League winners Oakwood A are preparing for their first game of the season - a Maccabi Community Shield contest, of sorts, against Peter Morrison Trophy winners North London Raiders A in one of 12 mouth-watering matches in the MGBSFL this weekend.
September 7, 2017 11:06
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YOUR MGBSFL MATCHDAY 2 PREVIEW STARTS HERE:
PREMIER DIVISION
NORTH LONDON RAIDERS A vs OAKWOOD A
Defending champions Oakwood start the defence of their MGBSFL title at the home of 2016/17 winners North London Raiders A – in the unofficial Jewish Community Shield.
Oakwood needed to wait until the very last weekend of the Premier Division season to be confirmed champions, while Raiders ended their long wait for Jewish FA Cup glory by lifting the Peter Morrison Trophy.
Both camps are raring to go. Oakwood fans are looking forward to seeing their summer signings, while the old guard will be keen to impress.
Joint-manager Dan Kristall told JC Sport: “We're back after possibly the longest pre-season of all time.
“Six months since beating Lions at Breakspear in early April and only a handful of games in 2017 due to early cup exits last season.
“We know that this year carries an extra pressure as we are league champions but we hope to thrive with that added pressure and start with possibly the toughest game we could have against this season’s title favourites Raiders.
“With so few teams in the league this season, losing would mean we are playing catch-up so we know how important this game is. We always have good games with Raiders and our recent record against them as been excellent. They have recruited well from what I hear so we look forward to what will be a closely fought match.”
I got a glimpse of Raiders at their training last night and they looked sharp. Captain David Rhodes looked fighting fit, while it will be interesting to see where Alex Bloch is deployed this season. He may not be flattered by a comparison with Joe Gomes, but like the Liverpool youngster he has many strings to his bow - namely pace, strength and versatility.
NLR made a slow start last season and this is something boss Dan Shafron is keen to address. But he knows things won’t be easy on Sunday.
“As far as opening games go, this is as hard as they come,” he told JC Sport.
“Oakwood were excellent last season and I expect them to be just as good, if not stronger this season.
“It’s no secret our league campaign was average and we will look to improve on this starting with a big performance on Sunday.”
I can’t see there being much between the teams and can see it finishing in a stalemate.
JC team news: Oakwood have a few knocks and with players still away their squad is "stretched". Sunday comes a week too soon for new goalkeeper Joe Botchin. Tom Cantor will make his debut, while Jake Norton is fighting for a place. In his new role as player-manager, Adam Levine will take a place in the matchday squad. Simon Davies returns after his Russian adventure.
Venue – Ark Academy, Ref - , KO – 10am
JC star man: Alex Bloch (NLR)
DC Prediction: Raiders 1 Oakwood 1
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MACCABI LONDON LIONS WHITE vs HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB A
Hendon had their first trophyless season in many a year last term. I sensed real focus when visiting their training ground on Wednesday night. They are hungry and ready to show the MGBSFL it was just a blip.
Reinforcements have come in. The old guard remains in goalkeeper Russ Corin, Alex Rosenthal, Greg Corin and Ari Last, but the return of Ben Lauffer, Josh Bentley and Paul Bentley will give them a real lift. For me, Dovi Fehler remains one of the most-feared strikers in the league. He didn’t get the return he wanted last season, but don’t write him off just yet.
Avi Korman was the only MGBSFL player to represent Team Maccabi GB at July’s Maccabiah Games in Israel and I can see him pushing for the Player of the Year title.
Russ Corin told JC Sport: “We're looking forward to hitting the ground running and hopefully picking up our first three points of the season.
“We won't be under-estimating the Lions team though and no doubt they'll have similar expectations and hopes for the game.
“It's potentially a very tough fixture to start with, so we'll have to be on our game, ready to compete and battle hard to get over the line.”
Lions will be keen to impress new boss James Gershfield. He has bolstered the squad with a combination of experience and youth, straight off the club’s youth academy conveyor belt.
