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Ray Abrahams saluted his players after they produced their performance of the season to leapfrog in-form Oakwood B after a top-quality display at Capital City.
MGBSFL DIVISION ONE
SCRABBLE FC 3 OAKWOOD B 1
This game between two sides looking for three points to keep in the title race started at a fierce pace and with Scrabble looking to play on the break they were frustrating Oakwood.
On 10 minutes the deadlock was broken as Oakwood failed to clear a long throw and Scrabble centre back Bentley upfield for the throw fired home to make it 1-0.
Scrabble were well in control and they went close to a second a few minutes later when they fired wide after a good build-up play.
Daniel Seligman hauled Oakwood level, against the run of play on 30 minutes, with a looping corner that curled straight in.
With both teams looking forward to the half-time break, Pugh picked the ball up on the right and hit a 25 yard low pile-driver into the net to give Scrabble the lead.
The second half belonged to Scrabble as they mounted attack after attack at the Oakwood goal. But Oakwood were defending resolutely until they lost the ball in the Scrabble half with 20 minutes to play and the ball was seized on by Zak McLeod. McLeod's pass to Danny Sherman was inch-perfect and Sherman made no mistake with the defenders closing in and only the Oakwood keeper to beat to make it 3-1 to Scrabble.
The home side managed to see out the game, using all five substitutes in the process, to record the win with possibly their best performance of the season to date.
Scrabble Manager Ray Abrahams told JC Sport: "This was without doubt our best performance of the season to date against a very good Oakwood side.
"We had a different game-plan today to our normal high-intensity stuff and we carried it through perfectly.
"The pre-match comments by the Oakwood manager, whilst they were a friendly bit of banter, certainly helped us as there is nothing better than dealing with that sort of thing on the pitch with our football and walking away with the points. I am one very happy Scrabble manager!
"Adam Zaidman had a terrific game today back in our goal in the absence of Ben Law and our back four with Josh Bentley and Brandon Sassoon cleaning up everything in the centre looked so solid.
"Dan Stock ran all day for us and with Elliot Espinoza probing and Josh Bharier strong on the ball the spine of the team was solid, with Danny Sherman having a great game as a lone target man up front.
"We've only been beaten once this season in the league and that was in the opening game of the season when we had several players missing and a makeshift keeper.
"We also took our goals well today with Josh Pugh hitting a worldy from 25 yards out.
"It was also great to see Captain Josh Tiano free from injury and back in our starting line up today.
"I am proud of the work rate the boys put in today and we truly controlled the game when it mattered.
"Now we are closing in on the top three and as I've said before this League will go to the wire with three or four clubs in contention and looking to win the league, but we are happy to have three more points in the bag after today's performance."
Oakwood boss Jason Stein gave an honest assessment, telling JC Sport: "We didn't play well today. Too many basic errors, bad decisions and mental brain farts.
"We had a spell at 1-1 in the first half where I thought we played the expansive football we are capable of but other than that we had very little else.
"Unfortunately we let ourselves down - especially in the second half - and it just didn't work out. We've now got to bounce straight back next week against Los Blancos."
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