The opening round of the Jewish FA Cup features seven ties, and there is also action in all three MGBSFL divisions as Redbridge Jewish Care A look to join Hendon United Sports Club A at the top of the Premier.
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DANNY CARO'S MONTHLY AWARDS: SEPTEMBER
PHOTOGALLERY: OAKWOOD A vs BRADY MACCABI
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DANNY CARO'S MATCHDAY 6 AWARDS
SAVE OF THE WEEK: Scott Shear (Redbridge Jewish Care B)
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Nick Gross (Los Blancos)
REFEREE OF THE WEEK: Richard Jaye (FC Team A vs Woodford Wanderers)
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CUP DRAWS
CYRIL ANEKSTEIN CUP ROUND THREE DRAW
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YOUR WEEKEND PREVIEW STARTS HERE:
PETER MORRISON TROPHY ROUND ONE
CATFORD & BROMLEY MACCABI vs NORTH LONDON RAIDERS C
Sunday cannot come soon enough for a Catford & Bromley team smarting from their first defeat of the season.
Manager Jeff Gotch has had time to reflect on exactly what went wrong in the 2-1 loss at Faithfold. Jamie Sinai’s goal was one of the few positives to come out of a game they finished with 10 men and he will remind his players of their responsibilities and the importance of maintaining discipline for 90 minutes ahead of the NLR games.
The Cats are almost at full-strength, with Jordan Grant the only regular missing.
Raiders warmed-up for the tie with a comfortable win over Hertswood Vale, courtesy of a double from Nick Haringman and another from Rob Samuelson – a player who is really showing his quality on a regular basis.
Managers Sam Rose and David Domb were particularly pleased by the performances of Eyal Samovich – who was rewarded with a place in JC Team of the Week.
They were also pleased by the manner of the performance as they overcame determined opposition and a testing surface.
Ahead of kick-off, Domb told JC Sport: "You don't need to tell me about the magic of the Morrison. Last season's run to the last four was memorable, and although that day finished disappointingly, it's certainly something we can carry into this.
"Knowing Jeff like I do, he'll be furious after last weekend's loss. Their start to the season hasn't surprised me, we had some brilliant contests with them last season.
"But for us, the signs are positive. It's been a little hit and miss so far, but two wins in the last three and were starting to settle. We're excited going forward and hopefully the start of a cup run."
Catford have won both their home games this season, but NLR will pose a totally different challenge and it wouldn’t surprise me if the visitors do a job on them.
JC team news: Alex Elf and Liam Stein are both back in the NLR squad after missing last weekend's win. David Domb will make his first appearance of the season after five months out with an injury.
Venue – Christs College, Ref – Luke Steele, KO – 10am
JC star man: Eyal Samovich (NLR)
DC Prediction: Catford 2 NLR 3
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FAITHFOLD A vs L’EQUIPE
Lesser teams would have struggled to get a 9-0 thumping by the MGBSFL champions out of their system so quickly, but not L’Equipe.
Nick Stern’s boys showed excellent powers of recovery as they returned to winning ways against Mill Hills Dons with James Mandell producing arguably his finest display in a L’Equipe shirt.
It was a performance that ticked all the boxes and they have nothing to lose when they travel to first division Faithfold on Sunday.
Not much has gone right for Faithfold since their opening day defeat. Three league defeats have put them on the back-foot and L’Equipe pose a real banana skin they could do without right now.
If L’Equipe play to their strengths in get into Faithfold’s faces, I can see them springing an upset.
Ref – Paul Gelernter, KO – 10am
JC star man: Mitch Green (L’Equipe)
DC Prediction: Faithfold 2 L’Equipe 3
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FAITHFOLD B vs BOCA JEWNIORS
Faithfold will be looking to put down a marker ahead of next week’s league meeting with Boca Jewniors when the teams go head to head in the cup on Sunday.
Leading marksman Richard Fogelman has been celebrating off the pitch following a new job and no doubt, he’ll be looking to cause Boca some grief on it too!
Chaim Bordon produced an eye-catching performance last week. He's a new name to me but has already become a firm favourite with Faithfold fans. Tomer Wieder and Dan Abrams also put in major shifts and the win over Division Two leaders Catford has given everyone in the squad a real lift.
