Futsal side fall to first defeat

Maccabi GB’s futsal side suffered their first defeat of the 2013/2014 campaign on Sunday at the FA National U19 Futsal Championships.

The competition saw teams split into two groups – one of four and one of five. Maccabi GB was put into the latter, against the likes of Genesis, Gloucester Revolution, Oxford Futsal and Tottenham Hotspur Futsal. The results were as follows:

Results:
Genesis 5 Maccabi GB 0
Maccabi GB 1 Spurs 5
Gloucester 1 Maccabi GB 3
Oxford Futsal 5 Maccabi GB 1

The top side from this group (Oxford Futsal) and from the other group (Barking) now qualify to play at the Grand Finals at Birmingham in May.

Player-manager Jon Kurrant said: “This competition was a great experience for the Community’s U19 Futsal players. Considering Tottenham and Oxford are full-time education and Futsal programmes, the boys put in superb performances. What was even more impressive was that, for a few, it was their first ever taste of futsal.

“Special mentions must go to Adam Lipman and Sammy Horne who were energy personified. Their work ethic and determination were different class.”

Next up for Maccabi GB Futsal is the next round of the FA Futsal Cup (for the National League Senior side) with the opponents discovered this week. This phase is called the Mini-League and sees MGB put with 3 other teams who qualified from their respective regionals. This stage is nationwide and the team could play anywhere from Brighton to Northumbria from 6th April-18th May.