Two goals from defender Adam Myeroff helped the Lions secured what in the end was safe passage into the next round with this well deserved victory in the Middx County Cup, although were made to work harder than the scoreline might suggest.
October 3, 2017 09:44
JAMROCK FC 1 MACCABI LONDON LIONS 5
With an opposition playing a high line, it seemed only a matter of time before Lions’ fast start would reap rewards. Two good saves by the home keeper denied Saul Conway and Lee Cash before the former whistled the sweetest of volleys inches wide. But they weren’t’t to be denied for long.
When Alex Levack’s early ball send Tony Gold away he crossed low where Cash dummied and Hadley Silver, arriving late, took a touch to wrong foot the covering man and slammed home past the helpless keeper.
Conway was causing all sorts of issues for Jamrock, and despite taking a few kicks, for his troubles he was rewarded as he went scampering clear, cooly rounding the keeper and applying the finish for no. 2.
Two to the good Jamrock at this point had no answer, the space afforded Lions led to a third before the break. Gold sent Conway away, he was caught late as he crossed, the referee’s whistle for a penalty going before Cash applied the deftest of finishes. But from the spot-kick Myeroff made no mistake and a 3-0 half-time lead was no more than the Lions deserved.
A sloppy opening to the second period saw Jamrock pull a goal back, and with it they gained some momentum. On the break it was still Lions who looked by far the more dangerous, but as long as the next goal didn’t come their way the game was still in the balance.
Things might have got even more twitchy had Rob Abrahams not saved well and had Scott Levy not executed a superb goal-saving challenge when the Jamrock forward seemed certain to score.
Cash, Conway and Silver all went close as Lions came again, but the game was fully decided by a moment of madness, the Jamrock midfielder, following a great physical scrap with Myeroff, inexplicably ‘booted’ the Lions stalwart off the ball right under the referee’s nose. With the man advantage Lions turned the screw, Cash getting himself on the scoresheet before a second Myeroff penalty added some extra gloss.
A decent workout on a tricky pitch. The back four were to a man excellent, Conway stealing the MOM plaudits with an all-round find performance.
LIONS: Rob Abrahams, Scott Levy, Craig Henry, Adam Myeroff, Jon Rayner, Daniel Stanton, Alex Levack, Hadley Silver, Saul Conway, Lee Cash, Tony Gold. Sub: Max Radford
SCORERS: Myeroff (2), Conway, Silver, Cash
To get more from Life, click here to sign up for our free Life newsletter.