There are two mouth-watering north versus south tussles scheduled in the Peter Morrison Trophy, as Raiders take on South Manchester and Woodford host Leeds, as well as a bumper league programme on Matchday 21 of the MGBSFL.
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SEE MATCH PHOTOS - OAKWOOD vs HARMEN
SEE MATCH PHOTOS - LONDON ROVERS vs KING CROWN
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DANNY CARO'S PREMIER DIVISION TEAM OF THE WEEK
DANNY CARO'S DIVISION THREE TEAM OF THE WEEK
DANNY CARO'S PLAYER OF THE WEEK - DANNY AILION
DANNY CARO'S SAVE OF THE WEEK
OREN HURY (Oakwood A) - made an unbelievable save with his team leading Harmen 2-1
DANNY CARO'S QUOTE OF THE WEEK - ADAM GLEKIN
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PHOTOGALLERIES FROM THE SEASON
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SEASON
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PETER MORRISON TROPHY ROUND THREE DRAW
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
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YOUR WEEKEND PREVIEW STARTS HERE:
PETER MORRISON TROPHY ROUND THREE
NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS A vs SOUTH MANCHESTER SPORTS CLUB 1st
Raiders have come on in leaps and bounds over the past few seasons and former winners South Manchester know they are a force to be reckoned with.
They put Lions to bed in the Anekstein with minimal fuss last week, with two-goal hero Matt Stock and captain marvel David Rhodes leading the way.
NLR are packed with quality from back to front and only a brave man would bet against them, especially on their own patch.
Ahead of kick-off, NLR boss Rob Richman told JC Sport: “We are very much looking forward to welcoming South Manchesteri down south this Sunday. After our success last week in progressing to the semi-final of the Anekstein cup, our focus switches to the much maligned but still well-loved Peter Morrison trophy.
“It should be a great game Sunday - South Manchester are well stocked with a number of top quality players and we know we are going to have to be at our very best to get a result and move into the quarter-finals.
“We’ve done our research for Sunday, as I know South Manchester have too, and it really does promise to be a classic with two of the top Jewish sides in the country going head to head.”
South Manchester warmed-up for the game with a big win over a Mace in the Accountants League Premier Division last weekend. Captain Mike Stratton, veteran Mike Filson, top-scorer Adam Lavin, David Flax and joint-player-manager Toby Levy were all on the scoresheet in an eye-catching performance.
The arrival of Paul Kirkham has certainly added another dimension and the players shouldn’t expect him to go easy on them at training this week. If anything, he’ll have them blowing harder than ever.
Levy told JC Sport: “Unfortunately we have a few first team players who are unavailable this Sunday for one reason or another - from stag weekends to some who will not go south of junction 12 - but we remain confident of causing an upset against what we know are a very good side.”
Club captain Michael Stratton commented: “We've done it once, we can do it again. We enjoy being underdogs and look forward to a close encounter. The pressure is off us - people seem to have written us off already, but that suits us."
Sunday will come down to which team wins their individual and collective battles. I can see NLR looking to capitalise on some tired South legs following the long journey as they try to hit them early doors.
JC team news: Only Josh Morris and Adam Joselyn remain out for NLR. Elliot Espinoza should return and Jonny Kay is back in the squad.
South will be without play-maker Guy Horne and veteran defender Neil Collins.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
NLR
MGBSFL – Harmen (a)
MGBSFL – Woodford (h)
MGBSFL - FC Team (a)
TOP-SCORERS
NLR – Matt Stock 12
SM – Adam Lavin
Venue – Hertfordshire Sports Village, Ref – Keith Goodman, KO – 2pm
JC star man: Jonny Kay (NLR)
DC Prediction: NLR 2 South 0
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WOODFORD WANDERERS vs LEEDS MACCABI 1ST
Mitch Hahn is threatening to make wholesale changes following last week’s defeat against Faithfold.
Hahn was delighted by the spirit shown by his players in coming from two goals down to 2-2, but they were left deflated by a third and decisive strike from Johnny Haik.
The priority now is to avoid relegation so don’t be overly surprised if he sticks some star names on the bench.
Hahn remains confident he can help turn the club's fortunes around, starting this weekend.
He told JC Sport: "It’s been difficult as when you’re at the bottom when things don’t seem to go your way, and you have to work even harder to get decisions and results.
