Sport
Basso leads the Manchester boys in a goal bonanza
Louie Basso inspired Manchester Maccabi as they kick-started their Chesman League campaign with a convincing 8-3 win over the newly-promoted Woodsend Athletic.
August 27, 2019 09:24
Louie Basso inspired Manchester Maccabi as they kick-started their Chesman League campaign with a convincing 8-3 win over the newly-promoted Woodsend Athletic.
August 27, 2019 09:24Under the management of Michael Sacks, Maccabi paraded no fewer than five new signings after a busy transfer window for the yellows.
Wearing their new Barcelona-styled yellow and blue stripes, Maccabi’s football in no way resembled that of Barca, at least in the first half.
But it was Maccabi who struck first through the poster boy of Manchester Jewish football ‑‑‑ Louie Basso — arriving late into the box to tuck away the opener.
Maccabi were wasteful in possession and let the visitors back into the game before the break. Sacks was on hand to deliver the hairdryer treatment and it inspired Maccabi, who were clinical in the second half.
Basso headed home his second, and Maccabi’s third, from a corner to put them back into the lead, before new signing Toby Levy gave Maccabi a two-goal cushion, slotting home with a right foot effort.
Basso then scored his first hat-trick since representing Manchester Grammar in the U12 Bs, converting from the spot after good work from the Sale Sharks’ physio, Sam Hatton.
Hatton then went from assisting to scoring, nodding home a Levy cross with his head — a thoroughly deserved goal to make it 5-1.
The visitors continued to create and won a penalty for themselves after a handball from player-manager Sacks. More great work from Hatton saw another penalty awarded, coolly dispatched again by hot-tap specialist Basso, for his fourth of the game.
Levy then completed the scoring with two late goals to earn a debut hat-trick.
A late consolation saw the final score resembling more of a cricket score than a football score.
Sacks said: “It is encouraging to open the season with such a promising result, even though we were not at our best.
“The plaudits will rightly go to Louie, but there was so much more about this performance that bodes well – especially from our five newcomers, Toby, Jake Bentwood, Emile Davidson, Man of the Match Carl Peters and Elliot Wallace, who all impacted the game. We will continue to challenge on all five fronts this year.”