Gift of the Garb
FOOTBALL David Garbacz revealed how a chance meeting on a Tel Aviv beach with Simon Peterman helped him complete what he described as “a frenetic summer of transfer activity” ahead of the big Maccabi League kickoff on Sunday.
Garbacz believes Peterman is the final piece in the jigsaw, and he will fill the void left by Yoav Lebens, who has moved to FC Team – Peterman’s old club.
The Reds begin their MGBSFL title defence at Rowley Lane – the same ground where they were confirmed league champions last season – on Sunday.
Garbacz has been working hard to bolster his squad following the departure of Yishai Last, Danny Kon, Yehuda Korman and Jacob Gold.
Michael Kenley, Ethan Zone and Dovi Fehler have also come in to bolster the ranks, much to the relief of Garbacz.
He said: “We were dealt a big blow when Yoav decided to join his mates at FC Team and all of a sudden we looked pretty short.
“I believe we have pulled off one of the coups of the summer in Simon Peterman. I managed to persuade him that his talents deserved winners medals and that he should come and join us.
“We were d e l i g h t e d when he accepted and we expect him to fill in the gap created by the absence of Yoav.”
Hendon will also play at a new ground this season after moving from Hadley FC. “It has been a fortress for us as we hadn’t lost there for three years,” said Garbacz. They will now play home matches at Mill Hill Sports Village.
Garbacz is confident of retaining the title despite the squad overhaul, but he believes Hendon will be hard-pressed to win all three competitions again. “I’m not quite sure how to set targets for this season on the basis that we come straight from an invincible treble-winning campaign which
i s l i t e r a l l y impossible to top.
“The treble treble sounds pretty sexy but traditionally it is always harder to defend a trophy than to win it in the first place.
“Realistically, our main priority as always will be the league and anything else will be a bonus. We will be there to be shot at but we are confident we can successfully defend our league championship.”
Following the late withdrawal of Maccabi London Lions in Division One last week, 39 teams will contest the league. League chairman David Wolff said: “It’s a shame clubs pull out after entering, but it’s a nice number of teams and we should be in for a n o t h e r g o o d s e a - son. “L e t ’ s hope everyone is on their b e s t b e havi o ur a nd accepts the referee’s decision, and plays not only in the spirit of football, but also Maccabi.”