Ahead of the visit of Hendon, Gershfield told JC Sport: he "will be including eight of our new signings into the squad. The introduction of Andrei Grayson, Mikey Perkins, Jack Mattey and Max Misrahi will no doubt be the stand-out performers on Sunday".
Gershfield went on to say: "Having been very active in the transfer window, I am able to field a very strong squad for Sunday with 16 players making the short trip to our temporary home for the week.
"I have been extremely happy with pre-season and the numbers at training have been fantastic. I'm hoping for a strong start to the campaign and a win on the opening day would be ideal but I am fully aware of the threat that Hendon will pose under their new management. My prediction is a 3-1 win for the blues."
The fact that this match has been moved away from Rowley Lane – where the groundsman is putting the finishing touches before next weekend's derby – might play into Hendon’s hands.
JC team news: Skipper Ben Lampert, Kiki Levin and David Sacal all miss out for Lions due to family commitments and extended holidays.
Yoav Kestenbaum, Greg Corin, Josh Bentley, Rocky Spitzer and David Seitler are all unavailable for Hendon. Yehuda Korman is a long-term injury absentee due to his ACL injury. Rafi Kon, Mordy Weiler, Paul Bentley and Ben Lauffer are all making a welcome return for the club.
Venue – Aycliffe Road, Ref – Richard Jaye, KO – 10am
JC star man: Avi Korman (Hendon)
DC Prediction: Lions 1 Hendon 2
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CAMDEN PARK vs BRADY MACCABI
Stirling Kay overhauled Camden Park over the summer, with just seven players retained in his 15-man squad for the visit of Brady.
“There will be no easy games this season,” Stirling told JC Sport. “As always, Brady will be a very competitive game.
“We know what to expect from them they are a hard-working team who have goals all over the side.
“It will be important for us to start the game well and for our players to gel and play as a unit as quickly as possible. We have a very exciting squad.”
Kay is still looking to bolster the squad in a couple of key position, including a No. 2 goalkeeper.
He added: “We are still looking to add a couple more quality players to the squad which will give us the strength in depth we will need to complete throughout the season.
“Obviously having so many new players playing together for the first time is not ideal. However, I have every confidence the players will overcome this and our will to win will see us through.”
Brady supporters will be looking for an improved showing from the team this season. And with Rob Cohen and Jordan Nathan returning from University and Harry Fine, Stanley Offord and Zac Skry joining, they will be lifted by the return of former skipper James Joseph following a loan spell in Chicago.
The first goal will be crucial on Sunday in what promises to be a high-octane affair.
JC team news: Camdenlcome back Josh Marks, Guy Marks and Alon Hershman into the fold, along with new arrivals Danny Sherman, Dan Orgel and Theo Azouz. Scott Kay is available after jetting in from Australia. Rick Harris, Mike Khalatschi and Sacha Nussenbaum are all out injured. Kane Gilbery (suspended) and Max Saunders (wedding) also miss out.
Venue – Hadley FC, Ref – Martin De La Fuente, KO – 10am
JC star man: Ben Kohler (Brady)
DC Prediction: Camden 1 Brady 2
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DIVISION ONE
L’EQUIPE vs FAITHFOLD A
A big crowd is expected at the Memorial ground for what is a dream first match in the division for L’Equipe.
Manager Nick Stern was proud of the team’s achievement in winning the Division Two crown in May, but he’s had more pressing matters of late.
“We’re very excited to start again on Sunday but I’m just slightly concerned that we have had more babies born in our team over the summer than training sessions or practice games!”
“It has not been the most ideal pre-season for us but we have prioritised getting a new kit, a new sponsor - welcome Hamptons International - and generally building up our belly sizes rather than our match fitness!
“However, we will be ready and will be using all our years of experience to overcome RCUK or Faithfold or however they now are.
“I was very surprised to see RCUK effectively sell out to Faithfold but if that is what Avi and his men needed to survive then good luck to them.
