London Lions 1
Park Street Village 2
London Lions lost their grip on the title as they were beaten by mid-table Park Street Village in a smash and grab at Rowley Lane.
The race for the Herts Senior County League Premier Division was blown wide open as the Lions suffered only their second league defeat.
The Arkley side were left to rue a series of missed chances in a game in which they enjoyed the majority of possession.
Missing influential players including Guy Morris, Dominique Cheniart and captain Rob Glass, the Lions seemed short of that final cutting edge that would have seen them gain something from the fixture.
PSV scored with their only two attacks of the first half. Lions boss Tony Gold shuffled his pack at the break with the introduction of Aron Barnes and Dan Green injecting some energy.
Ben Lauffer spurned two good openings with Lee Cash, Adam Stolerman and Barnes passing up gilt-edged chances. Stolerman halved the deficit with virtually the last kick of the game but it was too little, too late.
Gold said: “Unfortunately for us possession doesn’t win football matches. The bare facts are we need to be ultra clinical both in front of goal and at the back in defence, and apart from one of our last four games we haven’t been anywhere near.
“The players know the score and they are fully aware of what is at stake. The next four games are absolutely crucial in terms of where our aspirations lie.”
Five goals from David Dinkin earned London Lions reserves their biggest win of the season as they hammered Knebworth 13-1 in the HSCL Reserve Division One. Ben Ellis (3), Ben Graham (2), Aviel Schwarz, Shai Revivo and the evergreen Malcolm Newman completed the rout.
Lions: Davis, A. Lauffer (sub: Green), Taylor, Myeroff, Manson, Helman, Castle (sub: Barnes), Lauffer, Lampert (sub: Gold), Cash, Stolerman
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