Boca continue to work hard on “deficiencies” and the 4-1 defeat against a very good Redbridge team won’t have knocked their confidence too much.
Many people expect them to adopt Mourinho-esque tactics and play two right-backs and two left-backs against a Faithfold team with several attacking threats, but I expect Shulman and co to have a Plan B up their sleeve and perhaps going toe-to-toe will be their best option.
Ref – Laurence Thorne, KO – 10am
JC star man: Tomer Wieder (Faithfold)
DC Prediction: Faithfold 4 Boca 2
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MILL HILL DONS vs ATHLETIC BILBAUM
My fellow Liverpool supporters will break into a sweat at the mention of the FA Cup and Dons.
On Sunday, Brandon Hamme takes his Mill Hill team into unchartered waters as they host first division Athletic Bilbaum.
Excitement is building at the club, with bulk orders of club merchandise confirmed ahead of their first ever outing in the Peter Morrison Trophy.
Dons owner Hamme told JC Sport: “I hope to tighten things up in defence, we started promisingly last week but as the game went on we started to tire.
"This week with a larger squad available and therefore more subs, this should make things easier. Despite Athletic not winning a game so far, we know we are in for a very tricky game but if we play to our best we have a decent shot of progressing to the next round."
The Baums lie at the foot of Division One following five consecutive defeats. They are struggling for goals and confidence – having only scored three times this season and conceded 18.
Opportunity knocks for the Dons on Sunday. Stop, it’s Hamme time!
JC team news: Lewis Silver, Adam Isaacs and Jono Gaon all return from injuries, as well as Zach ‘Balotelli’ Cohen, who returns after a three-game suspension. Top-scorer Richard Hayim faces a late fitness test.
Venue - Mill Hill Park, Ref – Paul Dobkin, KO – 10am
JC star man: Lewis Silver (Dons)
DC Prediction: Dons 2 Bilbaum 1
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FINCHLEY CITY FC vs HERTSWOOD VALE
Joel Holder is looking for a big reaction from his Finchley City players ahead of the visit of second division Hertswood Vale.
They were second best against Lions last week and it’s important there are no mental scars after leaking six goals.
Having jumped straight to Division One, Holder is aware there are few easy games in the MGBSFL, but they have a golden opportunity to progress in the National Cup.
He told JC Sport: We have a very depleted squad this weekend. However, I am expecting a significantly improved performance from last week. It will be an interesting test against what we believe is a physical team.
"It's important to return to winnings ways after such a heavy defeat, so I do think this game has arrived at a good time for us. Nevertheless, we have seen already a few giant-killings in the Anekstein cup, so we will take nothing for granted against Hertswood."
Vale fans came away proud of their team against Raiders last week. The 3-0 defeat was perhaps a litte closer than the scoreline suggested and had they not come up against an inspired goalkeeper things might have finished differently.
They have nothing to lose against higher division opposition and that’s exactly what joint-manager Jack Shulman will be telling his players.
"We are welcoming back a lot of players this week, which is great for us to continue to build just a shame it is in a cup game against a team in the division above,” he told JC Sport.
"Last week was a blip on the record, yes still a loss but the performance wasn’t up to our usual standards.
"We hope to give ourselves a good showing and are looking towards a cup upset."
Finchley have dusted themselves down and will be ready to get their season back on track on Sunday.
Venue - Wansford Park, Borehamwood, Ref – Robert Caplin, KO – 10.15am
JC star man: Josh Kanter (Finchley)
DC Prediction: Finchley 3 Vale 1
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HENDON UNITED SPORTS CLUB B vs RCUK FC
Hendon go into their meeting with second division RCUK handily placed after last week’s comfortable 3-0 win over Bilbaum.
It was arguably their most accomplished performance of the season and managers James Neidle and Jono Nesbitt are challenging their squad to find the same level again.
Consistent results come with consistent selection and the signs look good for Sunday, according to Nesbitt. He told JC Sport: "We have a full squad once again, and will most likely be unchanged from last weeks great performance.
