YOUR WEEKEND PREVIEW STARTS HERE: (Matches KO at 10am unless stated)
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP ROUND THREE
SPEC FC vs JEWDINESE
There’s a mouth-watering tie in store in Barnet on Sunday as Division One rivals SPEC FC and Jewdinese lock horns for the first time this season.
SPEC go into the game with more wins and more goals under their belts, but that will count for little once that first whistle blows, against a ‘Nese team fresh from taking a point off Division One leaders North London Galaxy.
Sunday is also one for the football historians, as ‘Nese boss Darren Lawrence explains. “We are looking forward to Sunday as it is the first time we face SPEC in a competitive fixture,” he told JC Sport.
“I’m sure this will be billed as ‘Battle of the Lawrences’ and while of course it would be great to get one over on my brother, all I’m thinking about is progressing to the next round.
“The boys know the league table doesn’t make for great reading at the moment, so this cup game could be seen as a welcome distraction. We have a decent run of games from now up until the Christmas break, so we want to use Sunday as a platform to get some momentum going.”
Lawrence has done his homework on Sunday’s opponents, and he added: “Having watched SPEC a number of times, I know what they’re about. We know the threat that Zack Neiman poses. We’re confident of our game-plan to be able to nullify his threat.”
No doubt mind games will play a part around the Friday night dinner table this week. They’ve already started! SPEC player-manager Ricky Lawrence scored twice in last week’s nail-biting league win over Redbridge, and ahead of the meeting with his brother’s team, he said this.
“We’ll look forward to going into this game as underdogs. I imagine Jewdinese fancy their chances of being able to go all the way, so hopefully they’ll overlook little, old SPEC.
“The biggest battle may be for who gets the home changing rooms though!”
JC team news: The Zebras are without Ben Halmer this weekend so will need a replacement between the sticks, while Sim Cohen is unlikely to pass a late fitness test.
Venue – St James Catholic School, KO - 10.15am
JC star man: Danny Bloom (SPEC)
DC Prediction: SPEC 3 Nese 2 AET
============
FAIRLOP FC vs NORTH LONDON RAIDERS
Division One title hopefuls Raiders will be out for an upset when they make the long journey east to take on Premier Division Fairlop FC.
L’Orange have had a fortnight off from competitive football, but they stayed match sharp with a friendly against a very strong MLFC Vets from the Garston League – a game in which the result did not go their way.
That experience will stand them in good stead for what lies ahead – a cold, dark morning in Essex, which is never for the feint-hearted.
Raiders have made an excellent start to the league and a cupset would be the cherry on top, according to joint-manager David Isaacs.
He told JC Sport: “After a two-week break from competitive football, we are now back and we know we will have to be at it from minute one if we want to get a result against Fairlop and make it into the next round of the Anekstein.
“Last season we had two very close games where unfortunately both times we ended up on the losing side.
“Looking at Fairlop’s recent form, they have not had the greatest of starts. However, we can’t under-estimate them due to them being in the top division.”
Fairlop lost a seven-goal thriller against Faithfold DocMM White last weekend, with David Leiwy breaking their hearts with a late on.
Dean Ben-Yosef, Brad Gayer and James Jaconelli were the scorers for Fairlop in a game they were left kicking themselves in for not winning.
There is definitely a banana skin feel about this tie and if Raiders play to their potential the can definitely ask questions of the best Maccabi team in Essex. But Fairlop are a proud and talented bunch whom you write off at your peril.
Team news: Matt Warner misses out due to recurring back injury which he suffered last year. Raiders are also missing Daniel Behar as he is still recovering from his dislocated shoulder and their physio has confirmed that we won’t be seeing Behar till the new year. Raiders will give late fitness tests on five players.
Venue – 7 Kings
JC star man: Daryl Rubin (Fairlop)
DC Prediction: Fairlop 1 Raiders 1 (Fairlop to win on penalties)
============
MLFC BLUE vs REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE
“The results will come”. Those were the words of RJC boss Daniel Jacobs following the 3-2 defeat at SPEC last weekend.
The Redbridge boys almost came back from the dead to stage what at one stage looked an unlikely comeback, with Niv Gur scoring both their goals on the day.
