Raiders stir up ‘Miracle of Istanbul’
FOOTBALL SAM Rose believes his team’s epic Peter Morrison Trophy victory over Catford & Bromley Maccabi evoked memories of the “Miracle of Istanbul” as North London Raiders C progressed after coming from three goals down and winning a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.
Goals from J eff Gotch and Richard Winton (2) had put Catford in charge. But in scenes reminiscent of the 2005 Champions League final, NLR mounted a dramatic secondhalf fight-back with strikes f rom Alex Sherr, Ashley Davidson and Alex Elf hauling them level.
Davidson’s second put NLR in front but a dramatic equaliser from Jamie Sinai took the tie to extra-time.
A spectacular long-range strike from Liam Stein gave NLR the advantage before but that was cancelled out by a late Catford penalty after Josh Daniels handled in the area.
Rob Samuelson, Scott Waissel, Stein and Elf converted in the shoot-out before Gotch blazed over, leaving Daniels to send Raiders through.
Rose said: “This was one of the most unlikely and extraordinary comebacks from a side who just didn’t know when they were beaten.
“It was an unbelievable game to be part of and proves that the magic of the cup is still alive.
“We believed in ourselves and our ability to win the game, scoring some fantastic goals along the way, and we were vindicated against a team that fancy themselves to win our league this season.”
Catford player-boss Gotch said: “We were l e a d i n g 3 - 0 after 60 minutes and were in complete control. However, I made a handful of changes and we fell apart, gifting four soft goals. “It was an epic encounter. My miss sees the end of an unwanted cup run and we look forward to returning to league action on Sunday.” Jacob Emanuel insists Hertswood Vale’s hard work on the training ground was finally rewarded after they sent first division Finchley City tumbling out of the national cup competition. Harry Graham cancelled out Gav Krieger’s opener from the penalty spot before an extra-time strike from co-manager Jack Shulman sent Vale through. Emanuel said: “It was a huge win and just reward for the hard work we’ve all put in together since the start of the season. It has also given us some much-needed belief to get our league campaign back on track.” Having lost their first four league matches since joining the MGBSFL, Emanuel is confident the cup victory can lead to an upturn in form. He said: “Unavailability, inexperience and a growing injury list has haunted us since pre-season, but Sunday has allowed us to adjust our expectations for the season, push on and try to pick up points between now and May.” Asked how he celebrated the result, Emanuel said: “Although there were scenes of jubilation at the final whistle from the players, Jack and I celebrated by doing the same thing we do every Sunday after each game; sit down, play a game of FIFA and plan for next week’s game. “There’s no time to dwell. We’re hoping this is just the start for us.” Joel Holder gave an honest assessment of Finchley’s performance. He said: “Unfortunately we were not good enough. At this level, you cannot turn up and expect the opposition to roll over. “Hertswood wanted it more than us and deserved the victory.” Josh Burns added his name to the Peter Morrison Trophy history books after firing Maccabi London Lions under-21s into round two. At just 16 years and 128 days, Burns is believed to be the youngest ever scorer in the competition as they edged past Scrabble. Alex Elf: scored in shoot-out