"We were very pleased that Saul Cohen and Adam Ellis managed to hit the ground running with their new partnership with both of them chipping in with a goal, and we will be expecting similar things this week."
There could be a bit of a derby feel in the air with several familiar faces returning. Nesbitt continued: “A few of the old Hendon boys will be playing for RCUK on Sunday, and we will be hoping that the Judas effect won’t come into play.
“We all know that Gideon Caller likes to try his luck from range but I don't think he'll cause us to many problems.
"After our poor performance in the previous cup, we will be looking for a much better performance and potential cup run this time round."
RCUK have already claimed one big cup scalp in Brixton, so the trip to Hendon won’t give them sleepless night. It might just inspire them.
And player-manager is predicting a special performance. He told JC Sport: “The last game we played was also a cup match against a team in the division above and we would love a similar outcome to last time.
"We know it's going to be tough and due to it being in the middle of Succot we are missing a fair few players. A huge mazel tov to our vice-captain Dovi Vogel who just became a dad for the first time this week and will also be out, but we have the squad to cope and hopefully we can cause Hendon some big problems.
"The club’s policy is promoting youth and as such both Akiva Solomon and Mordy Weiler are in line for their debuts and are both going to be real threats. Gideon Caller and Avi Mocton are up against their old club for the first time. The former has been our most consistent player so far this year and after Avi's powerful man-of-the-match performance in the last game, hopefully they can come both come back and really haunt Hendon."
Much depends on how RCUK cope with the ever-dangerous Ellis. RCUK are capable of an upset but I think Hendon will have just too much in the tank on the day.
Venue – Ark Academy, Ref – Henry Raffe, KO – 10am
JC star man: Adam Ellis (Hendon)
DC Prediction: Hendon 3 RCUK 2
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SCRABBLE vs LONDON LIONS UNDER-21’S
Scrabble could not have asked for a tougher draw as they take on Joe Zender’s hungry Lions cubs.
The Division Two champions have really found their stride and manager Ray Abrahams hopes home advantage will prove crucial as they look to progress against opponents who, man for man, could be a little fitter and sharper than them.
Abrahams told JC Sport: "Last season we were drawn away in Manchester in the first round and we went out of the competition early so we are hoping to have a bit of a run in this years Peter Morrison.
“Although we are drawn against the young Lions Under 21's we know they are a very good side and as with all the teams from Rowley Lane you have to give them the greatest respect and be fully focused.
"We've also got a great squad together this season but we just can't seem to get the same side out at the moment two weeks running due to injuries and absentees.
"Again this week we are missing key players but despite these issues we go into the game on the back of three straight wins and confidence is high.
"The boys have also had a bit of a break as our game last week was called off so we are looking forward to this one and we're at home.
"We will have a real go to win on Sunday and try to reach the next round."
The Lions train hard and play hard. Boss Zender told JC Sport: “We are likely to have the youngest average age of any team in the competition.
"Our focus is on the performance and future development."
Scrabble have got goals in them, but they must get the job done in 90 minutes as extra-time would favour the Lions.
Venue - Capital City Academy, Ref – Robert Benardout, KO – 10am
JC star man: Dan Stock (Scrabble)
DC Prediction: Scrabble 2 Lions 1
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MGBSFL PREMIER DIVISION
DANNY CARO'S PREM DIV TEAM OF THE WEEK
TOP-SCORERS
8 - Liron Mannie (NL Raiders A), Reiss Mogilner (Brady Maccabi)
7 - Zack Lewis (Hendon Utd SC A)
FC TEAM A vs OAKWOOD A
The key for Oakwood will be dealing with FC Team's set-pieces as they look to finish the weekend in second place.
Two-goal hero Sam Cantor was described by joint-manager Dan Kristall as the best striker in the league after they put Brady to the sword, and his head-to-head with Richard Salmon will be worth the admission fee alone.
Oakwood are firmly in the mix for honours this season although FC Team pose a real threat. But they are ready.
Kristall told JC Sport: “There’s another big test for us this weekend against a much-improved FC Team side.