Now they must prepare for an even harder away day, at Rowley Lane, where former competition winners MLFC will be looking for rich pickings.
MLFC have won just one league game in six, but they have a strong cup pedigree and I see this as a tie in which home advantage is key.
Although Benji Weinberger was recently called up into the London Lions’ 1st team, I still think the hosts will have too much, with the likes of Ben Kohler and Max Kyte looking to pull the strings in a tie I expect MLFC to boss possession.
Venue – Rowley Lane
JC star man: Ben Kohler (MLFC)
DC Prediction: MLFC 3 RJC 1
============
HMH vs FAITHFOLD DOCMM WHITE
Treble-chasing HMH go into this all-Premier Division tie with their tails up after beating Hendon United to go top of the MGBSFL.
The sky blues showed great battling spirit to come from a goal down to take the biggest scalp of them all, with Dan Hardoon, Sammy Kingston and Oscar Wagner (2) doing the damage.
Having already played Faithfold in the league this season, HMH boss Avi Goldberg knows his boys will need to turn up with the same attitude and application as if they were playing Hendon again.
Ahead of the tie, Goldberg told JC Sport: “This is second time already this season we play Faithfold, so we know each other. It’s fair to say that on last occasion we were on top but last time we failed to take our chances through poor finishing and great goalkeeping from Rabstein.
“However, since that last meeting we have found our shooting boots and have been banging in goals, so I am hoping the lads will keep Rabstein busy and give him a sore back!
“It won’t be easy though and even though we may start favourites, we will have to step up just like last week as after all it is the cup and I will be telling my players nothing short of a win will do.”
Although HMH have major goal threats in Wagner, Nate Kashket and Adam Ellis, the defence has also played their part, keeping three clean sheets so far.
Goldberg went on to say: “Our defence has been on top form and we will look to ensure that stays this way even though we know Faithfold have some dangerous players.”
Faithfold go into the tie on the back of an epic result in Essex. David Leiwy and Yoav Kestenbaum were on top form in a 4-3 triumph settled by a cool finish from Leiwy.
The Superhoops know they can leave nothing on the pitch against HMH, and it will take a super-human effort and defensive discipline if they are to get a result.
Faithfold have achieved great things under the leadership of Avi Markiewicz, but victory on Sunday would be arguably their finest in a one-off game in my opinion. Ahead of the game, Markiewicz told JC Sport: "The last game against HMH was, despite being a 0-0 draw, a really exciting one. We’ve had some really interesting battles and I’m sure this will too.
"Jack Joseph is back again for this and he’s such an important player, Dovi Vogel is starting to get into the groove and if we can get David Leiwy and Akiva Solomon firing on all cylinders we have a real chance. The key for us is to keep solid at the back and give Gideon Rabstein the protection he needs."
Markiewicz went on to say: "On the pre-shabbos shop I met some of the HMH boys in Kosher Kingdom. They were living the high-life taking pictures of themeselves and the backpages of the JC, but also said that they would take a 0-0 draw after 90 minutes so let’s see how this goes."
I can see this being a game of cat and mouse, with HMH edging through.
JC team news: Eli Wegrzyn and Thomas Prais return for HMH while Max Bull and Sam Monjack may feature as they look to return from injury. George Goldberg is also a doubt again but Oscar Wagner, Nate Kashket, Adam Ellis and Dom Feldman are all raring to go again while Sammy Kingston is looking to add to his spectacular goals total. It is not good news, though, for the Norton brothers who will miss out and a few others are struggling with injuries.
Venue – The Hive, KO: 9.45am
JC star man: Ethan Krell (HMH)
DC Prediction: HMH 2 Faithfold 1
============
MLFC RED vs CAMDEN PARK
Camden Park have had a tough start to the season, and not much luck in terms of cup draws.
But they will fancy their chances against a young MLFC team, who are still a little wet around the ears.
Two narrow defeats in recent weeks tell you that Stirling Kay’s boys are in a decent frame of mind and a trip to Rowley Lane might just inspire them.
Many MLFC Red players are still cutting their teeth in senior football, and over the next 90 minutes we are likely to find out if they are a soft touch or can deal with Camden’s rough and ready approach.
