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PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
HMH vs Oakwood A
Mill Hill Dons vs Redbridge Jewish Care A
Haroldeans vs Manchester Maccabi 1st
Maccabi London Lions vs Los Camden A
Ties have been provisionally set for February 24. The semi finals are then due to be played March 31
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CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP QUARTER-FINALS
Oakwood A vs Jewdinese
Hendon United Sports vs Brady Maccabi
Bayern Mincha vs ML Lions
Los Camden A vs Redbridge JC A (LC won)
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YOUR WEEKEND PREVIEW STARTS HERE:
(matches KO at 10am unless stated)
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP QUARTER-FINALS
OAKWOOD A vs JEWDINESE
Having pushed Oakwood all the way in the Morrison just over a fortnight ago, first division ‘Nese go in search of their best ever result when they take on League Cup holders.
Oaks goalkeeper James Hiller denied the Zebras an equaliser in their epic tie when he saved a penalty from James Ross.
‘Nese’s tactics of starting with five at the back frustrated Oakwood until they were undone by a moment of brilliance from Josh Bharier. Billy Lee hauled the first division side level but there was no fairytale finish following a header from Simon Davies.
‘Nese fans believe the gods were against them, as they hit the woodwork three times from a corner and Zach Collins missed a sitter with the last kick of the game. But they will be all the better for that experience and will be looking forward to going toe to toe with the Oakwood a second time.
Oaks boss Dan Kristall admitted after the game ‘Nese wouldn’t look out of place in the top division and his squad must “prepare better” second time around.
‘Nese came through a tough test against Bayern Mincha last weekend, with Sam Stern and James Ross on target in a 2-1 win. Adam Gold has been a regular in my Team of the Week and he was in impressive form once again, alongside goalkeeper Ben Halmer and Ross.
Ahead of the tie, 'Nese boss Darren Lawrence told JC Sport: "I have urged my team to go into the game this Sunday with the exact same mindset as we went into our first meeting with Oakwood, knowing that we have to play to our absolute maximum to get a result.
"We were absolutely superb last time out, but I believe we have even more in us.
"We have taken a lot of confidence from our performance in the first game, not only for the rematch but also for the rest of our league games.
"We are determined to go all the way in this cup and know we have the quality to win on Sunday. If we do that then we’re only two wins from silverware. Who knows eh?!"
'Nese won many new fans after their heroic performance against Oakwood recently. On another day they could've won that game, but I expect Oakwood's big-game players to rise to the occasion and send them through.
JC team news: The Zebras are expecting to field pretty much a full-strength squad on Sunday, with just Brad Lander, James Van Straten and Josh Platt missing out.
Venue – Nicholas Breakspear, Ref – Neal Cohen
JC star man: Kyle Bentwood (Oakwood)
DC Prediction: Oakwood 2 ‘Nese 1
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HENDON UNITED SPORTS vs BRADY MACCABI
Hendon were just seconds away from beating HMH for the first time this season last weekend, until a moment of magic from Thomas Prais.
Trailing 2-1 against the only team not to lose against them in the league this season, they showed excellent spirit, character and determination to fight back and lead 3-2, with some top quality goals. You’ll do well to see one better than Avi Korman’s screamer.
Chaim Korman was another influential figure, he had a hand in all three Hendon goals and worked his socks off, while Zac Lewis is an automatic contender for Team of the Week whenever he plays.
Like Chaim Korman, Mordi Weiler is another talented youngster who has taken to the MGBSFL like a duck to water. And the tenacious Jonny Kay in midfield is the type of player every title-winning team needs.
Jordan Sapler and co are in a good place going into the game. He told JC Sport: "Amazingly, it’s our first time playing Brady this season and we are going to be playing them a further three times in short succession after this, so we don’t really know what to expect.
"They’ve had mixed results this season but beating Fairlop shows that they have quality. We also know that they had a good game against Lions and should’ve picked up more points then they have so we will need to be wary of their ability.
"The cups are a great chance for us this season and we’ve had good results so far in the Anekstein and good history, so we know we can do well. It gives us a nice break from the league too and we’re determined to put our cup form right after Haroldeans.”
Brady were denied a draw in the Rowley Lane derby after staging a comeback of their own. Josh Curtis put them ahead in a high-octane affair against the Lions, but they soon found themselves 3-1 down. Scott Gordon and Dan Cohen were the marksmen in a strong Brady rally, but the failure to kill off the Lions when chances fell their way is what ultimately cost them.