“Sadly we have a 75 per cent fit squad this week and if we make it through 90 minutes unscathed it will be a huge win.”
The summer has proven to be a very busy one for Faithfold following the merge with RCUK. Faithfold A this season will now consist of mostly former RCUK players together with some from last year's Faithfold A team as well as a handful of exciting new acquisitions.
Avi Garson has been promoted to the A’s this season on the back of a terrific Maccabiah. A young, talented and energetic squad, mixed with experience, is a healthy combination for a team who want to contend for the title, so there is no doubt that manager Avi Markiewicz will be aiming for automatic promotion this season.
David Lewie, Avishai Marcus, Yossi Gordon and Josh Wagner are just some of the new faces who will be eager to establish themselves in the starting line-up. Avi Garson, last season's young player of the year, has also committed himself to the A's this season on the back of a terrific Maccabiah. Garson describes Zalmi Cohen as the "one to watch" on Sunday.
L'equipe, who cruised through Division Two, will be a tough opener for Faithfold and a good pointer to the rest of the season.
The first 20 minutes will be crucial for Faithfold who could find the going tough against an established team.
JC team news: L’Equipe long-throw specialist Tamir Grant is in Israel and looks set to miss the match.
Venue – Old Finchleians, Ref – Andy Myerson, KO – 10am
JC star man: Mark Smith (L’Equipe)
DC Prediction: L’Equipe 2 Faithfold 1
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TEMPLE FORTUNE A vs LOS BLANCOS
The JC cameras are heading to Silver Jubilee Park this weekend for what promises to be an enthralling encounter between newly-promoted Temple Fortune and Los Blancos.
Simon Linden has been working tirelessly to strengthen his squad after an excellent first season in charge and he has made some astute signings.
“Sunday presents us with a tough opener,” Linden told JC Sport. “Los Blancos appear to have strengthened with a number of new signings.
“I'm pleased with a good pre-season which is encouraging and gives us confidence. The boys are looking forward to getting started, SJP will be packed on Sunday.”
Blancos managers Joel Holder and Joel Salamon will give the team new direction. The arrival of Oli Sade and Jake Doffman has given everyone at the club a lift. They are dark horses to win the division.
Ahead of kick-off, Holder told JC Sport: “We’re looking for a win to get our title challenge under way. Holder's boys are raring to go!”
The battle between Fortune hot-shot Jordan Sharifian and Simon Moses will be worth the admission fee alone.
Team news: Brett Stead and Michael Goldberg miss out for Fortune who will give debuts to veteran Lee Hyams, Hayden Smith and Ricky Fox.
Blancos have “a depleted squad” with Luke Strauss, Oli Sade, Yoel Deal, Josh Aziz, Josh Laurier and Alex Lewis all missing. Jake doffman has finally signed following protracted negotiations with his agent Ben Meslawy.
Venue – Silver Jubilee Park, Ref – Daniel Fox, KO – 9.45am
JC star man: Lee Hyams (Fortune)
DC Prediction: Fortune 2 Blancos 2
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Matches postponed - Oakwood B vs Redbridge JC B, Redbridge JC C vs NL Raiders
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DIVISION TWO
BAYERN MINCHA vs FC TEAM
European football has long been an ambition for Mitch Young but a trip to Bayern Mincha is about as close as he will get ;)
Young thought long and hard about what was best for Team over the summer and it’s a case of back to basics. Young’s men lit up Division Two the last time they were in it and there’s absolutely no reason why they can’t do the same again.
“We hope to get off to a positive start,” Young told JC Sport. “Pre-season has gone well and although we are missing three key players I believe our squad has the strength in depth to cope with that.
“We have seen most things in the MGBSFL so whilst wary of our opponents and their talented striker, we will be going to attack teams and do what is necessary to get the win.
“First games of the season are always a bit cagey so let's just get the job done.”
Bayern pulled off a major coup in landing Adam Ellis – a player who would walk into most MGBSFL teams.