"This Sunday we can put our poor league form on the shelf for the cup. I've won the Morrison before, it’s a nice cup to win, especially scoring the winner in extra-time so I will be on to the boys to put everything in to this game to try and get us in to a cup final this year, as some of them don’t know what it is like to be in a cup final.
"We have a good bunch of lads and there is a lot of ability in the squad. W we are just trying to find the right combinations and formula, but when we do, someone is due a pasting!
"Confidence is low at the moment, obviously, but this weekend will allow us to hopefully regain some of that, as we have Harrison Midda back in the squad and I may even stick the boots myself."
Captained by Gidi Amar, Leeds remain on course for the MJSL and they will travel to London with no fear. Just one win away from the league title, Dan Kristall told JC Sport they are relishing the trip to London, despite being with two of their marksmen.
Kristall told JC Sport: “I know Woodford are struggling in the league, but they play in a higher standard so it’s a case of us just going down there and having a go. We have nothing to lose.
"We’re missing some key players and they are 100 per cent favourites."
This is a game Leeds can win, if they’re bold and take their chances.
JC team news: Jordan Marks and Bradley Lander are unavailable for Leeds, while top-scorer Jonny Goldstone and Rob Selwyn also miss out.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
WOODFORD
MGBSFL – Lions (h)
MGBSFL – Raiders (a)
TOP-SCORERS
Woodford – Harrison Midda 4
Leeds – Jonny Goldstone
Venue – Fairlop,Ref – Adam Lewis, KO – 1.30pm
JC star man: Richard Black (Leeds)
DC Prediction: Woodford 1 Leeds 2
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MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
DANNY CARO'S PREMIER DIVISION TEAM OF THE WEEK
TOP-SCORERS
18 - James Gershfield (Harmen)
14 - Johnny Haik (Faithfold A - includes one for B team)
MACCABI LONDON LIONS BLUE vs FAITHFOLD A
Faithfold are just about safe now following last week’s thrilling win at Woodford.
Back-to-back wins has come at just the right time for the former league champions, with Johnny Haik playing a pivotal role in their recent successes. One or two heads may have dropped when Woodford overhauled a 2-0 deficit, but Haik’s did not and he was in the right place at the right time to convert the winner, his hat-trick goal.
Haik was also influential in Faithfold’s 8-2 demolition of Lions in November, with Sam Lewis going home with the matchball that day.
Revenge will be firmly on the minds of the MLL boys after the debacle in Hatfield. They responded the perfect way with a 4-2 win over Woodford, with Connor Perl the star of the show.
The bottom line is that both teams have conceded far too many goals, but on the flipside it promises to be good viewing for the neutral.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
LIONS
MGBSFL – Woodford (a)
MGBSFL – Harmen (a)
MGBSFL – Oakwood (h)
FAITHFOLD
MGBSFL - Oakwood (a)
TOP-SCORERS
MLL – Connor Perl 8
Faithfold - Johnny Haik 14
Venue – Rowley Lane, Ref – Martin Lavender
JC star man: Richard Gold (MLL)
DC Prediction: Lions 2 Faithfold 2
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HARMEN vs HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB A
With Redbridge, Hendon and Raiders having put daylight between themselves and Harmen, Sunday is D-day for the home side. And joint-manager Joel Alterman knows it.
Granted Harmen have games in hand on the teams above them, but it’s all about points in the bag right now. The acquisition of Dan Green from London Lions during the week has boosted their attacking options. Now the management must decide whether to start him on the bench or stick him alongside Mike Pearson and top-scorer James Gershfield.
The Anekstein defeat against Oakwood hurt everyone connected to Harmen. But now they are ready to go again. “Last Sunday is now a long way from our minds,” Alterman told JC Sport.
“We know what went wrong and what we need to do to put it right and there is no better platform to do that then against the current champions.
“There is no doubting the ability of Hendon and David has them playing very well, but we feel we have the right ingredients to get a result against them.
“It is certainly going to be a good game of football; in the reverse fixture we felt hard done by after Hendon needed an 85th minute winner to beat us and we will certainly be looking to do everything we can to come out with THREE points on Sunday.
“The players are as fired up for this one as they have been for any game so far this season.”
Hendon boss David Garbacz was critical of his team’s defending in Sunday’s cup win over FC Team. Yes scoring six times against Premier Division opposition is no mean feat, but if they defend the same way, they could be in for a rude awakening.