"We were pleased with last week’s hard working performance against Brady and now need to build up some momentum so that we are in the mix at Chanukah.
"We know that we must be clinical and ruthless in these games. Our finishing was much better last week and we will be looking to keep that going on Sunday.
"Our lesson against Camden taught us that we can not be complacent against any side in MGBSFL Premier league football and I am sure Team will be up for the game. They are a new-look side and scoring goals for fun."
Slowly, slowly has been the approach for FC Team this season. Adjusting to the Premier has taken them a little longer than some expected, although long-term injuries to Mike Pearson, Ben Binder and Andy Sheena – a trio of players who would walk (or should I say limp) into most teams.
Boss Mitch Young told JC Sport: “After a positive performance last week, we will be tested against a very strong Oakwood team.
“Due to the injury crisis I have had to act quickly to sign players and we welcome another player in Brad Cohen who has signed from SPEC this week and he will go straight into the squad for the game.
“We need to up our game from last week and know we will score it is just about whether we can be strong in our defending. It should be a good game.”
Sunday is about the Oakwood attack against the FC Team defence. A high-octane is on the cards.
JC team news: Oakwood welcome new signing Rafi Stone and goalkeeper Dan Cohen who returns following a spell in the States. However, that dream MLS contract has failed to materialise. Ethan Krell is an injury doubt as he joins on a temporary loan from South Manchester. The Oaks “are delighted” to have have students available for selection. Thomas Prais, Zack Collins and Jake Norton are all in contention for starts.
Venue – Harefield Academy, Ref – Andy Myerson, KO – 10am
JC star man: Jake Norton (Oakwood)
DC Prediction: Team 1 Oakwood 2
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REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE A vs BRADY MACCABI
The next two weeks are massive for Redbridge. Home games against Brady and Woodford should bring a six-point haul for a team who are like poetry in motion going forward.
Dean Nyman, Russell Goldstein, James Berkley and Sam Sollosi have made a dream start to the season, while Ben Sollosi and Ryan Cole ensured they are solid and compact as a unit at the other end.
Brady suffered their first defeat of the season against Oakwood last week. And I expect them to find things equally tough in Essex on Sunday.
Venue – Old Parkonians, Ref – David Lazarus, KO – 10am
JC star man: Ryan Cole (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 2 Brady 0
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SPEC FC vs MACCABI LONDON LIONS A
I was surprised how easily Hendon dealt with the Lions last week and expect a big reaction from the boys from Rowley Lane on Sunday.
James Gershfield did what he did best – score a goal – but other than that there were very few positives to take away from a game that ended up being a big wake-up call.
Avoiding relegation was the target for SPEC FC at the start of the season, and three games in it’s no different following defeats to Brady, Hendon and Oakwood.
Player-manager Ricky Lawrence is a realist and he knows the odds are stacked against them on Sunday.
He told JC Sport: "We played Lions during pre-season and they beat us 6-0. Should be a comfortable three points for us."
Every SPEC FC player will need to play the game of their life to rock the apple-cart.
Venue - Hertswood, Ref – Richard Jaye, KO – 10am
JC star man: Johnny Haik (Lions)
DC Prediction: SPEC 1 Lions 3
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DIVISION ONE
DANNY CARO'S DIVISION ONE TEAM OF THE WEEK
TOP-SCORERS
7 - Adam Ellis (Hendon B)
6 - Nicky Woolf (NL Raiders B)
MACCABI LONDON LIONS B vs LOS BLANCOS
There’s a cracker in store at the Lane as Lions B go in search of their sixth win of the season.
One of only two teams in Division One still boasting a perfect record, Sam Marchant’s troops go into the match on the back of an outstanding team performance against Finchley City.
Michael Kenley earned the plaudits after firing a double, while the versatile Adam Lipman was the other outstanding performer in the middle of the park.
The visit of Blancos brings with it a different challenge. I can see them finding it a little harder to get behind them and patience will be key.
Marchant told JC Sport: “All we are looking for this Sunday is continuing to build on our start to the season, building the performance levels and confidence of the squad, and it goes without saying, getting the all-important three points.
"Our last few performances have been of a higher standard than those at the very beginning of the season, so I would love to see us continue in that fashion.
