Cash hits the jackpot against FC Shebu

Saul Conway heeded his pre-match instruction and put in the kind of shift that shapes games. Linking well with Daniel Stanton, Cash and Steve Summers the four began to put pressure on Shebu.

Conway was denied by the keeper before a Cash delivery just evaded Stanton and Summers, the curling effort cleared off the line. But just past the quarter hour the hosts deservedly led. Danny Berg fed Pearl who via Stanton worked the ball to Conway who found himself one v one on the right flank. A burst of pace stole him a yard, his low cross was audaciously flicked goalwards by Summers, bringing a fine parry from the keeper, but Cash was on hand to bury the loose ball from close range.

Hakim gave Conway a deserved rest, and the new father celebrated almost immediately with a fine assist, striding past two players before delivering a delicious cross that an on-rushing Cash rose to plant home with a bullet header.

And when Cash strode in from the left and lashed an unstoppable strike with the outside of boot into the far side netting the home side had a 3-0 lead to take into the break.

Goals clearly change games, so despite the scoreline this was a proper battle between two excellent sides. Maccabi knew the next goal would be crucial, Rob Glass, Adam Myeroff, Adam Harvey and Jon Rayner on their toes to ensure no way back for the high class Shebu frontline, who started the second period well and pressed their hosts back.

So when Conway picked up the ball, cut inside and unleashed an absolute stunner of a strike that simply arrowed into the top corner, Maccabi know they had the decisive cushion and that it was to be their day. And when Hakim got to do his "Bebeto" celebration when he rounded the keeper to notch Maccabi's fifth it seemed all over.

DJ Campbell, though, added some nerves with two goals in as many minutes, the first after a dazzling display of quick feet that had most applauding. With still a quarter of an hour to play was there a way back?

MLFC keeper Rob Abrahams made a couple of smart saves and Myeroff one very timely intervention to maintain the comfortable margin, and with Shebu committing bodies forward at every opportunity, Maccabi had the last laugh when both Cash and Hakim exploited the spaces afforded them, capitalising on Stanton's ability to find them to add to their personal tallies and round off a fine day at the office for the league leaders.

MLFC: Rob Abrahams, Danny Berg, Rob Glass, Adam Myeroff, Adam Harvey, David Soutar, Craig Pearl, Daniel Stanton, Saul Conway, Lee Cash, Steve Summers. Subs: Jon Rayner, Paul Hakim, Max Radford

GOALS: Cash 4, Conway, Hakim 2