scott Jay (midfield) and Bradley Grant (goalkeeper). Plus Dan Lipman is looking to bag 20-plus goals this year.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Jordan Sapler and Liam Stein – have been around for a while but are still young players
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? We are always looking for strong additions, the one position we are lacking support in is forwards.
Home ground: Fairlop Oak (on the extension behind the ground)
Sponsors: Gary Green Stonemasons
Describe your club in one sentence: Great bunch of lads who try to play the game the right way, fast paced, attacking football.
What do you love about the MSFL? The respect each team has for each other. We’ve been on the end of a couple of thumpings in the past couple of years and we’ve also handed out a few, but at no point have we, or our opponents, show a lack of respect to the opposing team.
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HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB B
Competitions entered: League, Peter Morrison Trophy, Cyril Anekstein Cup
Hopes for the season: Pushing for promotion
What will your team will bring to the league this season? Lots of goals
New signings: One or two and working on a few others before deadline day….
Have any players left? Nicky Rosenthal has retired
Who is the captain? Tali Nevies
Main challengers Lots of new teams, so hard to say, but I am sure the Essex teams and Faithfold will be up there
Ones to watch: Josh Aziz and Chanania Engelsman
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Ari Nevies is back from yeshiva and looking good. Arthur Caplin, our No. 1, is only going to get better.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? Our signings should plug any gaps. Hopefully a centre back, and a right winger.
Home ground: West Hendon PF
Sponsors: Kisharon
Describe your club in one sentence: Win, lose, always booze
What do you love about the MSFL? The camaraderie. The fact it’s a platform for Jewish boys who just want to play football.
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L’EQUIPE
Competitions entered: MSFL Division 2, Cyril Anekstein, Peter Morrison
Hopes for the season: Promotion is obviously our target but we'll be taking each game as they come.
What will your team will bring to the league this season?Goals, goals and more goals.
New signings: We've made a few signings this year but our core set of players who have been with the club for four years remains the same.
Players out Joey Kolirin, Jason Miller and Paul Rubenstein have all left the club for Temple Fortune and are best wishes go with them.
Who is the captain? No official captain for next season has been announced yet.
Main challengersGlenthorne A comfortably won their league last year, and if they can carry that momentum into this season then they'll be hard to stop.
Ones to watch: Forward Andy Burke is one of our new signings who will be making his MSFL debut and has looked really sharp in pre-season. I'd put some serious money on him ending the season as the league's top goal-scorer.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Another new signing centre back Ollie Kay is straight out of university and looks full of potential.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? An experienced goalkeeper is still a must for us; apart from that we've got a really balanced squad.
Home ground: Barnet Copthall
Sponsors: A sponsorship package for this season is still to be finalised but we're hopeful.
Describe your club in one sentence: Predictably unpredictable.
What do you love about the MSFL? The banter
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LONDON MACCABI LIONS B
Competitions entered: League and all the cups
Hopes for the season: Ideally we want to be pushing for a top three finish. However for that to happen, we need to make some new signings, especially a regular keeper.
What will your team will bring to the league this season? Flair, inconsistency and the fair play.
New signings: It looks like after three years we’re just about to bring the Springers back to the club which is massive. Hopefully we’ll be getting a few new signings in too.
Have any players left? Unfortunately with the B team folding certain players have chosen to ply their trade elsewhere so we’ve missed out on them.
Who is the captain? Captain this year will once again be Will Beresford, he really gets the team going and is a very gifted player who should really be pushing for the A team.
Which teams do you think will be the main challengers in your division? Norstar and Camden
Ones to watch: I really believe both Golds could have a great season this year. I see no reason why James Gold shouldn’t get the Golden Boot.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Not yet.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? We’re definitely looking to strengthen the team. We need a keeper, a striker, a winger and another man in defence. If you want to come to training it’s at Rowley Lane on Wednesday nights at 8pm. Feel free to call Jamie on 07980664376 for more details.
Home ground: At the best pitches in London – Rowley Lane.
Sponsors: Kyte Group and CST.
Describe your club in one sentence, what would it be? A special club that provides a platform for children and men of all ages to play Jewish football at the highest level.
What do you love about the MSFL? The JC sponsorship and the AGMs.
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NORSTAR B
Competitions entered: We have entered everything Jewish we are able to but not the F.A. Cup after some devastating defeats in the past. We have also entered the worst dressed and most likely to retire and go into management contests.
