MJSL ready to award champions late reprieve

FOOTBALL MJSL chiefs believe Oakhill Lions could yet perform a U-turn and defend their league crown.

The student team are believed to have folded, citing their failure to replace last season’s title-winning boss Daniel Rabinowitz as their reason behind their exile.

But co vice-chairman Paul Rose is refusing to count Oakhill out of the reckoning from the current eight-team league following Heaton Park Rovers also winding up.

He said: “We hope a resolution can still be met. But the door is still open. We have not finalised their fixtures yet, that is not done until October, so we hope there is a reconsideration on their part.

“The more clubs the merrier is our thinking. I’m hoping when the students recommence that someone will step forward to lead the club. Clearly some players will have already been snapped up by other teams.

“I’d like to think there is enough out there for them to continue. Oakhill have been with us for almost 30 years. It’s about someone taking control.”

Meanwhile, the MJSL will be fielding a representative team in the Peter Morrison Trophy.

The MJSL team will join Manchester Maccabi 2nd, South Manchester 1st and a team from Glasgow in the last-16 automatically. Fixtures will take place from December.

Tony Rosenberg is out to transform Reich Insurance Rangers from perennial strugglers to title contenders in the MJSL.

Rosenberg and joint manager Stuart Delmonte return to the league after a four-year stay with AFC Flixton.

The management duo have taken the likes of Dan Garmen and Adam Tauber with them.

Rosenberg, who kicked off life with Reich with a thrilling 3-2 victory Maccabi Manchester Blue on Sunday, said: “It’s a new start. The players are getting to know us and we are getting to know them.

“It’s not our club. We are not taking over the team but looking to progress a good and well run club.

“We thought it was the right club for us. There were a few options but this was the best one for us.”

Reich have taken five players from Flixton and will be trained by former Football League striker Danny Nardeillo.

Rosenberg added: “We were delighted to hit the ground running.

“The aim is to always win the league. Why shouldn’t we set the bar high?”

There is also a new name at Haroldeans with Mike Bloomberg taking the reigns at the Liverpool-based club.

Leeds Maccabi, who were pipped by Oakhill last season, will fancy reclaim- ing the title they lost this season.

Jamie Warner’s men will once again be among the front-runners.

Last season’s bottom placed side South Manchester Sports Club 3rd

Maccabi Man- chester Yellow end game.

Anton Radiven, who led the Yellows to third place last season, knows that he has his work cut out to mastermind a repeat. He said: “I think we caught some teams cold. But we were organised where our blend of young and old players bore fruit.

“We we hopeful of another strong season.”

Midweek fixtures on 3G artificial surfaces will be introduced full-time to take the pressure away on small squads from facing a fixture backlog when the weather deteriorates.