MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
LONDON MACCABI LIONS WHITE 0 NORSTAR LONDON RAIDERS A 3
Norstar London Raiders completed an early-season double over London Lions White with a comfortable 3-0 win at Rowley Lane.
The visitors forged ahead early through some great work from two former-Lions. Norstar left-back Justin Spiro powered down the wing and his searching cross found Matt Stock free at the back post to tap home for his third of the season.
Both sides played some nice football in the middle of the pitch, but it was Norstar who looked livelier throughout, with David Dinkin and Ethan Zone both going close.
Visiting keeper Jake Doffman was only called into action once to spectacularly tip over a fine strike from Lions’ Connor Perlmutter.
The away side’s lead was almost doubled after Lions’ keeper Danny Jacobs let a backpass run through his legs and had his blushes saved after the ball came back off the post.
Raiders again started brightly in the second half but soon lost two players in a clash of heads that saw skipper Elliot Espinoza out cold for several anxious moments. Jonny Kay and Jamie Wolfson came on for the injured Espinoza and Stock and began to take the game away from Lions.
Wolfson grabbed the second goal of the game after a sequence of 23 passes from the away side saw him latch onto the ball on the edge of the area before cutting in and slotting the ball beyond Jacobs in the Lions goal. Cue elation in the away end of the ground.
Within moments it was 3-0 after a neat one-two between Wolfson and Dinkin saw the substitute square the ball for the onrushing Adam Jason to heap further misery on Lions.
Raiders manager Phil Peters was delighted with the outcome: "To beat Lions so convincingly on their own patch feels great. I’ve not won here as a manager before so am delighted to have exorcised that demon and hopefully we’ll have another couple of wins at Rowley Lane before the season’s out.
"Our strength in depth is frightening, with three of the back four different from those who lined up against Lions on the opening day of the season five weeks ago, and credit to those who have come in and done a fabulous job.
"Today things really started to click in attack and unlike last week where we lost out because of our poor finishing, today we got that right and gave Lions a schooling.
"The boys are naturally loving their football at the moment, but keeping their feet on the ground as we are as a management team. But there’s no reason why we can’t enjoy where we are at the moment and we will continue to do so for as long as it lasts.
"With six games down we have an incredibly important game against FC Team next week before a short break from league football. We owe it to the fans to go out and take maximum points again and keep the pressure on the chasing pack."
