Delmonte: South are invincible - The Jewish Chronicle

Stuart Delmonte has piled the pressure on South Manchester's 'invincibles' by claiming his Maccabi side are huge underdogs ahead of their Peter Morrison Trophy quarter-final clash on Sunday. Holders Maccabi have endured an inconsistent season in the Tameside League and have been ravaged by departures and injuries throughout the campaign. But South have had no such problems, winning all 11 league games to top the Manchester Accountants League Premier Division. Darryl Lee's men are one of the hot favourites for the Trophy and have already booked their place in the final of the Manchester Handicup. Maccabi defeated South 3-1 in last year's competition but Delmonte says the tables have turned with Lee's side now top dogs in Manchester. It's like asking babies to go out and do a man's job "It doesn't really take a brain surgeon to work out who the favourites are," he said. "South have had an amazing season and are top of the league after winning every single game. "They're already in another cup final and while this is our biggest match of the season, I doubt it is for them because they've been so successful. "Darryl Lee has done a fantastic job there and has recruited some very good players like our former striker Adam Lavin, who is a nice lad and a very good player. "They'll be flying and full of confidence because they've not lost at all this season so we'll be huge underdogs." Despite his side's inconsistent form, Delmonte still believes his young side can still send shockwaves through Manchester on Sunday. "We've got nothing else to play for so it's a big game for us," he added. "It's about who wants it most and who performs on the day. We've got a very young side and I'm asking babies to go out and do a man's job. "South will be flying but if we can win then it will be up there with our best results of the season." Elsewhere, Haroldeans crashed out of the Shonn Trophy after suffering a 2-0 defeat by Manchester Maccabi 3rd. In a game switched from Manchester to Liverpool because of a frozen pitch, Jake Kelly and Danny Rubinstein gave Maccabi a welcome win. Meanwhile, Saul Shapiro, Jack Roache and Dan Bomsztyk were all on target as Oakhill claimed a 3-0 over Sporting JLGB in the MJSL Joan Collins Premier Division.