Having recently celebrated a decade at London Lions, Austin Lipman has seen it all. During this time, the club has progressed from the Hertfordshire Senior County League to their current position in Step 4.
His recent brace helped his side secure their first-ever away win at this level courtesy of a 5-2 triumph at Northwood. The two goals took Lipman’s personal tally for the club up to 210 goals (a club record) from just over 400 appearances.
“What we have at London Lions is truly unique,” he told us. “It’s an incredible place to play your football and we all do it for the love of the game, not for money or individual gain.
“It’s all for the greater good of London Lions FC. I joined this club when it was in Step 7. The journey has been fantastic; we’ve been unbeaten and done a treble in Step 6, celebrated three promotions and countless trophies!
“To say that I am proud to be part of it would be an understatement. We’ve made such fantastic progress and to get our first away win at this level recently was another milestone reached both personally and for the club.
“I’m still getting back to full fitness following a pre-season injury, so I can’t be too unhappy at my own performance!
“We’ve had quite a few ups and downs so far this season, but that’s to be expected when you get promoted and are adapting to a new, higher level. It’s a learning experience for us week in, week out. We had a slump about a month ago, but we’ve grouped together and managed to pull ourselves out of it.
“We know that as a group we can put some results together and ensure that we are looking up the table rather than down!
“The standard of Division One Central is really good. There are some clubs operating at this level who simply shouldn’t be in it! We expected it to be full of ups and downs, with probably more downs than ups, if we are being totally honest, but in every game, bar one of two, we’ve given a good account of ourselves.
“It's a win and a draw from our last two games, so hopefully we can build upon it. It would be nice to get into the top half of the table; we know it’s possible if we stay consistent and focussed.”
An away trip to Stotfold awaits at the weekend.
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