He told JC Sport: "We have ear-marked this game down as one of our toughest in the title run-in. Harmen were superb the first time we played them this season and it needed a wonder header from Simon Peterman to settle it in our favour late on.
"They appear to have gone from strength to strength and while the title may be a little bit off for them this year, they are well and truly one of the top teams in the division and we will approach them accordingly.
"We have hit some great form recently though and even last week, when many players were away, the win was never really in doubt. We will look to take that confidence into Sunday.
"We are fully aware that if we can get three points out of this one then our run in is reasonably favourable and we will be in a superb position to retain our title. The boys will be well up for it."
Sunday will effectively come down to how Harmen defend. There's a great solidarity about Hendon this season. They have kept six clean sheets and are a real unit, with no super-stars. And they always go right to the end. That said, a Harmen defeat would certainly be a game-changer.
JC team news: Hendon are missing Dave Seitler and Yoav Kestenbaum who are away. Ari Last is still injured and Ben Lauffer is 50/50. Simon Peterman and Dovi Fehler return after trips abroad.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
HARMEN
MGBSFL – NLR (h)
MGBSFL – MLL (h)
MGBSFL – RJC (a)
HENDON
MGBSFL – NWN (h)
MGBSFL – FC Team (a)
MGBSFL – Woodford (a)
TOP-SCORERS
Harmen – James Gershfield 18
Hendon - Avidan Last8
Venue – Rowley Lane, Ref – Tony McEvoy, KO - 10.30am
JC star man: Simon Peterman (Hendon)
DC Prediction: Harmen 1 Hendon 2
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NORTH WEST NEASDEN vs OAKWOOD A
Momentum is the name of the game for Oakwood now following last week's brilliant Anekstein Cup win over Harmen.
With Danny Ailion, Ric Blank and Alex Schock having cleaned up with the respective JC Player and Managers of the Week accolades, it's important they start stringing results together ahead of their big cup semi-final.
The Oaks still have nine league games left to play, that's 27 points to play for, and messus Blank and Schock will challenge their troops to turn performances into results on a regular basis between now and the end of the season.
Blank told JC Sport: "After last week's result, it's up to us to keep our foot on the throttle. We have managed to keep our season alive and the boys look like they're enjoying their football.
"We didn't deserve to lose to Lions two weeks ago, and took it out on Harmen. Next up is Neasden who are fighting for their lives. Their record is not dissimilar to ours so it should be a close game. It's up to us to show we're an established Premier side by going out and performing."
Neasden will go into the game nice and fresh after a week off following the defeat against Harmen. Stirling Kay decided against going on a warm-weather training camp and we'll see if that was the correct decision on Sunday.
The next three games could be season-defining for the NWN, with matches against champions Hendon and a cup match against first division Brady on the horizon.
"Every game is a cup final," Kay told JC Sport. "Oakwood will be a very tough opposition; they are a very phyisical and strong side, so mentally we must be up for the battle.
"We know we must cut out our defensive errors - that has been an achilles heel for us from day one. If we do this we know we have the fire power to win games."
The first meeting between NWN and Oakwood promises to be a high-octane affair and one I can see the visitors coming out on top in.
JC team news: NWN have been rocked by the news that Gideon Barnett has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a serious knee injury. Kay described it as "a big loss". The influential Craig Edwards will have a late fitness test on his back and Rick Harris is confident of getting rid of "a three-week case of man-flu".
Oakwood are missing Dan Geey, but Josh Bentley returns. Simon Davies, who has been magnificent since the new year, is now away for a long spell and "will be sorely missed". Harvey Kaye is set to return in a few weeks and Eddie Manson could make the squad. Josh Rose faces a late fitness test.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
NWN
MGBSFL - Hendon (a)
CAC - Brady (h)
OAKWOOD
CAC – Harmen (a)
MGBSFL – Neasden (a)
MGBSFL – Faithfold (a)
TOP-SCORERS
NWN – Danny Sherman 5
Oak - Dave Woolman 13
Venue – Hazelwood Rec, Ref – Mark Jacob, KO – 10am
JC star man: Josh Bentley (Oakwood)
DC Prediction: NWN 1 Oakwood 3
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE A vs FC TEAM A
Sam Rosenthal knows there's little margin for error in RJC's run-in. With a slender advantage at the top, it's vital they pile the pressure on Hendon and Raiders and get points in the bag, as the title is out of their hands.
