WATFORD FRIENDLY LEAGUE UNDER-13 CUP FINAL

MACCABI LONDON LIONS WHITE 4 NORSEMAN 0

Having secured their first trophy of the season with a 1-0 win over Harvesters in the League Cup final, the Lions were intent on adding more silverware.
The Whites expected a tough examination, having earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Norseman earlier in the season. However, that wasn’t the case as the Lions ran out comfortable winners in their “most complete performance of the season”.

Lions started brightly from the first whistle, dominating possession against physical opponents. A superb strike from the edge of the box into the roof of the net by Charlie Dagul after 10 minutes settled any early match nerves and the Lions continued to push for a second as a just reward for all their dominance.

With Nathan Mann and Charlie Gordon combining well down the right and Amit Waiss’s technical ability in the middle , the Lions superiority started to tell with chances falling  to Barr Slagter and Rafi  Burns which were spurned before a superb Jesse Tapnack shot was  desperately tipped over the bar.

The Lions looked comfortable at half-time but the contest was far from over, with a slender advantage.

Luc Levene’s physical presence along with Mikey Selby’s clever movement allowed the Lions to start the second half with the same momentum as they finished the first, and more chances came and went through Zan Appleson-Fidler and Barr Slagter before the impressive Josh Nathan made it 2-0 scoring a stunning volley following a 40-yard through ball by the excellent Zack Miller. 

The Lions continued to storm forward, creating a number of opportunities before Ezra Aaron, who was a constantly threat down the left, scored a sublime third into the corner of the net before Appleson-Fidler added a fourth in the final few minutes.

When the final whistle blew, the Lions were able to celebrate another cup final win and a performance that left managers and supporters “incredibly proud”.

Co-managers Andy Miller and Steve Gordon will look to add to the team’s success this season with two points needed from  their final two league games, sandwiched between another County Cup final in Wednesday night, where Lions will be aiming to retain the cup.