The challenge now is to play every game like a derby, and as though their lives depend on it. They face back-to-back games against Hendon and boss Joel Nathan knows they must start delivering soon in a game they start as underdogs.
He told JC Sport: "After last Sunday's disappointment in the league, we have a cup game against Hendon, which is going to be one hell of a battle as we are up against in my opinion the strongest team in the league.
"We know we are massive underdogs but we like that as we have nothing to lose. The boys played well last week and if we had taken our chances and their keeper wasn’t in inspired form the result would have been different and I just want us to carry on that form from last week to this.
"Hendon are strong from 1-11 and whoever is on the pitch for them will be a top-class player and we will have to deal with whoever they throw at us and I'm confident we will."
On Sunday I can see Brady huffing and puffing but Hendon's ability to rise to the big occasion will take them through.
JC team news: Hendon still have our long-term injuries to captain Ari Last, Yoav Kestenbaum and Greg Corin. Moses Seitler is unavailable along with Yehuda Korman and Jordan Mizrahi. Josh Harris came through his cameo against HMH unscathed so he is expected to feature.
Brady welcome back Sam Castle after a back injury and otherwise have a full squad to choose from.
Venue - Rowley Lane, Ref – Martin De La Fuente
JC star man: Chaim Korman (Hendon)
DC Prediction: Hendon 3 Brady 1
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BAYERN MINCHA vs MACCABI LONDON LIONS
Lions are strong favourites to progress when they travel to first division Bayern.
Jamie Cohen and Ollie Craig bagged braces in the thrilling 4-3 win over Brady last weekend – a game that would’ve taken much out of them mentally and physically.
But it was the performance of young goalkeeper Jack Franks that once again had their supporters raving. He was the reason they claimed Rowley Lane bragging rights.
Ahead of kick-off, MLL joint-manager Max Kyte told JC Sport: “We know we will need to be focused to ensure we get through to the next round. In a cup game, anything can happen.”
No doubt Lions would’ve heard much about Bayern striker Adam Ellis. He’d walk into any MGBSFL team and will be looking to show some of the big guns on the Lions team who is top dog on Sunday.
Daniel Holder felt Bayern deserved something from their game against Jewdinese last weekend. Alon Pinhas scored a stunning goal but they were unable to register again in a 2-1 defeat. Holder and co hopes their luck changes on Sunday as they look to steal the backpage headlines of the JC.
I expect Bayern to give a good account of themselves but can see the Lions eventually grinding them down before their superior fitness levels do the rest.
JC team news: Reiss Mogilner missed the derby win against his former club last week but he is expected to return as the Lions bid to cement their place in the semis.
Venue – Capital City, Ref – Robert Benardout
JC star man: Jamie Cohen (Lions)
DC Prediction: Bayern 1 Lions 4
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MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
TOP 4
1. Hendon Utd Pl. 11, W. 7, Pts. 23
2. Oakwood A Pl. 11, W. 6, Pts. 19
3. ML Lions Pl. 11, W. 5, Pts. 17
4. HMH Pl. 10, W. 4, Pts. 16
TOP-SCORERS 16 - Reiss Mogilner (ML Lions), 12 - Josh Bharier (Oakwood A - includes 2 for B team)
HMH vs FAITHFOLD DOC MM A
HMH will be looking to return to third place when they welcome Faithfold to their Edgware home.
Striker Oscar Wagner has scored in his last three league games and is evens to find the net against a Faithfold team fighting for survival.
Avi Goldberg’s men have come through three matches against leaders Hendon United unscathed – Thomas Prais rescued a point with virtually the last kick of the game in last Sunday’s six-goal thriller. And with several players chipping in with goals in recent weeks, the signs look good.
Goalkeeper Jake Doffman was in inspired form. He could do nothing to stop Hendon’s goals but produced some outstanding saves to keep his side in the game. Clark Norton also caught the eye, with some lung-busting runs keeping the Hendon defence on its toes. He played much of the game out wide before turning into a target man, and he did both jobs well.
Faithfold beat HMH 4-3 in September but Goldberg’s giants redressed the balance in November with a thumping 5-1 success. Ethan Krell was the hat-trick hero that day. The Superhoops experienced many high points at the Hive last season, but they have struggled for consistency of squad and results this season.
I fancy HMH to do the business as they look to extend their unbeaten home league record to six matches.
