Match Report
Hapoel Gedera went into the game 6th in the table on 17 points; Hapoel Shimshon Ashkelon sat 7th on 9 — an 8-point gap. On recent form Hapoel Shimshon Ashkelon sat only 59th league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 7th overall. Per game in the league, Hapoel Gedera were scoring 3.83 and conceding 8.5, Hapoel Shimshon Ashkelon 3 and 9, against a competition average of 5.73 goals per team per game.
Hapoel Gedera had gone 6 games without a win. Hapoel Shimshon Ashkelon entered with three losses in a row.