The recent defeat against Hendon must still be playing on the mind of Rosenthal and co, especially with the gaffer believing his men were the better team. But they cannot afford to go into this game feeling sorry for themselves, as Team have confidence in their own ability, and they have given a good account of themselves in both meetings with Hendon this season.
Ahead of kick-off, Team head coach Ben Gilbey told JC Sport: "We have not played Redbridge yet this season so we are looking forward to coming up against a fresh team.
"I know a few of their players and from how the season has gone so far, it is clear they are a top team who will be challenging within that top three.
"I would like to make a point that over the last month or so, we have had a lot of decisions go against us from referees, some baffling! We go into the weekend hoping for the referee not to be against us.
"Over the last few months I have spoken about how well the FC Team boys have been playing and we are close to getting the results against the top teams. However, we are still yet to see a return for our efforts apart from earning the respect from some of the top sides.
"This week the FC Team boys have been urged to be more clinical and get that win. We are desperate to get a result over one of the big boys and I feel it's coming this weekend."
This is a hard one to call as RJC's home form has not been great, while Team are poor away from home. I'm tipping home advantage to sway it on this occasion.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
RJC
MGBSFL - Oakwood (h)
MGBSFL - Harmen
TEAM
MGBSFL - Hendon (h)
MGBSFL - Raiders (h)
TOP-SCORERS
RJC - Steve Summers 6
Team - David Joseph Cohen 12
Venue – Fairlop, Ref – Richard Jaye
JC star man: Craig Sanford (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 2 Team 1
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DIVISION ONE
TOP-SCORERS
21 - Daniel Garfinkle (Redbridge JC B – including 3 for RJC A)
14 - Jake Gilbert (NL Raiders B), Simon Moses (Blancos – includes two for Brady)
BLIZZARD STORM vs BRIXTON OLD BOYS
Alan Aaronson is targeting seven points from Brixton's next three games as they look to survive another relegation dogfight.
They pushed Brady all the way in the cup last weekend before running out of steam. Now survival is what it's all about.
We've seen the best and worst of Blizzard Storm over the past fortnight. Their win over Redbridge was simply stunning but they were way below par against SPEC FC last Sunday.
Brixton are packed with experience, but the 3G surface could work in Blizzard's favour, even if they have less riding on the game.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
BLIZZARD
MGBSFL – Raiders (a)
MGBSFL – SPEC (a)
MGBSFL – Brixton (a)
BRIXTON
MGBSFL – SPEC FC (h)
MGBSFL - Blancos (a)
TOP-SCORERS
Blizz – Dean Shaw 9
Brix - Lee Cutler 4
Venue – Hertswood, Ref – Neil Cooper
JC star man: Stuart Muller (Blizzard)
DC Prediction: Blizzard 2 Brixton 1
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NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS B vs BRADY MACCABI
Raiders have found a formula to win games, even when not at their best, and that is why I think they will go up.
They played some scintillating football before Chanukah, but have been grinding results out of late. A combination of a winning mentality and great strength in depth means that they can grind out results with good man-management, and turn on the style when some of their important players return from injury at the business end of the season.
Home form is key to gaining promotion and NLR will approach this game expecting a tough contest, but confident in their own ability, and of coming away with three points. They have pace in the wide areas, both at full-back and in midfield, and a plethora of goal-scoring options.
One area boss Jonathan Adelman will be concerned about, however, is the number of goals they've conceded - an average of two a game.
There's no chance of NLR under-estimating Brady - a team packed with player who should really be challenging for promotion. Consistency of results was the key issue for the Rowley Lane boys in the first half of the season, although I'm sure they'll be looking to prove a point on Sunday, especially after their crucial cup win last weekend.
NLR just don't lose at home, but I'm sure Brady will give them a real contest.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
NLR
MGBSFL - Blizzard (h)
MGBSFL - Redbridge (h)
BRADY
MGBSFL - Blancos (h)
MGBSFL - Bilbaum (h)
TOP-SCORERS
NLR – Jake Gilbert 14
Brady - Reiss Mogilner 9
Venue – Brunel, Ref – Henry Raffe
JC star man: Jonathan Shapiro (NLR)
DC Prediction: NLR 3 Brady 2
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE B vs ATHLETIC BILBAUM
Redbridge remain favourites for the title despite their recent slip-up against Blizzard, but their bottle will certainly be tested over the next three games.
After Sunday's meeting with an out-of-sorts Bilbaum, the fixtures list reads Camden at home, Raiders away and Blancos away. It just doesn't get harder than that.