Boss Daniel Holder believes his squad is capable of big things in their debut season. He told JC Sport: “The boys cannot wait to get the season under way against FC Team on Sunday.
“Training midweek was very promising with striker Adam Ellis looking sharp up top, while Harry Salter was in commanding form in defence.
“While we have several notable absentees, we have a lot of squad depth and the boys are more than confident of picking three points at the weekend.
“We don't know too much about FC Team, but we know they are an experienced side and we will not under-estimate them.
“We expect goals this weekend with Ellis, Leader and Pinhas going forward and the lads are extra pumped after hearing David Wolff will be in attendance.”
I’m expecting a cagey opening. Bayern will need to be alert of the threat of Team’s long-throws and the performance of the boy Salter will be key.
JC team news: Club captain Jake Dayan, Rafi Terespolsky, Eli Davila and Josh Levy are unavailable for Bayern.
Team are missing Danny Moss, Dave Grossman and Marc Hecht.
Venue – Capital City, Ref – Steve Levy, KO – 10am
JC star man: Harry Salter (Bayern)
DC Prediction: Bayern 1 FC Team 1
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FAITHFOLD B vs MILL HILL DONS
Promotion is the target for Mill Hill Dons this season. That is clear.
Boss Brandon Hamme beat several rivals to the signature of the in-demand Josh Cinna, with unconfirmed reports of a signing on fee of 25 smoked salmon and cream cheese bagels.
Other new faces includes Lee Stern, James Newman, James Silverman, Sam Demby, Oliver Burchell and Adam Diamond.
Scoring goals wasn’t a problem for the Dons last season, but Hamme will be looking for firmer resistance from his back-line.
“The first day of the season is very nearly here and everyone at the club can't wait to get started,” he told JC Sport.
“I believe it's really important to get off to a good start as we look to improve on our sixth placed finish last season.
“We may have finished above our opponents Faithfold on Sunday last season but we failed to beat them in either game we faced them, so we know we are in for a challenging game.
“Our last game against Faithfold we managed to pull somewhat of a miracle as we managed to come back from a four-goal deficit with just 20 minutes left to go to get a point, so there is no reason why we can't get all three points on Sunday.”
Faithfold also conceded too many goals last term. The Superhoops will be looking to give club stalwart David Garson a great send-off in his final season, but they will be up against it on Sunday.
JC team news: The Dons have thankfully been able to avoid any injuries in pre-season and pretty much have a full strength team to choose from.
Venue – The Hive, Ref – Phil Peters, KO – 10am
JC star man: Josh Cinna (Dons)
DC Prediction: Faithfold 1 Dons 3
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HERTSWOOD VALE vs REAL HENDON
Hertswood have major availability concerns ahead of their first home match of the season.
Boss Jacob Emanuel reports “a very different side to the one that faced Fairlop last weekend, with six of that 14-man squad unavailable.
Emanuel told JC Sport: “Revenge is the name of the game on Sunday, with those who remain from last year's squad looking to avenge the double that Real Hendon did over us.
“We felt very hard done by in both games last season and if we're looking to push on this season, these are the types of games we have to be winning.
“Despite so many changes for this week's game, i'm confident we can grab our first points of the season.”
Martin Smulovitch has always gone about his business quietly and efficiently and I can see him being a very good manager for Real.
I know he was keen to bring down the average age of the squad, but bargains have been hard to come by.
Real assistant-manager Rafi Addlestone told JC Sport: "We're looking forward to launching into the campaign against a team we know well.
"We're expecting to start on the front foot and take the game to Hertswood Vale.
"The team has a familiar feel with the majority of last season's squad turning out again this season. We have a solid spine with manager Martin Smulovitch now rejoined by Doron Shooter at the heart of the defence. Evergreen midfield dynamo Yossi Goldberg continues to roll back the years, and Lolu Hibbert will continue to fire in shots from long range."
