Leeds Sunday Alliance Premier Division
Waggon Athletic 1
Leeds Maccabi 1st 0

Leeds Maccabi 1st boss Ian Selwyn paid tribute to his players after they took league leaders Waggon Athletic to the wire on Sunday.

Maccabi produced one of their most impressive performances of the season against the unbeaten table-toppers but somehow failed to take a deserved point from the contest.

A tenth minute strike was enough to give Waggon their sixth win from seven league games, but it could have been so different but for two controversial refereeing decisions.

Waggon should have been reduced to ten men after their goalkeeper was adjudged to have handled the ball outside the penalty area.

The referee awarded Maccabi a free-kick some 25-yards from goal but bizarrely only reached for a yellow card when a red would have been expected.

The Waggon stopper was back in the action soon after as he rushed out to thwart Woolman, only to collide with his own defender.

With the ball loose, Woolman rolled the ball into the empty net but his celebrations were cut short as the referee awarded the home side a free-kick much to Maccabi’s dismay.

“I don’t like to moan about referees because it sounds like sour grapes, but he has cost us the game,” said Selwyn.

“I can’t fault the players because they gave everything and played their hearts out but it just wasn’t to be.

“It was a cracking game and I think that Waggon will probably win the league because they look like a proper side.

“But their keeper kept them in the game and he shouldn’t have even been on the pitch.”

Maccabi dominated for long periods of the game with Josh Rose hitting the post and Richard Black’s thunderous effort cannoning off the crossbar.

Both Curtis Bitton-Price and Woolman also went close but Selwyn’s men failed to find a breakthrough as Waggon held on.

“I can’t be disappointed with the performance but I thought we should have won the game,” added Selwyn.

“Their manager came up to me after the game and told me that we’re the best side they’ve played but we keep hearing that.

“We need to make sure we get some wins and stop being the nearly men.

“There’s still lots of games to go and lots of cups to play for so hopefully we can still do something special this year.”