Bouncebackability is the name of the game for Jon Jacobs's men on Sunday as they look to send out a title warning, with both Raiders and Camden hoping the Blizzard result was the start of a blip.
But RJC are made of stern stuff these days. Sunday will be a day for cool heads, and a day when golden boy Daniel Garfinkle will look to fill his boots.
Nothing has gone right for Bilbaum of late and damage limitation could be their best bet. They bookies have them at 11-1 to win, but I fear that if they try to go toe-to-toe, it could get messy.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
RJC
MGBSFL – Camden (h)
MGBSFL – Raiders (a)
MGBSFL - Blancos (a)
BILBAUM
MGBSFL – Brady (a)
TOP-SCORERS
RJC – Daniel Garfinkle 21
Bilbaum – Jacob Brunner 9
Venue – Fairlop, Ref – David Lazarus
JC star man: Scott Oldstein (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 4 Bilbaum 0
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DIVISION TWO
TOP-SCORERS
14 - Adam Stolerman (FC Team C)
11 - Ben Zloof (AC Mill Hill)
FC TEAM C vs OAKWOOD B
I always look forward to visiting Oakwood's training ground as I receive a warm welcome, and a couple of jammy dodgers (currently 2-4-1 in Morrisons!) I don't get out much these days, you see.
It's been a week of soul-searching for boss Jason Stein following the disappointing defeat against AC Whetstone. So far he's found some Marvin Gaye, but he's sure that Lisa Stansfield cassette is somewhere in the attic.
"Please come in DC, you'll notice I was a bit short in our last chat but I think the time for talking may have stopped.
"I'm sure you followed Obama's State of the Union address last night and I'm using this presser as my very own State of the Union.
"I've set out the following agenda: I need to see a 90-minute display from my team, it's all well and good to be ahead or level after 87 minutes, but we need to step up and close games out.
"We also need to start being tougher. We're not competing hard enough at times and that has to change. We need to take ownership of these issues in order to create a more perfect union.
"FC Team C won't be taking us lightly after our last outing, at the end of that game they knew they'd been in a dog-fight. I want us to produce that again."
Team were involved in a nine-goal thriller against promotion rivals Mill Hill. Top-scorer Adam Stolerman fired a hat-trick and Matt Davis a worldie of a free-kick, but ultimately it was a day when they didn't cover themselves in glory at the back.
The boys in yellow and blue remain firm favourites to join their B team in Division Two next season, but that's not to say that Oakwood will make it easy for them.
I just hope there isn't pizza flying around the tunnel post-match!
JC team news: Playmaker Dan Abrams has been signed from Brixton and he goes straight into contention in the Oakwood squad. Nicky Harris and Haydon Davidson remain out while Haydon Davidson and Matt Geey are still doubtful.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
TEAM
MGBSFL - L'Equipe (a)
MGBSFL - Mill Hill (a)
OAKWOOD
MGBSFL – Team B (h)
TOP-SCORERS
Team – Adam Stolerman 14
Oak - Jacob Richler-Kleiman 10
Venue – Old Camdenians, Ref – Paul Dobkin, KO – 10am
JC star man: Matt Davis (Team)
DC Prediction: Oakwood 2 Team 3
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JEWDINESE vs AC MILL HILL
Last week's thrilling 5-4 win over FC Team C certainly did nothing for Dan Beresford's blood pressure.
The Mill Hill gaffer had palpitations in the final 20 minutes, but his boys came up trumps, with Jason Shoffman playing out of his skin.
Promotion is no longer in Mill Hill's hands, but with another meeting with FC Team C to follow, it's important they do the business against Jewdinese with minimal fuss.
Ahead of kick-off, Beresford told JC Sport: "We're hoping we can build on last week's performance and take another three points."
Jewdinese are in desperate need of points. If the season finished today they would go down, but Darren Lawrence's men still have six games remaining, with clashes against relegation rivals Whetstone and Catford to follow.
So if they can pick up any points on Sunday, that'll be a bonus.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
NESE
MGBSFL - Whetstone (a)
MGBSFL - Catford (h)
MILL HILL
MGBSFL - Team C (h)
TOP-SCORERS
‘Nese – Brandon Sassoon 5
Mill Hill – Ben Zloof 11
Venue – Napsbury Park, Ref – Andy Myerson
JC star man: Jason Shoffman (Mill Hill)
DC Prediction: 'Nese 2 Mill Hill 3
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L’EQUIPE vs AC WHETSTONE
Ethan Davis is pushing for a place in Whetstone's starting XI following his sensational performance from the bench against Oakwood last week.