Hopes for the season: The team have enjoyed successive promotions and the club have achieved five in five attempts, this year will be harder than ever, but at the same time it would be great to win something and shake off our nearly mean tag. We don’t expect anything in the cups, apart from the opportunity to impress some Premier League sides again.
What will your team will bring to the league this season? We bring football played the right way, creative, disciplines and a not punting it over the top approach. I think we will be an asset to Division 2 and we expect a series of nail-biters and high scoring games this year.
New signings: We have looked to strengthen the side in every sense of the word and made the following acquisitions:
Daniel 'Cappers' Caplan and Jonny Sacker join from L’Equipe do add some steel to our defence and midfield.
Jono Gaon – has been brought in after catching our eye as a top scorer in the Watford Friendly League and he should add pace, composure and quality in attack.
Ian Weinstein after a few years at No. 13 makes the step to No. 1 this year and will add security between the sticks, but we have held on to the ‘Hendon Mouth’ Jonny Evans in reserve.
The cheque book isn’t closed yet and the Norstar squads are still settling so we may see a couple of other before the season kicks off and even in the early weeks.
Have any players left? Josh Green our pacy forward has moved back to our A side and we wish him well there. Captain Adam Sandzer and midfield anchorman Paul Wolfson have both been pulled around the globe on various employment based excursions so they are expected to play a limited role this term.
Technically, we have also just lost Laurence Martin, though he last kicked a ball in Orange in late 2010.
Who is the captain? Adam Sandzer remains club captain but with his expected absence, VC Josh Gaon can expect to wear the armband a little more.
Which teams do you think will be the main challengers in your division? All the sides we came up with Redbridge, Faithfold and especially Glenthorne will be competitive. Given our respect for FF C we have to consider Faithfold B as contenders for the title. The rest we don’t know much about but we intend to find out.
Ones to watch: This season keep an eye out for Adam Lipman, who in training continues to be brilliant but on the pitch has historically defied logic with his dopiness. We really believe this year Training Lipman will become Sunday Lipman.
In addition this is a season full of promise for Josh Kleiman and Rafi Addlestone a chance to build on last year.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Jono Gaon is the man or should I say boy here and as soon as he returns from Summer Tour we will be sculpting him into a forward that can hold his own in any division.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? I think we could be tempted to make moves in forward and midfield areas if the right player came along.
Home ground: Ark Academy in the shadow of the arch of Wem-ber-ley
Sponsors: Why, you interested? Not sure yet but whomever they might be they can expect a credible and talented young outfit they could be proud to associated with.
Describe your club in one sentence, what would it be? Oranges are not the only fruit, but they are the colour that stands for quality, control and a little comedy.
What do you love about the MSFL? Pseudo-aggressive male posturing and lateness.
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE C
Competitions entered: We have entered the traditional cups being the Peter Morrsion and Cyril Anekstein. We will of course be fighting to challenge to get out of Division 2.
Hopes for the season: Redbridge C is a very solid and experienced side with some great youth involved as well. Anyone that watches us this season will enjoy the way we will be playing.
New signings: We have made 3-4 experienced signings as well as having some great 16-17 year olds ready to make the step up.
Who is the captain? I will be deciding our captain over the next few weeks and the captain will be in place by the time of our last friendly.
Which teams do you think will be the main challengers in your division? Glenthorne will always be a challenge due to our close rivalry, you can never write off a London Maccabi Lions team either.
Ones to watch: Our strikeforce of Daniel Gordon, James Ryan and Greg Bookman will always threaten the opposition defence.
Do you have any outstanding youngsters in the squad? Our three youth signings all have blistering pace and an eye for goal – they will all be destined for the top of the MSFL.
Are you still looking to strengthen? If so, in which positions? As a club, Redbridge are always looking for new players. What we offer is different to a lot of clubs and the facilities are second to none.
Home ground: We will continue to play our games at Fairlop Oak.
Sponsors: Our sponsors will continue to be Mr Sweets.
Describe your club in one sentence, what would it be? Redbridge are a warm, friendly and successful club that anyone would love to be part of given the opportunity.
What do you love about the MSFL? I personally feel the MSFL is in great shape at the moment and with our A team being the current double winners breads success through out.
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Awaiting details: Faithfold C
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