PETER MORRISON TROPHY QUARTER-FINAL
LEEDS MACCABI 1st 0 MACCABI LONDON LIONS SPARTANS 3
Strikes from Charlie Kasler, Max Kyte and James Belchak helped Lions Spartans set up a semi-final showdown against holders Hendon A following an impressive victory over MJSL champions Leeds Maccabi.
On a very blustery wet morning in Leeds, MLL Spartans cruised into the last four of the Jewish FA Cup, beating a tough Leeds Maccabi team, who have been unbeaten all season.
Lions fielded seven players aged under 21 players, all who played a big part in the victory. Leeds fought extremely hard for every ball, and with very difficult playing condition, they made life difficult for Lions, and it took a 25 yard right foot shot from man-of-the-match Kasler to take the lead on 35 minutes.
Although Lions had begun to dominate the game, it was obvious that the Leeds half-time team talk would have been that they were not yet out of this game. Andy Landesberg the Lions Manager made it clear, that the job was far from over, and that at least another goal was needed to kill off the Leeds spirit.
Lions responded well, and it was that man Kasler again who cut inside the box to beat one and was then taken down by another clearly inside the box, and the Ref had an easy decision to make, penalty. Kyte, who was having an excellent game up top, stepped up and calmly side footed into the right hand corner. 2-0 Lions.
As the game rolled on, the Lions' fitness and quality started to prove significant, with chance after chance coming. With 15 minutes left, Belchak sealed the win with a third, following the rebound off the bar from a fantastic David Soutar shot from 25 yards.
The Lions back four of Adam Lipman, Nick Landesberg, Guy Morris and Zac Rose were outstanding, each winning their individual battles. Marc Brahams in goal was excellent and did everything he had to do, and keeping a clean sheet was the order of the day.
Lions boss Andy Landesberg told JC Sport: "This was a very professional performance from Lions, in a game that so easily could have been a banana skin. The game was played in a strong, but good spirit, in very difficult conditions.
"I felt that this was by far Lions best performance in the competition, and it made the trip back home an enjoyable one."
Leeds boss Dan Kristall told JC Sport: "We knew we couldn’t win every game and it was always going to be a tough ask to compete with the resources of the Lions.
"For 35 minutes we dug in and then they scored and the game changed once we went 2-0 behind. We knew things would have to go for us to get through. You could see the difference in class. They were fitter and stronger. It was no disgrace to lose to them.
"I was proud of my players who never gave up. Good luck to them and I would expect them to go and win the competition.
"We move on to our main aim for the season, which is winning the treble in Manchester."