The livewire was a real game-changer as the Stones overcame strong opponents to claim three precious points and leapfrog Sunday's opponents, L'Equipe.
The home side have played a game more than Whetstone and with promotion-chasing FC Team C to follow, their fans know the importance of three points on Sunday.
Joint-manager Josh Lewis told JC Sport: "We were disappointed that our game against Catford last week did not go ahead.
"Last time we played Whetstone we got off to a quick start and their heads went down early, which helped us go on and win 4-0 along with the help of the deadly Smith brothers.
"Since then I can see Whetstone have had a mixed bag of results, like we have, and there are only three or four points separating the bottom six. So this is a big game for both teams to pull away from the relegation mix.
"Both teams will be up for it but I think we’ll have the edge on the West Hendon pitches and experience throughout the squad."
It's literally a case of boys against men and it could come down to survival of the fittest.
JC team news: L'Equipe have a few absentees for a combination of reasons - Rich Alexander, Ian Baron, captain Mark Singer are out and James Mandell has moved to Australia for a few months. But they have strength in depth and welcome back Jeremy Newton, Rob Simons and co-manager Dan Cordell.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
WHETSTONE
MGBSFL – Jewdinese (h)
MGBSFL – Team B (a)
MGBSFL - Raiders (h)
L’EQUIPE
MGBSFL – Team C (h)
TOP-SCORERS
L’Equipe - Andy Smith 5
Whet - Dan Cohen 5
Venue – West Hendon, Ref – Stuart Ansher, KO – 10am
JC star man: Dan Finegold (L'Equipe)
DC Prediction: L'Equipe 3 Whetstone 3
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NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS C vs CATFORD & BROMLEY MACCABI
Raiders are odds-on completing the double over a Catford team they creamed 5-2 at the back end of last year.
Goal-poacher Will Ufland was their match-winner that day, when everything he touched turned to goals.
A top four finish would be more than respectable in NLR's first season in the division and they can approach their remaining games with a certain gung-ho approach.
Catford have five games left to save their season. But having conceded 10 in their last two outings, the signs look ominous.
Skipper Adam Luria told JC Sport: "We've got a strong squad this week and hoping to get our season back on track
"The game against Norstar before the winter break was one of the lowest-quality games I've ever played in, with a mudbath of a pitch not helping matters.
"This time round on 3G it'll be a chance for both teams to pass the ball and should make for a much more enjoyable game to watch and to be involved in."
Most people have this marked down as a home banker. I won't beg to differ.
JC team news: Eli Baraty is missing for Catford as he is competing in the World Championship of Ping Pong. The Cats will be hoping they can do him proud as he bids to move from UK No. 1 to no. 1 in the world. Jeff Gotch may be unavailable but otherwise the Cats are looking at practically a full squad.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
NLR
MGBSFL – Oakwood (a)
MGBSFL – Whetstone (a)
CATFORD
MGBSFL – Jewdinese (a)
MGBSFL – FC Team B (a)
TOP-SCORERS
NLR - Oli Nathan 5
Cat - Jamie Sinai 5
Venue – The Ark, Ref – Robert Caplin, KO – 10am
JC star man: Josh Bloom (NLR)
DC Prediction: NLR 4 Catford 1
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DIVISION THREE
DANNY CARO'S DIVISION THREE TEAM OF THE WEEK
TOP-SCORERS
19 - Avi Markiweicz (London Rovers)
16 - Adam Ellis (Shacharit Donetsk)
HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB B vs KS REUNITED
Hendon will have to do without the services of Saul Cohen as they attempt to extend their winning streak to five games in a match that will be subject to a late pitch inspection.
One of thing that you are guaranteed when watching Hendon B this season is a result – they have won seven and lost seven. They do nothing by halves.
Hot-shot Ben Sluckis was one of the stars of last week’s 6-1 mauling of Lions Green, a game Hendon dominated from minute one to 90, other than when they conceded, I guess.
Sitting pretty in the table, Hendon will arrive in buoyant mood, although they clearly prefer playing away these days.
Gab Saul, who has been excellent in recent weeks, is the talk of the town not only for his performances, but also because he could be set to debut his waterproof football socks this week. The chances are they may well be needed at a soggy Montrose Playing Fields.
