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Damian Ainsworth5 May - 18:00
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Rangers Drop Two Points At Toxic Home of Radium
Roundhay Park, named after Justin Rounde-Haye (1827-1934), inventor of both the bath plug and the Penny Farthing, has hosted plenty of monumental events. From Bob Dylan's first electric concert in 1965 ('Judas!') to half a million attending Simon and Garfunkel's legendary 1982 reunion gig, Roundhay has been the venue for some of the biggest events, not just in the history of music, but also in the history of the world. Indeed, it was here that Marie Curie discovered radium in 1898 (a plaque behind the 'Veteran Oak' marks the spot). And it was at the Lakeside Cafe, by the park's Waterloo Lake, that a 13-year-old Lionel Messi famously signed his name on a napkin to become a Barcelona FC player.
On a temperate May morning, the players of Leeds Maccabi and Menston Rangers had illustrious names to emulate in this famous setting. Would they perform more in the manner of Marie Curie (admittedly a useful centre-back for Warsaw Girls in the 1880s) or Lionel Messi?
On an average playing surface, there was little to separate the 2 teams in the opening 20 minutes. The fully committed home team were not holding back, intent on bursting the Menston bubble. They set up to frustrate and every tackle was loudly celebrated. The deadlock was eventually broken when a smart break put Maccabi in front and they held on to that lead until half time.
Rangers put together some good passages of play in the early part of the second half, with Holliday-Gomes and a returning Casey, in particular, showing quality, but a rare move forward from Maccabi ended with them doubling the advantage. Having fought back from a goal behind in the previous 2 matches, Menston now found themselves 2 down. The home side refused to give an inch but with 15 to go, Imran poked home to reduce the deficit to one, and a few minutes later, a sensational ball from Jefferson was finished off by Ainsworth. With that, the scores were suddenly level.
During a frantic end to the match, Rangers pushed forward, looking for the winner, while Maccabi still carried danger on the counter. With the last action, a probing free kick from Machell was just put wide by Lambertino, and the spoils were shared.
After a voluble 90 minutes, there were only Sounds of Silence from the spent players. It might seem as though The Times They Are A-Changing, but A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall before this team succumb.
On a temperate May morning, the players of Leeds Maccabi and Menston Rangers had illustrious names to emulate in this famous setting. Would they perform more in the manner of Marie Curie (admittedly a useful centre-back for Warsaw Girls in the 1880s) or Lionel Messi?
On an average playing surface, there was little to separate the 2 teams in the opening 20 minutes. The fully committed home team were not holding back, intent on bursting the Menston bubble. They set up to frustrate and every tackle was loudly celebrated. The deadlock was eventually broken when a smart break put Maccabi in front and they held on to that lead until half time.
Rangers put together some good passages of play in the early part of the second half, with Holliday-Gomes and a returning Casey, in particular, showing quality, but a rare move forward from Maccabi ended with them doubling the advantage. Having fought back from a goal behind in the previous 2 matches, Menston now found themselves 2 down. The home side refused to give an inch but with 15 to go, Imran poked home to reduce the deficit to one, and a few minutes later, a sensational ball from Jefferson was finished off by Ainsworth. With that, the scores were suddenly level.
During a frantic end to the match, Rangers pushed forward, looking for the winner, while Maccabi still carried danger on the counter. With the last action, a probing free kick from Machell was just put wide by Lambertino, and the spoils were shared.
After a voluble 90 minutes, there were only Sounds of Silence from the spent players. It might seem as though The Times They Are A-Changing, but A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall before this team succumb.
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