MGBSFL DIVISION ONE
BRIXTON OLD BOYS 1 SOUTHGATE HARMEN 4
A stunning hat-trick from DANNY COHEN helped Southgate Harmen extend their lead at the top following a 4-1 demolition of Brixton.
There was also one from Sam Castle as Harmen put real daylight between themselves, Woodford Wanderers, Brady Maccabi B and North West Neasden.
A sunny morning in Palmers Green saw a return to shorts for the Harmen management team and a return to winning ways for the boys on the pitch.
Harmen knew they had to get a victory under their belts to keep the promotion hopes alive and they duly delivered with a fine display of attacking football.
Earlier in the season, the Alterman/Shamplina family rivalry ended with a share of the points, but it was the younger cousin who came out with all three points this time around.
A slow first half saw Harmen come in with a one-goal lead, a long-throw from the experienced Adam Osper caused Brixton problems in the box, the ball flicked on by Sam Castle was turned home by Cohen, his first goal since joining the club.
Harmen's second came early in the second half, a Sam Castle free-kick bent round the ball looked like it was heading for the bottom corner until the Brixton keeper got down to parry the ball out, but could only find the feet of Cohen and the little man gleefully accepted the gift of his second goal of the game.
A defensive shift looked like it may allow Brixton a few more chances and it was a penalty which gave them a foothold in the game. The penalty was coolly dispatched past James Castle, but that was the only way that it looked like the Old Boys were going to score with Jimmy in fine form on his return to the side.
Seeing the deficit reduced to one goal was a kick in the derriere for Harmen who decided attack would be the best form of defence. The third was another for the Harmen version of Liverpool’s “SAS”, this time Cohen delivering a perfect corner onto the head of Sam Castle and he wasn’t going to miss from the six-yard line.
The final goal, without argument the best of the day, came from little Cohen again as he picked the ball up from near the halfway line, switched his legs into super speed mode and took on the Brixton defence before finishing past the Brixton keeper. The match reporter is "sure he slept with the match ball last night!"