Venue – The Hive, Ref – Lee Browne
JC star man: Clark Norton (HMH)
DC Prediction: HMH 4 Faithfold 1
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DIVISION ONE
TOP 4
1. Redbridge JC A Pl. 13, W. 9, Pts. 31
2. Fairlop FC Pl. 11, W. 8, Pts. 27
3. NL Galaxy Pl. 12, W. 8, Pts. 25
4. Jewdinese Pl. 11, W. 6, Pts. 22
TOP-SCORERS 18 - Nate Kashket (Redbridge JC A), 12 - James Jaconelli (Fairlop FC), Adam Ellis (Bayern Mincha)
REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE A vs NORTH LONDON RAIDERS
It’s been a week to forget for table-toppers RJC A. First top-scorer Nate Kashket was involved in a car crash en route to the cup game against Los Camden A. Thank heavens he and his girlfried were okay. In the game itself, Dean Nyman gave RJC the lead but they bowed out after conceding five times. And to add insult to injury, nearest rivals Fairlop FC were then awarded three points at a committee management meeting which means their advantage has been cut to just a single point. And Fairlop have a game in hand.
However, after playing Raiders on Sunday, RJC are then scheduled to play Los Camden B – a team who have forfeited several matches this season. So a win over L’Orange would really pile the pressure on their noisy neighbours.
But first things first. Raiders will be no walkovers. That what Sam Rank will tell his players, especially after the 4-3 thriller at the start of the season. Kashket (2), Carl Dobrin and Steve Summers were the RJC marksmen that day.
RJC joint-manager Sam Rank kept his midweek press conference short and sweet, telling JC Sport: "Sunday is a must-win game. That’s is all I have to say."
The Camden defeat was RJC’s first this season. The challenge now is to win their remaining league games and hope Fairlop slip up. And they also have a trip to second division Mill Hill Dons in the Anekstein Cup on the horizon.
NLR’s last win came in November. They’ve had a frustrating couple of weeks with matches postponed, although Scott Waissel and Aron Gale are nice and fresh after turning out for the NLR Masters team.
NLR’s David Isaacs told JC Sport: “From our previous match against Redbridge at the start of the season, we know this will be a very tricky affair, especially with Redbridge going for the title.
“Hopefully we can cause an upset and bring the three points home.”
RJC have turned 7 Kings into something of a fortress this season with no defeats in six. But NLR have been decent on their travels and they will be determined to put on a strong show.
But when all is said and done, I expect RJC to get the job done.
JC team news: Carl Dobrin is back in the RJC squad, and Matt Kemp returns between the sticks.
Ben Rosen returns to the Raiders squad this week.
Venue – 7 Kings, Ref – David Lazarus
JC star man: Carl Dobrin (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 2 NLR 1
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SCRABBLE FC A vs FAIRLOP FC
Fairlop are in pole position to clinch the title after gaining three points during the week. Now they are ready to capitalise on any RJC nerves with three points on the cards against basement battlers Scrabble.
With matches against North London Galaxy and Bayern Mincha to follow, Aaron Dias’s boys hope Scrabble manage to put out a team after they forfeited the first scheduled meeting.
But with Scrabble B not in action, there could be hope that Ray Abrahams and co can put out 11 players. To date, they have only physically managed to play seven league matches out of a scheduled 11, so fingers crossed for Sunday. If Fairlop are to win the title, let’s hope they do it on the pitch.
Venue – Aycliffe Road, Ref – Barry David
JC star man: Adam Goldman (Fairlop)
DC Prediction: Scrabble 0 Fairlop 4
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DIVISION TWO
TOP 4
1. Hertswood Vale Pl. 15, W. 10, Pts. 31
2. SPEC FC Pl. 16, W. 9, Pts. 29
3. Faithfold Doc MM B Pl. 17, W. 9, Pts. 28
4. FC Team Pl. 13, W. 7, Pts. 21
TOP-SCORERS 19 - James Millet (Hertswood Vale), Zack Neiman (SPEC FC), 14 - Richard Salmon (FC Team)
FC TEAM vs FAITHFOLD MM DOC C
FC Team’s automatic promotion hopes ended several weeks ago. But you could sense the disappointment in Mitch Young’s voice after they lost 5-2 against title hopefuls Hertswood Vale, for the second time last season.
Indeed Young gave his side a flying start with a stunning goal of the week contender, but once again they were made to pay for several individual errors.
