MGBSFL DIVISION TWO
REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE B 2 FC TEAM C 1
Redbridge Jewish Care B clinched promotion to Division One with a dramatic 2-1 victory over FC Team C at Fairlop.
In a game billed as a winner take all fixture, a capacity crowd was drawn to Fairlop on a sunny morning.
FC Team C started brightly but, against the run of play, Redbridge took the lead when a superb corner from Adam Goldman was met with a bullet header by captain, Darren Brown.
The goal helped Redbridge settle and impose themselves after a nervy. start. A second came from a superb run and finish from Scott Oldstein and it could have been 3-0, but a penalty was denied them on the stroke of half-time as Sam Sollosi was bundled over with the referee at least 50 yards away.
FC Team C came out firing in the second half and pulled a goal back within five minutes with another header from Jeremy Julius.
The visitors pressed hard for the equaliser which would take them up and had a lot of possession with nothing for it. James Joseph was finally brought on with around 15 minutes left and had an immediate impact before being handed a red card for pushing the younger Sollosi in the face, so it was all hands to the pump for the last 10 minutes.
Craig Sandford had a chance for glory with a one-on-one with the keeper and tried one of his famous dinks that didn’t quite work out.
With the clock ticking down, FC Team were throwing everything at Redbridge and leaving only one at the back and with the keeper up for a corner, Sapler shot from 70 yards at an empty net, just missing. With the last attack of the match, FC’s Joseph went over in the box but no penalty was given.
Instead, the whistle signalled full time, a historic win, three points and automatic promotion.
Redbridge coach Jon Jacobs said: “Great credit to my boys for resisting and hanging on for the win.
"Over the course of the season they have conceded the least goals and won 15 of their 18 games, a magnificent achievement.
"I am sure a lot of the top teams will be looking at my boys, but I am sending them all to University to escape the big money offers coming their way."
Report by Lawie Hacker
