PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL
HMH 2 OAKWOOD A 2 (AET - HMH won 5-4 on penalties)
A thrilling encounter at the Hive saw Oakwood's two-goal hero Josh Bharier open the scoring from close range after a corner was headed back across goal by Alex Lee to Josh Cuby, whose cross-shot was fired high into the net by Bharier.
The former Scrabble man doubled Oakwood's lead with a firm downward header past Jake Doffman.
HMH, who hit the bar twice, pulled one back when Ethan Krell's free-kick was nodded home by George Goldberg.
Oakwood then had a golden opportunity to restore their two-goal advantage, but Josh Cuby's penalty hit the crossbar.
HMH completed their recovery with an equaliser late in normal time, with Krell's cross allowing top-scorer Oscar Wagner to poke home.
With no further goals in extra-time, it went to penalties and HMH goalkeeper Jake Doffman saved Oakwood's first kick from Cuby. HMH converted all their spot-kicks via Ethan Krell, Adam Abadi, Alex Moss, Sammy Kingston, and it was left to Clark Norton to hold his nerve and send them into the last four.
HMH boss Avi Goldberg told JC Sport: “What a rollercoaster. From 2-0 down then back to 2-2 finally in 93rd minute. Credit to both teams for a fantastic game and to the HMH lads who kept their cool to slot home the penalties after Jake Doffman gave us the advantage."
Oakwood joint-manager Dan Kristall reflected on "a draining game which I am sure any neutral will have thoroughly enjoyed". He told JC Sport: "Dave Cohen and I are proud of our squad."
The visitors were missing the likes of strikers Leor Sidle and Sam Cantor, and Kristall believes a full-strength Oakwood squad would've progressed. "We are so stretched right now and to turn out a performance like that against an in form HMH side with up to 16 players, is a credit to everyone involved," he commented. "The key moment was our penalty at 2-1 up but that happens in football. It is all about small margins.
"In the end, it wasn't to be, that is cup football. In terms of chances, the game could have finished 6-6, although I do feel we edged it in the main and were the better side over the course of the 120. Our response to conceding so late on, was a superb first half extra time performance where we should have scored 3 times."
Kristall believes the luck went against Oakwood. "I do however feel some of the major decisions really didn't go our way though. I felt we should have had a free-kick in the build up to their first goal where the ref had the whistle to his mouth and half signaled to give us the foul and then let play continue.
"We had two big penalty shouts in the first half of extra-time, a goal disallowed in extra-time, and I was then perplexed to see their sin binned player allowed to re-join play for penalties when he had only served nine minutes of the 10, (I timed it!) and I did not understand where the seven additional minutes came from in the second half of normal time having only counted one second half injury and a couple of subs.
"But as a spectacle, the game had everything. Football was definitely the winner... Two of the best teams in Jewish football fighting it out and I do wish HMH all the best for the remainder of the competition. They must be favourites now...
"All in all, we move on to another big league game next Sunday at the same place and we then have a huge semi final to prepare for. Our season is alive at the business end of the season. We can't really ask for more than that."