"Los Blancos will be another stern test for us. Teams have always come to Rowley Lane appearing more fired-up than they might do for other matches, and we know that this won’t be any different on Sunday.
"As always we need to be at our best, and if we are there or there-abouts, I believe we should be able to come away with the victory."
Blancos boss Nick Grosse felt terrible after his costly error handed Redbridge maximum points last week. But being part of the goalkeeper’s union, he won’t need me to remind him that you can’t change the past and he should only look ahead.
Football is a great leveller and there’s every chance he could be the star man in a contest I expect him to be busy in.
Having held their own against joint-leaders RJC, Grosse is hoping for another strong showing, and some luck, on Sunday.
He told JC Sport: “We have another tough match-up against Lions but we are on grass which has led to our strongest performances of the season.
"Our no.1 returns from Israel but there are a number of niggling injuries and long-term absentees yet to return to training.
"We are able to absorb these set-backs with a registered squad that now totals 28 high quality players after welcoming Mitch Green to Los Blancos this week. My scouts tell me he provides us with a strong and powerful presence up front.
"The match-day squad has not yet been finalised so time will tell whether he will be making his debut this week.
"As usual, we expect a victory but certainly hard fought one."
I expect Blancos to huff and puff for 70 minutes but in the end MLL’s will blow their house down.
Venue – Rowley Lane, Ref – Neal Cohen, KO – 10am
JC star man: Ed Brafman (Lions)
DC Prediction: Blancos 1 Lions 2
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OAKWOOD B vs BRIXTON OLD BOYS
If you’re looking for a home banker this week – look no further.
Oakwood were simply sensational last time out, albeit against second division opposition in the cup. But a win’s a win.
Jacob Richler Kleiman was back amongst the goals and the important thing was they played with no fear. And I expect that to be the approach against struggling Brixton on Sunday.
Boss Jason Stein was in typically festive spirit when I made my weekly visit to the club’s training ground.
He said: "Come in DC, welcome to the Oakwood Succah. Just hang on a moment while I finish off shaking my lulav.
"Brixton the opponent this weekend. Nice lads Brixton.
"We got ourselves back on track with the win a fortnight ago against Mill Hill but now we need that first league win.
"I've challenged the side to go unbeaten in the league until Chanukah. We'll see if it's possible. I was pleased by what I saw a few weeks ago. There was a renewed desire to work hard and fight for the right to play.
"I'm demanding to see that again this week."
Brixton fans are hoping that a 6-0 defeat against lower division opposition is as bad as it will get this season.
But much depends on what kind of mood Oakwood are in.
JC team news: Dan Selwyn, Dan Seligman, Dan Ash will line-up in the middle of the park for Oakwood. Stein added: "That's a strong midfield."
Venue – Nicholas Breakspear, Ref – Keith Goodman, KO – 10am
JC star man: Dan Ash (Oakwood)
DC Prediction: Oakwood 5 Brixton 0
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DIVISION TWO
TOP-SCORERS
13 - Richard Fogelman (Faithfold B)
9 – Jonti Aremband (RCUK FC)
REDBRIDGE JEWISH CARE C vs FC TEAM B
A quick glance at the league table and you will see why Redbridge C are odds-on registering their fifth consecutive league victory on Sunday.
Josh Hambling’s boys have been the model of consistency in the league and their recent Anekstein Cup exit could be a blessing in disguise. Yes they may have missed out on another big pay-day after going down to the Lions, but the league has always been the priority.
Aaron Goldberg was the star of the show against Boca last week. The rampaging striker delivered a truly sensational performance on a day everything he touched turned to goals.
The east Londoners have also been rock solid defensively, although gaffer Hambling would be delighted with their second clean sheet on Sunday.
The table doesn’t lie and it’s currently telling us FC Team B haven’t been good enough. They were ultimately well-beaten by Temple Fortune last week and another long 90 minutes is on the cards here.
Venue – 7 Kings High School, Ref – Daniel Fox, KO – 10am
JC star man: Aaron Goldberg (RJC)
DC Prediction: RJC 4 Team 1
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