A close contest as we overcame Adas Yisroel 5-4, with our fourth win from four in the Cup seeing us through to the semi-final with a game to spare.
It did take us a while to settle, perhaps in part due to having not played for a number of weeks, and it was Adas who opened the scoring, via a deflection. We hit back almost immediately, with a good team goal involving Darren, Gary and Ryan, before Yaakov created space to finish.
The game continued to be end-to-end, Aron hitting the bar from a shot on the turn, and Adas going even closer when the ball came back off the inside of the post. We were then fortunate that the ball broke free to Ryan from an Adas corner, giving him time and space to finish well. Adas equalised again before good footwork from Ryan to find Aron, to make it 3-2. Once more we could not hold on, and from a corner headed out, a wonderful first-time volley meant we were all-square at the break.
The half-time team talk focused on closing down space and better passing, and gradually we improved, with better interplay between the front three, and when Yaakov lifted the ball to Ryan, he made it 4-3.
Adas were not finished yet, and again came back to level the score. We kept up the pressure though and, from a corner, Ryan played the ball to Yaakov, to allow us to retake the lead.
Despite the scoreline, Sruli had made some wonderful saves, with Darren and Gary also making blocks and interceptions, particularly towards the end, as Adas looked for a share of the points. This enabled us to finally see the game out, and allow us to start looking ahead to the next stage.
Results:
CUP
Heaton Park 5-4 Adas Yisroel
Whitefield 2-2 Windsor Road
Vine Street P-P Ohel Shalom
LEAGUE
Shrubs 7-2 LBM
Fixtures Sunday 11th May:
8pm
Heaton Park vs Young Lubavitch - League
9pm
Vine Street vs Windsor Road - League
Holy Law vs LBM - Cup