MANCHESTER COUNTY CUP QUARTER-FINAL

DENTON YOUTH 4 MANCHESTER MACCABI 1st 4

The yellow and blues battled the elements, the pitch and a good Denton side to reach their second cup semi-final in as many weeks.

It was Denton who struck first in the first half, before Sam Hatton pulled Maccabi immediately back into the tie with a fantastic solo goal.

After watching his mate score, Aaron Goldman felt left out and scored a brace, the second of which was a 25-yard beauty, after Denton  had just levelled the tie from the penalty spot.

In the second half, an own goal restored Maccabi's two-goal lead, but a later comeback saw two Denton corners converted, setting up a penalty shoot-out.

Mike Sacks, Toby Levy, Jake Bentwood, Carl Peters and Greg Jacobs all converted their penalties, with Maccabi's keeper heroically saving Denton's third kick.

Maccabi player-manager Michael Sacks hailed his side after  a tough-fought victory: "I was proud to play with all the boys today, proud of digging in, battling and walking away with the result we so desperately wanted," he said.

"A big shout-out to young Jamie Hatton, who at 16 showed not only how fearless he is in the tackle, but also how intelligent a footballer he is. He's an example to all the boys here that if you train well and have the right attitude, you will win your shirt, and Jamie has done that."

Sacks went on to say: "We have another massive cup game on Sunday against Snipe - our closest rivals in the league - so we look forward to another battle."

Elsewhere, in the MJSL, Maccabi's Blues team beat Reich Masters 3-1 at Brooklands. Goals from Jasper Van Veen, Marley Rubins and Aviv saw the Blues go three points behind the yellow.

And Maccabi's Ladies team lost against a tough AFC Bolton side, losing 5-1 on Sunday afternoon.