Venue – Rowley Lane
JC star man: Gav Krieger (Camden)
DC Prediction: MLFC 1 Camden 2
============
NORTH LONDON GALAXY vs PARIS SAINT-JEWMAIN
Lots of people have this marked down as a home banker as Division One table-toppers North London Galaxy prepare for the visit of second division PSJ.
Lewis Lewis’ troops stormed to the top of the table last weekend when they put five past Bayern Mincha without reply. It’s clear they are in a good moment, with confidence sky high.
They are scoring goals from all over the pitch and their full-backs are flying. Under Lewis, Galaxy play with great flair and desire and they will look to get the job done by half-time.
Looking ahead to weekend, Lewis told JC Sport: “This is a game we're going into with confidence - unbeaten in all competitions, playing some really exciting football and defending excellently.
“I’m really proud of recent performancesand know we have more than enough quality to win on Sunday and advance into the quarter-finals.
“PSJ’s Josh Cohen used to play for us so we know exactly what he'll be looking to do - he's a dangerous player and will need to be kept at bay if we're going to win.”
It’s important the Galaxy squad turn up with the correct attitude and are not complacent. Lewis added: “Our boys are very up for this one given we know quite a few boys at PSJ in all different years. It should be a good game and we can't wait to get back down to the jungle.”
PSJ will be nice and fresh after a week off. Their recent game against Borussia Barnet was a good indicator of the standard required against Galaxy and I expect them to be on the back-foot from the off.
It’s important PSJ keep numbers behind the ball and defend for their lives, but if Galaxy are on their game I expect them to have too much.
JC team news: Josh Shack, Nicky Barnett, Jordan Grundman and Jamie Murray come back into the Galaxy squad - four big additions from the game against Mincha.
Venue – East Barnet School
JC star man: Nicky Barnett (Galaxy)
DC Prediction: Galaxy 4 PSJ 0
============
TEMPLE FORTUNE vs OAKWOOD
A big crowd is expected in Kingsbury as Division Two pace-setters Temple Fortune entertain former winners Oakwood.
Fortune are having their best season in many a year and he's relishing testing his players against one of the Maccabi League giants.
Striker Danny Sherman is bang in form, although he will do well to come out on top in his battle with Alex Lee.
Fortune are creating lots of chances, with several players chipping in with goals, but this could be a mountain too high to climb.
However, gaffer Simon Linden believes impossible is nothing. He told JC Sport: "It’s a big test this Sunday but we welcome it and look forward to the challenge.
"Oakwood are a class outfit, they have been in the last two finals of this competition - I just want to see 110 per cent effort and focus from us and see where it takes us. We're in it to win it and will give it our best shot."
Oakwood are far from their free-flowing best, but one would think they would have too much individual and collective quality for a second division team.
Josh Cuby continues to receive rave reviews, but they need more players contributing goals. The first 20 minutes will be crucial for Fortune, if they can keep Oakwood at arm's length then they can dream to believe.
But Oakwood are a strong and fit side who go the 90 and I can see the pace and movement of Cuby shattering their hopes of an upset.
JC team news: Grant Bates, Max Martin and Daniel Vandermolen have been ruled out for Fortune.
Kyle Bentwood is suspended for Oakwood, while Daniel Seligman and Dan Taylor remain sidelined. Brad Wine and Alex Lee return while John Levy is pushing for a return to the team. The squad has been boosted by the arrival of the Gold brothers - James and Richard - who are in line for a debut having signed from MLFC this week for an undisclosed fee.
Venue – Silver Jubilee Park
JC star man: Jacob Feinstein (Oakwood)
DC Prediction: TFFC 1 Oakwood 4
============
MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
TOP 3
1. HMH Pl. 6, W. 4, Pts. 13
2. Hendon Utd Sports Pl. 5, W. 4, Pts. 12
3. Oakwood Pl. 5, W. 2, Pts. 9
TOP-SCORERS 8 - Josh Cuby (Oakwood A), 6 - Avi Markiewicz (Faithfold DocMM White), Chaim Korman (Hendon Utd Sports)
No games scheduled
============
MGBSFL DIVISION ONE
TOP 3
1. NL Galaxy Pl. 7, W. 5, Pts. 17
2. NL Raiders Pl. 6, W. 5, Pts. 16
3. Hertswood Vale Pl. 6, W. 4, Pts. 13
TOP-SCORERS 10 - James Millet (Hertswood Vale), Zach Cohen (Mill Hill Dons), 8 - Reiss Mogilner (Jewdinese)
BAYERN MINCHA vs MILL HILL DONS
Jamie Nagioff will take charge of the Dons for the next four months, with boss Brandon Hamme jetting off on a scouting trip in South East Asia.
