Hakoah champs pipped at the post

MACCABI Hakoah’s under-18 boys’ side has just missed out on winning the Football NSW Champion of Champions tournament, going down to Wakehurst FC 4-2 in the grand final on the weekend.

With several players missing due to HSC commitments, a gallant Hakoah just couldn’t match its opposition on a sweltering day.

Wakehurst – from the Manly Warringah Football Association – came out of the blocks early, attacking the left side of Maccabi’s defence, which stood strong through Jared Engelman, Ryan Miller, and Wes Hamburger.

But after 20 minutes, Hakoah couldn’t keep out its opposition when a through ball pierced its defence to allow Wakehurst to open the scoring.

Maccabi responded well with Hamburger, Toby Shabtay, Ilan Kessler and Brad Karpin moving the ball around well.

With all the play, Hakoah found an equaliser through Kessler, who grabbed possession on the edge of the box and rifled a low shot past the Wakehurst goalkeeper.

Then with just minutes to go in the first half, Aaron Jacobs gave Maccabi the lead when he took advantage of a defensive blunder by the opposition stopper.

Guest coach and Hakoah legend John Foxman implored his young charges to keep up the strong effort in the second half.

But it was Wakehurst that applied all the pressure, sending waves of attacks at Maccabi, which were well defended by Justin Malek, Adam Goldberg, Miller and Engelman.

But eventually Hakoah ran out of legs and allowed the quality opposi- tion to score on three occasions to take the win.

MARK PUTERFLAM