'RC UK didn't expect this performance. We did,' says Rose - The Jewish Chronicle

MGBSFL DIVISION TWO

RC UK FC 2 NORTH LONDON RAIDERS C 4

Having gone down to Mill HIll in the previous game, NLR manager Sam Rose spoke about bouncing back and not taking last week’s result to heart as a minor blip. This was easier said than done, given that today’s opposition beat Raiders 11-0 earlier in the season. But that was then and this is now and a very different Raiders showed up today.

Raiders showed poise and guile straight from the off, being first to every ball and keeping defensively solid. That solidity and calmness, which is starting to become a hallmark of their play, bore fruit early on with Alex Elf putting away his first goal of the day with a curling right-footed show from just outside the area.

Raiders grew in confidence as the defence held firm and the midfield using their legs to thwart any RCUK attack. Nonetheless RCUK had pacy wingers and full-backs Ricky Zeiderman and Andy Cohen had to be at their best to snuff out any danger.

With the backing of the defence behind them, Raiders attack began to exert themselves with Liam Stein and Rob Benson the architects on the wing with Elf getting his second before half-time.

RCUK did get a goal back before half-time with some neat, intricate play to undo the Raiders via new boy Moishe Lewis but Raiders kept their heads up and went into half-time with a one goal lead.

The second half began with Joel Levitt making his return from injury against the team that had kept him out the last few months and put it a typically efficient performance as the engine room alongside midfield partner Eyal Samovich.

With RCUK depleted in numbers Raiders went on to score a third halfway through the second half - Elf slotting away again for his hat-trick - a fine individual performance.

Nonetheless RCUK kept coming and were rewarded for their endeavour with a penalty. Stand-in goalkeeper for the day Tony Plaskow pulled off a fantastic save low to his right to keep RCUK at bay. However, danger kept coming through the wings and it wasn’t long before 3-1 became 3-2 with 15 to go through Lewis.

Raiders kept their heads up and held on to the attitude that has served them so well over the second half of the season and continued to look to unlock the RCUK door. They eventually did with captain for the day Liam Stein getting in on the act - a reward for his fine leadership on the field.

At 4-2 with the second ticking away the game was done and Raiders could look upon the performance proudly having avenged the most bitter of defeats.

Jubilant NLR boss Sam Rose told JC Sport: "We saw the camera’s pre-match and wanted to show RCUK what we were made of.

"They knew they were facing a different Raiders to earlier in the season but I’m not sure they were expecting this performance. We were.

"We’ve got a fantastic attitude in this group now and have an identity and a style that we want to play in and I think next season will hold great things for you.

"If I were you, I’d ask RCUK for the highlights reel.”

RC UK FC player-manager Avi Markiewicz told JC Sport: "So yet again we go from beating a Prem team to losing to a team in our division.

"We knew this time around that Raiders would be up for it and when we lined up against them we hardly recognised a single player from the last game.

"By half-time though, we were already playing with 10 men. We had one sub and two of our players received hard kicks so had to go off and it would get worse in the second half. About five minutes after the restart a third player went off and we were now down to nine men and that's pretty much how it stayed.

"Even with nine men we still dominated but rushing the final ball coupled with desperation to move it from the back quickly led to mistakes and is what cost us."