Hamme has left first-team duties to Nagioff, along with his new assistant, Sam Singer. Nagioff told JC Sport: “We wish Brandon a great time away and hope he’ll come back to a team that is performing solidly in the league and still in with a shout of some silverware later in the season.”
The Dons go into their meeting with basement battlers Bayern Mincha needing a win, so a tweak here and a tweak there could have the desired impact on Sunday.
With no wins in five, Nagioff will be looking for a big performance and result. “This week, we face a Bayern Mincha side who we beat pretty comfortably earlier this season, but I expect us to match that result and level of performance as a minimum,” he told JC Sport.
“We’ve started to look much better in recent weeks and we’ve now brought in Adam Brown to resolve our goalkeeper issue, so we should be looking to top our previous meet.
“However, we have to acknowledge that we really need to get some more points on the board, so there can be no room for complacency this week.
Bayern were hit for six by the Dons on Matchday Two, and they simply haven’t recovered. Harry Moss and Zach Cohen scored two apiece that day, and with a -46 goal difference, they are now fighting for survival.
The Bayern boys have yet to score at home, and they have conceded 20 goals in their two games in front of their fans. And despite the Dons not being in a good moment, I think they will have too much on the day.
JC team news: Mill Hill’s injury list “is still going strong,” with Joe Reece now joining long-term absentees Josh Cinna, Scott Waissel and Ben Rodol on the sidelines. Despite that, “there is still a strong squad available” and they have also welcomed Josh Marks back to training after picking up an injury in pre-season.
Venue – Mill Hill Village Sports Centre
JC star man: Josh Marks (Dons)
DC Prediction: Bayern 0 Dons 4
============
DIVISION TWO
TOP 3
1. Temple Fortune Pl. 8, W. 5, Pts. 16
2. FC Team Pl. 6, W. 5, Pts. 16
3. Borussia Barnet Pl. 6, W. 4, Pts. 13
TOP-SCORERS 14 - Jono Gaon (Hampstead Ducks), 11 - Danny Sherman (Temple Fortune), 10 - Simon Cohen (Temple Fortune)
BORUSSIA BARNET vs NORTH WEST LONDON BEARS
The Borussia boys are “raring to go” on Sunday after their game was cancelled last week. And joint-manager Brad Papier is taking nothing for granted ahead of the visit of a Bears team that have struggled thus far.
“Although the Bears have failed to win a competitive match yet, we know they aren’t to be under-estimated with players at uni, who haven’t been available, are definitely going to be coming back this weekend,” Papier told JC Sport.
“We’re taking the game very seriously and have probably our strongest league game squad available so far this season.”
Papier believes a feisty affair is on the cards. “It’s a real grudge match for Nathan Rosenthal as he’s friends with a lot of Bears players, so he comes in with a point to prove.
“I think it will be really tough for us but we’ve got real quality and I’m hoping that matched with hard work and application will be too much for the winless bears. Jack Mattey coming in is always a big help for us and he’s got real quality and can hurt teams every time he plays.”
Borussia have so far delivered on their pre-season hype, securing four wins out of six. Joint-manager Sam Sharer: “After an unexpected weekend off due to our game vs PSJ being abandoned, the boys are well refreshed and raring to go against one of our social media rivals.
“NWL Bears have been giving the talk all season to us on Twitter, however unlike them we have been doing our talking on the pitch!
“We hope to continue our good run of form and put up a good fight against Bears who will be well up for it.”
This is the first of two tough matches for the Bears, with FC Team, another side challenging for the title, up next. This will be following by a wooden spoon six-pointer against West Hamdillah.