The KS boys were well beaten by Faithfold B last week, but manager James Lewis assures me they are looking forward to Sunday’s trip to north-west London.
He told JC Sport: “We are hoping to bounce back from last week’s disappointing result and with an almost fully fit squad bar, we are very confident this will be our week.”
I think home advantage will see Hendon through here.
JC team news: Hendon’s Jaimie Grossman has been ruled out, and Gideon Barth is also a doubt but rumours that he was being left out as punishment for his ridiculous yellow card last week are strictly false.
The injured injured Sebastian Deal misses out for KS.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
HENDON
MGBSFL – Lions (h)
KS
MGBSFL - Fortune (h)
MGBSFL - Rovers (h)
MGBSFL - Crown (a)
TOP-SCORERS
Hendon - Benni Sluckis 7
KS – James Ryan, Zack Gordon 5
Venue – Montrose Park, Ref – Steve Russell, KO – 10am
JC star man: Jamie Grossman (Hendon)
DC Prediction: Hendon 4 KS 1
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FAITHFOLD B vs LONDON ROVERS
The title is within touching distance for London Rovers, with the win over King Crown crucial. But they face another big test of their credentials against a Faithfold team with quality from back to front.
Rovers’s back four was outstanding last week, with manager Jeremy Brown praising the performances of David Brown, Parys Hammond, Aron Luftig and Aryeh Goldring, who came under enormous pressure but coped admirably.
A similar display is order of the day against a Faithfold team that will be bang up for it.
Brown said "We've reached the point where we really feel that we deserve to be in the position we're in.
“With respect to the other teams in our division, you are always going to be judged on the big games and last Sunday we proved that we are serious contenders.
“Crown were a lot sharper than us which was expected as we hadn't played a game in 5 weeks but we were so professional.
“Crown are the second highest scorers in the division behind us and we kept them out, that was really pleasing for me. The problem now is that it’s not going to get any easier, Faithfold will give us a very difficult game.
“We played in the cup at the start of the season where we won 2-0 but probably didn't deserve to. I think it’s very different this time round for both teams.
“Faithfold are very experienced as they have been playing together for a few years now so they won’t be giving anything away.
“We'll have to earn a result that's for sure. I just hope we can continue our tremendous run and see the job out until the end."
For me, the key battle is the head-to-head between Rovers hotshot Avi Markiewicz, who scored a worldy last week, and Faithfold’s Josh Barnett. I’ve not seen many strikers get the better of the brilliant Barnett who is as brave as they come and usually times his tackles to perfection. A man-marking job must be playing on the mind of Faithfold boss Rob Shooman.
The Superhoops have kept five clean sheets this season, while Rovers have seven to their name. I can see defences dominating on Sunday and it could take something really special to separate the teams.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
FAITHFOLD
MGBSFL – Sosobad (a)
MGBSFL - King Crown (h)
ROVERS
MGBSFL – KS (a)
TOP-SCORERS
Faithfold – Dan Gordon 8
Rovers – Avi Markiewicz 19
Venue – The Hive, Ref – Neal Cohen
JC star man: Aron Luftig (Rovers)
DC Prediction: Faithfold 1 Rovers 2
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SHACHARIT DONETSK vs BOCA JEWNIORS
There’s still plenty of tickets available for Sunday’s meeting between Shacharit and Boca.
I'm presuming new star forward Adam Ellis will feature for the hosts. A lot of people think he was a steal - it was an outstanding piece of business by Shacharit. You've almost got three strikers in one with him. And he’s clearly improving under boss Elliot Nussbaum.
Indeed, a high-scoring affair looks on the cards in a game featuring two teams meeting for the first time this season.
Shacharit are inconsistent at home and Boca are poor away so it’s hard to pick a winner, although it’s worth remembering that Boca’s last win came in mid-November.
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Shacharit beat high-flying King Crown last time out and I would expect them to follow that up with another win.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
SHACHARIT
MGBSFL - King Crown (a)
MGBSFL – Fortune (h)
BOCA
MGBSFL – MLL (a)
MGBSFL - Sosobad
TOP-SCORERS
Shacharit – Adam Ellis 16
Boca – Lioz Tov 4
Venue – West Hendon, Ref – Steve Levy
JC star man: Henry Lewis (Shacharit)
DC Prediction: Shacharit 2 Boca 1
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