Maccabi London Lions White lifted the Peter Morrison Trophy for the first time in 11 years after ending Haroldeans' quadruple hopes, following a hard-fought win at Kings Langley FC, thanks to an ice-cool penalty from Kiki Levin.
May 7, 2018 09:23
PETER MORRISON TROPHY FINAL
MACCABI LONDON LIONS WHITE 1 HAROLDEANS 0
Going into the final as strong favourites, a solitary goal was enough to see off the Merseysiders, who have already won one piece of silverware this season.
Having beaten highly-fancied Maccabi Manchester 1st in the semi-finals, the Lions were resolute at the back and they made the all-important breakthrough from the penalty spot via young Levin following a handball, to secure the Jewish FA Cup.
Featuring the likes of Austin Lipman and Adam Arnold, the Lions kept the prolific Adam Shiffman at arm's length, giving goalkeeper Jordan Sharifian ample protection.
At other end, Haroldeans' young goalkeeper Jared Clein suffered a fractured wrist on a day when the Liverpudlians came away with heads held high. They continue to battle for the MJSL Premier Division title, and have also booked their place in another cup final.
Manager Ryan Springer, who took over from James Gershfield at the beginning of the season, was thrown into the air as MLL's celebrations started in earnest. Springer replaced Gershfield as the helm for last season's League Cup winners, due to the arrival of twins.
A delighted Springer told JC Sport: "It was a very hot day and a patchy, dry pitch made the game difficult for both teams. Although we didn’t get the ball down and play as much as we’d like, we battled very well and showed great character.
"Every man, from 1-15 played a huge role in this cup final. If you can’t play as you’d like, then the most important thing is to grind it out the win after taking a lead, which we did."
Assistant-manager Will Beresford commented: "We’re delighted for Kiki Levin on his match-winning penalty. James Gold threatened their defence every time he drove at them. The boys in centre midfield worked tirelessly in harder than usual conditions.
"Full credit to the opposition who gave us a difficult game. They were disciplined and had a smart game-plan which nullified our attacking play. Both teams played the game in the right spirit.
"Special mention to Ryan, who’s worked immensely hard this season to keep all the boys motivated. It’s been a tough season, but after a special day out in Manchester, which will go down as one of the greats, we knew the trophy was there for the taking."
After lifting the prestigious trophy, Lions captain Adam Arnold told JC Sport: "The weather slowed it right down but on the balance of play, a 1-0 was a fair result. All credit to the Liverpool team though, they made it hard."
Haroldeans manager Mike Bloomberg had no complaints with the penalty decision and told JC Sport: “Lions are a good side, but we matched them. We'd set up to stay in the game in game for the first hour and came close to taking it to extra-time.
“The boys were fantastic and I think we impressed the Lions who were defensively savy.
"Ben Kersh at centre-back was outstanding and Sean Cooper was excellent. I was really proud of the lads who came away with heads held high and deserved plenty of credit.”
LIONS: Jordan Sharifian, Richard Gold, Max Hassell, Jamie Jackson, Will Beresford, Max Misrahi, Austin Lipman, Adam Arnold (capt), Eshed Rahav, James Gold, Kiki Levin. Subs: Ollie Craig, Adam Burchell, Jack Mattey, Josh Shack
SCORER: Levin (pen)
HAROLDEANS: Jared Clein, Jordan Brookes, Sean Cooper, Ben Kersh, Adam Cross, Zack Goldsmith, Eden Harris, Adam Shiffman, Adam Boyars, Max Barnett, Bobby Fishel. Subs: Maxim Green, Max Benmayor, Jack Bookey, Taylor Moss
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