So manager James Harpin know his players will need to be on from the first whistle. He told JC Sport: "Nothing has gone right so far for us as of yet, whether it is scoring or keeping things tight in crucial parts of the game. We need a breakthrough somewhere and this Sunday could be the place to find it.
"Many of our boys are mates with their players and this added motivation may help us. I still think we have a good enough squad to go places and Borussia Barnet are not that far ahead of us in terms of quality, but we have to start showing it. We need to be on top form to get a result this weekend, and hope luck is on our side."
Harpin went on to say: "Borussia Barnet have players that should be playing Premier Division football, as do we, but they have shown it more than we have so far this season.
"We have seen an image that Borussia Barnet have made of our logo and that will be put up on the wall in the changing room on Sunday as motivation.
"We do not want to lose this game and we will do everything possible to make sure we come out with a positive result because even at this early stage in the season, we do not want lose sight of others.
"Obviously this is not the game we want to have right now considering our current form, but anything is possible. We have Sam Morris in our squad for the first time in months and have a couple of other game-changers who are back from Uni."
The Bears have failed to score in more than 270 minutes of football but they need to pull together and in what is effectively a free-hit against a Borussia team going places.
JC team news: Jack Mattey, Oron Sheldon Nathan Rosenthal all available Sunday for Borussia, but Michael Kenley misses out.
Freddy Kramer, Aaron Shimoni and Sam Morris come into the Bears' squad for the first time in a while, meaning Aaron and Saul become the first brothers to play for the Bears together. Oscar Cohen and Harry Russell return to the squad after missing games recently.
Venue – Bridgestone Arena
JC star man: Nathan Rosenthal (Borussia)
DC Prediction: Borussia 3 Bears 0
============
CLUB DE CHIGWELL vs SCRABBLE
A run of four heavy defeats has seen Scrabble slip down the table, and a trip to Essex is arguably the last thing they need right now.
Alex Bourne scored twice in the 7-2 mauling they suffered at the hands of Hampstead Ducks. They were unable to live with goal machine Jono Gaon, so there’s every chance they will struggle to handle the pace of Daniel Garfinkle and the in-form Saul Green on Sunday.
CdC joint-manager James Rose is fully aware Scrabble have conceded 25 goals in their last four games, so attack will be the best form of defence on Sunday.
Looking ahead to the game, Rose told JC Sport: “The recent result against Faithfold was disappointing especially to throw away a lead the way we did.
“Last week’s break came at a good time for us as it’s allowed to dust ourselves down and prepare for the game against Scrabble, who we know will be a tough opponent.”
Being of a similar age to the Scrabble players, I can assure you outdoor football isn’t much fun during the winter months. For starters, everything hurts when you wake up and there’s only so much Deep Heat you can put in certain areas! Added to that, there’s the drive to E17 – a band that many of the Scrabble players will remember from their prime.
I expect the Scrabble warm-up to be short and sharp, but once that first whistle blows, they might not know what’s hit ‘em.
JC team news: CdC welcome back several players from injury and holiday.
Venue – Peter May Sports Centre
JC star man: Elliot Espinoza (CdC)
DC Prediction: CdC 4 Scrabble 2
============
FC TEAM vs WEST HAMDILLAH
A cricket score is expected in Edgware on Sunday as title favourites FC Team host bottom side West Hamdillah.
The recent of arrival of Jonny Haik has lifted everyone in the FC Team camp, and the imminent return of top-scorer Connor Perl will surely turn them into an irresistible force. I can’t see many side getting the better of them from hereonin.
The addition of Haik is similar in some ways to when Ronnie Rosenthal joined Liverpool back in the 1990’s. Liverpool were already a great team, but the Israeli ‘Rocket’ jet-propelled them to the title, contributing vital goals and as we know, Haik is a big-game player. It’s great to have him back involved again in the league.
West Hamdillah have made a disastrous start with six straight defeats. They were crushed 8-1 by joint-leaders Temple Fortune last time out, despite taking the lead. But I fear for them on Sunday.
If the first goal goes in early, the floodgates will open and not even double-parking the bus will help them.
Venue – London Academy
JC star man: Mitch Young (FC Team)
DC Prediction: FC Team 9 Hamdillah 0