But given their firepower, one would have to think they will have too much ammunition for struggling Faithfold C.
Faithfold have won just once in 13 matches. They’ve conceded the most goals in the division and damage limitation could be their best bet on Sunday.
Venue - Hertswood, Ref – Nigel Kyte
JC star man: Eitan Ben-Zion (FC Team)
DC Prediction: FC Team 5 Faithfold 0
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE B vs HERTSWOOD VALE
Title rivals Redbridge B and Hertswood Vale are ready to rumble in what could be one of the games of the season.
RJC had a big win at last week’s committee meeting and they are handily placed to push for the title, with seven games remaining. I'm no accountant but by my maths that's 21 points to play for ;)
Richard Bronzite’s troops start the match nine points behind Vale, but they have five games in hand, so there could yet be a major swing between now and the end of the season.
Ahead of kick-off, RJC boss Richard Bronzite told JC Sport: “My boys are hopefully up for this one as the name of the game is revenge.
“We played Vale earlier in the season as they gave us a big wake-up call. They deserved to beat us that day, so my boys better remember that game and put a performance that RJC can be proud off.”
Bronzite predicts “a tough, tough game," but turning on the mind games, he claims Vale "have all the pressure this week, so will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure as they can’t afford to do anything but win!”
So this is effectively something of a cup final for the Vale boys, who go into the game buzzing following the 5-2 triumph over FC Team. For once top-scorer James Millet took a back-seat, restricted to the role of creator in a game where Josh Gorb (2), Ollie Brill, Jordan Harris and Ben Kaye hit the back of the net.
Defender James Neidle produced a powerful performance up against Richard Salmon, but a similar effort will be needed as he comes up against an RJC strikeforce including Steve Summers and Dan Gordon.
Ahead of the game, Vale joint-manager Jacob Emanuel told JC Sport: "We're really looking forward to Sunday's game against Redbridge, despite the fact that we have to travel all the way to sunny Essex.
"Having played significantly less games than everyone else in the league, we don't really know what you expect from our opposition on Sunday."
"Last Sunday's win against FC Team showed how well we can play when we're on it, so we're looking for another performance like that this week."
Vale have lost just once on the road this season, while RJC have won all five home matches in the league. So something has to give on Sunday.
JC team news: RJC will have a squad of 14 or 15 for Sunday.
At time of writing, Jacob Emanuel "still didn't have too much visibility into availability. However, he confirmed Svi Freedman, Zach Mandel, Danny Feuer and Adam Morrow "are all definitely out for this one".
Venue - Fairlop, Ref – Martin Lavender
JC star man: Adam Hakimi (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 3 Vale 2
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TEMPLE FORTUNE vs MILL HILL DONS
The Dons crushed Fortune 5-2 last month and I expect a similar outcome on Sunday.
Brandon Hamme’s men have been scoring for fun since December, with Isaac Virchis given them another dimension. If only he’d have registered earlier …
A solid spine of Sam Singer, Josh Cinna, Virchis and Zach Cohen make the Dons a tasty proposition. They have goal-scoring threats from all over the pitch and I can see them rising to the occasion at Silver Jubilee Park.
Fortune, on the other hand, have conceded 16 times in their last three games. It’s clear boss Simon Linden needs to strengthen over the summer and several players will be playing for their futures.
The key aspect is Linden has several committed regulars in Simon Cohen, Grant Bates, Jacob Kalms, Jon Kay, Josh Lewis, David Prager, Gab Saul, Danny Sherman, Mark Singer, Adam Speck and Daniel Vandermolen so the key will be bringing in strength in depth in key positions.
But on Sunday I think the Dons will be the team holding all the aces.
Venue – Silver Jubilee Park, Ref – Keith Goodman, KO – 9.45am
JC star man: Marc Charles (Dons)
DC Prediction: TFFC 1 Dons 3
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MATCHDAY 20 AWARDS
STAR MAN: Oli Sade (Los Camden A)
MANAGER: Stirling Kay (Los Camden A)
PLAYER OF THE WEEK Oli Sade (Los Camden A)
MANAGER OF THE WEEK Stirling Kay (Los Camden A)
GOAL OF THE WEEK Avi Korman (Hendon Utd Sports)
SAVE OF THE WEEK Jake Doffman (HMH)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK Max Kyte (ML Lions)
REFEREE OF THE WEEK Phil Peters (HMH vs Hendon Utd)
