Jon Kurrant is reflecting on a job well done after guiding Maccabi GB to the London Futsal League Division Two South title with two games to spare.
Another hat-trick from captain Scott Shulton inspired them to a 7-1 win over LB Herts and the champagne flowed in the changing room minutes later.
"I’m immensely proud of what all the players and those involved have achieved," said Kurrant. "Last season we failed to claim a single point, so to win the league with two games remaining is just reward for all the effort.
Maccabi went into the game with an unbeaten record, and once Jonah Gordon-Boyd had put them ahead, they never looked back.
Debutant Jamie Bernstein set up Shulton for his first and the captain registered his second and MGB’s third before the interval, following good work from Danny Sugarman and Bernstein.
Herts pulled one back, but any hopes of a comeback were ended by two strikes from the impressive Shulton, the team’s leading scorer. The final word went to player-manager Kurrant who scored the goal of the game with 20 seconds left. Max Radford and Gordon-Boyd linked up well for Kurrant to smash home a powerful volley. And with Enfield beating second-place Kickers 8-4, MGB were champions.
Kurrant said: "Our success is down to the commitment of the players such as Alex Norman who gives up his time every week and has been a pivotal player in achieving promotion for MGB, and big performances at key times from the likes of Scott Shulton, Alex Olcot et a
"We are now in arguably the most coveted league in the country. The top division possesses some great teams and just to be on the same court as them is going to develop our own players significantly.
"Hopefully, this can influence younger Jewish players to get engaged and take futsal to the next level.
MGB have entered a team into the under-19 championships and the Nike-sponsored FA Futsal Cup competitions and Kurrant hopes these high-profile events will unearth new talent.
"We have to improve as a team and show even more dedication to the sport to survive in Division One next season," he said. "Our movement, understanding and technical components will evolve but to compete, the basics need to develop throughout the off-season period."
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