Real will never be short of goals and that’s why they guarantee five-star entertainment.
JC team news: Ben Davis, James Millet and Elio Elia are amongst those returning, whilst Gal Alkalay and Edan Dodi will be looking to make their debuts for the Vale.
Real have been hit with injuries to two key players this week. New signing Jordan Alex had an unfortunate elbow to nose incident at Powerleague this week and will be out for a few weeks. Club legend Gav Noe has strained his groin in uncertain circumstances.
Venue – Tempsford Green, Ref – Bob Caplin, KO – 10am
JC star man: Edan Dodi (Hertswood)
DC Prediction: Hertswood 3 Real 3
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NORTH LONDON RAIDERS C vs TEMPLE FORTUNE B
Watch out for Raiders C. That's the message from boss Sam Rose ahead of Sunday's showdown against Temple Fortune B.
Many teams would struggle for goals without their top forward, but not Raiders. They have plenty in the tank as Rose looks for an improvement in the level of performance from last season.
"I hope we can kick off the season with a good win," Rose told JC Sport. "We’ve had a great pre-season with some solid performances and look a far more menacing and tougher outfit than we did last season.
"We’re under no illusions that Fortune will give us a tough game. They can expect the exact same from the Raiders boys."
Fortune have had a solid pre-season as well and manager Darren Zitren wants his players to hit the ground running.
He told JC Sport: The lads are looking forward to our first outing in the league. We have a good squad to choose from this weekend, including the likes of Zach Goodman, Gab Saul, Jonny Black and Jacob Nevett.
"We have learnt a lot as a group in a very short space of time and I'm excited to see us develop as the season progresses."
I can't see there being more than a goal between the teams. I can see Goodman pulling the strings in midfield to ensure Raiders come away with maximum points.
JC team news: Raiders are missing Alex Elf and Eyal Samovich but they have able replacements stepping into the breach to give us a strong looking line-up for Sunday’s opener.
Gaffer Zitren is away on international scouting duty this weekend! We will have a live feed from Brunel for the "Fortunates".
Venue - Brunel, Ref – Robert Benardout, KO – 10am
JC star man: Sam Roth (Raiders)
DC Prediction: Raiders 2 Fortune 1
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STRAW HAT PIRATES vs FAIRLOP FC
The Pirates couldn't have asked for a tougher start than Catford away followed by Fairlop, so it will be interesting to see what they are made of.
I saw plenty of tekkers on show during their training session this week, the appetite is really there, although they know they will need to execute their game-plan to perfection if they are to get any joy on Sunday.
The Pirates flew out of the blocks against Catford last week. They have unearthed a real gem in Ethan Mooney and his partnership with Aron Gale will terrorise defences across the division.
Fairlop were far from their best against Hertswood last weekend, but they took the points and that is just what boss Aaron Dias asked for.
He will be looking for another five or 10 per cent from everyone on Sunday, including Ryan Cole who was well marshalled last weekend. The chances are he will be a marked man this season.
Dias knows his team will be favourites many times this season and he is confident they can deal with the weight of expectation.
"Once again we approach Sunday looking to collect all three points, but we do go into the game with whopping eight players out either due to injury or on holiday," Dias told JC Sport.
"The win against Hertswood Vale came at a cost to our very own 'Ozil' Kane Hopps, who will be out for a number of weeks with a bruised ego.
"Goal machine Rosen will lead the line again and I'm expecting another big performance for all the players.
"We're hoping to take our football to the next level but the most important thing is to secure the 3 points.
"Would like to make a special mention to Max Freedman who officially joined the club this week, he brings pace, goals and a much-needed good- looking girlfriend to the team."
Decent away form will be vital for Fairlop this season. I expect their home ground to become a fortress so every point they can pick up on their travels could be decisive come the end of the season.
Venue – Meadow Park, Ref – Martin Lavender, KO – 10am
JC star man: Max Freedman (Fairlop)
DC Prediction: Pirates 1 Fairlop 2
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