MANCHESTER COUNTY CUP SEMI-FINAL
MANCHESTER MACCABI 1st 3 ST. JOHN'S 4
Maccabi suffered their second cup defeat in consecutive weeks after an enthralling battle with St John's.
The two teams had met in pre-season, with St John's winning that fixture too.
Maccabi took the lead in the first half when Toby Levy's reverse pass was tucked home by Aaron Goldman.
St John's however made some tactical changes and turned the tie around in the first half with two long-range strikes, both nestling in the bottom corner of the Maccabi goal.
St John's then made it 3-1 in the second half, giving Maccabi a mountain to climb, but up stepped Goldman again with a 25-yard strike, pulling the 2016 County Cup champions back into contention.
Maccabi continued to create but it was St John's who grabbed the all-important next goal, making it 4-2.
Sam Hatton and Goldman combined to, once again, pull Maccabi to within a goal, with Goldman securing his hat-trick.
The last 10 minutes saw chances for both teams, with St John's keeper pulling off a fantastic save from a Sam Hatton header, as well as Jamie Green hitting the woodwork. St John's also went close with a shot cleared off the line by Maccabi skipper, Adam Jackson, but managed to hold out to progress to the final.
Maccabi player-manager Michael Sacks said: "First things first, credit must go to St John's. They were well-organised and punished us in front of goal, so we wish them the best of luck in the final.
"The game was a great advertisement for the Chesman League and it's a great achievement for St John's to reach the final of the County Cup, having only joined the league this season."
Sacks went on to say: "We've suffered back-to-back losses, which is a bitter pill to swallow at the best of times, let alone on the back of more than ten straight wins.
"Of course it hurts, but we'll regroup this week - we still have a lot to play for and the boys are determined to get back to winning ways."
Elsewhere at Maccabi, the Blues lost 3-1 to Reich FC with the Maccabi goal coming from Elliot Wallis. The game also saw the return of veteran Adam Stevens after years in the medical room - welcome back Stev!
