Rampant Raiders blitz Blancos

Jake Gilbert’s second successive league hat-trick was the highlight of a rampant Raider’s display as they put Los Blancos to the sword at West Hendon Playing Fields.

MGBSFL Division One:
Los Blancos 3 Norstar London Raiders B 7
Sunday, 26 October, 2014

Raiders had fallen behind to a superb 15th minute strike from Simon Moses who cut in from the right before finding the top corner past stand ingoalkeeper Ben Cherkas. Cherkas then showed calm handling to keep the deficit to a single goal as Raiders took some time to settle.

Gradually Raiders upped the tempo and on 28 minutes Nick Woolf slid a throughball towards the run of David Esterkin, but Gilbert nipped in from the blindside, rounded Nick Grosse and slipped home the equaliser. The goal galvanised the men in Orange who proceeded to rip through the home side with three more goals in 12 minutes. First, an Anthony Goodmaker long throw was glanced home by Dan Grossman, before a slick exchange of passes between Woolf and Mike Hershman released Gilbert who strode through to round Grosse and stroke home his second. Gilbert’s hat-trick was yet another goal of the season contender and arguably better than his outrageous bicycle kick in Raiders’ previous game. Adam Posner, who impressed again in centre midfield, drilled his corner to the far edge of the D where Gilbert met the ball full on the volley to send it crashing home courtesy of the underside of the bar.

Raiders’ 4-1 half-time lead was extended on 54 minutes when another Goodmaker long throw was once again given the Grossman treatment, the centre-back then turned provider on 62 minutes as he saw his cross turned in to his own net by a defender after great work by Jacob Gold. At 6-1 Raiders eased off the gas and Blancos proceeded to pull two goals back, first a penalty from Darren Russell and then a second well taken goal by Moses.

The final word however went to Raiders’ skipper Woolf who latched on to the end of sub Andrew McMaster’s cross, and having seen his first effort spilled by Grosse, the striker followed up to tap home Raiders seventh.

Raiders manager Jonathan Adelman said: “There were a lot of positives today, David Rhodes got 60 minutes under his belt after five months out, Ben Cherkas came in in goal and looked very solid, and we are beginning to look potent going forward. That said we still have plenty of room for improvement ahead of next weeks game against Bilbaum. As for Jake Gilbert, he is a nightmare for the opposition, if they get tight he can turn and outpace them, if they give him space he’ll punish them with goals like today’s volley. If they double up on him they leave space for Jacob Gold and Nick Woolf. It’s taken a few games to find our feet in this Division but we are beginning to find our rhythm, but undoubtedly there’s more to come from us.”