The match against City of Peterborough 8s marked the comeback of keeper Chris Collinson, who’d been missing for 5 games for various flaky reasons (exams? Pah!), and John “Goal-a-Game” Greaves who was itching to play after an Achilles injury had had him out of action since the end of October.

Peterborough are the thorn in the side of the promotion-chasing teams in Div 6NWS, having held both Newmarket 2s and St Neots 4s to a draw. Cambridge South 3s needed a victory to turn this fact to our advantage. The game that followed wouldn’t disappoint.

Skipper Jelley won the toss and elected to change ends given that the low sun would be dazzling, a point questioned by Jan given the match was being played half an hour either side of midday and so wouldn't have moved for the second half.

Peterborough started strongly and quickly made two or three incursions inside South’s 25, although handled carefully by Jan Brynjolffssen and Neil Sneade leaving Chris little to do. South soon found their footing as they figured out how to work the ball round the opposing midfield. The visitors managed to maintain pressure on the home side’s defence although this did lead the South midfield to move higher and higher, leaving the back occasionally exposed on counter-offences.

With the South defence holding strong the pressure paid off when, having been awarded a short, the “magic number” was whispered once more, Like the previous week, from the new slick short corner routine Stu Creed found an opportunity to put the visitors into the lead and grabbed it.

After play restarted Peterborough made the occasional foray into the South 25 and even won a couple of shorts - though converted neither - but the general momentum was well and truly with South now. Several good balls up the left from Paul South to David Doupé and some strong work on the right by club debutant Laurie Haslop and Stu filled the next few minutes but it was a great slaloming run by Tom South, who fed the ball perfectly to John, that provided the next goal. This reminder of what goal-scoring felt like seemed to send John into a frenzy of energy, with him pursuing every ball with a dogged determination.

After further potential goal scoring opportunities for first Rupert and then John were deemed thwarted unfairly, a penalty flick was awarded and Stu Creed stepped up to the mark. Stu flicked a well-placed ball thigh-high near the post but his attempt to "give the keeper the eyes" failed and lightning reactions allowed the man in the pads to make a diving save to his left. Undeterred, South continued to press forward and were rewarded when Rupert tipped a shot from John past the keeper and in.

Peterborough were under pressure now so were relieved when their opponents’ confusion on the new short corner routines led to an award being overturned for delay in taking it! The remainder of the half continued to favour the visiting side culminating in a short corner as the whistle went to finish the half. After the first two shots were saved and with the entire South team up for this final short, it was difficult to see how John managed to sneak the ball into the net for his second. But it didn’t matter; 4-0 at halftime and a double dose of goals to play catch up on goal king for Mr Greaves.

At half time the sun went behind a cloud, as the skipper had promised his mutinous sweeper it would... it came out again about a minute into the second half.

The second half started strongly with balls worked up the right by Tom, Stu and Rupert and runs up the left from Andrew Fraser but Peterborough had realised how important it was to keep the ball from John and they cut the passes out at the edge of the D.

With the sun making it harder to pick out the green players the well-timed pinpoint passes faded way and South found themselves met by an energetic side of young players who still had much to prove. Gradually the play moved out of Peterborough's 25 and towards Cambridge South’s. With the opposition closing balls pivoted round the South back line the visitors found it progressively harder work to get the ball out of defence, and with the tiring midfield outpaced by youth it seemed to come back more regularly too.

South switched to the defensive and focused on closing their opposition down, with the midfield joining the defence to make a 7-2-1 formation. South succeeded in largely containing their opponents, leaving just enough scary moments in the D to make Chris’s return feel appreciated (special mention to the stunning clearance from Chris’s stick after a good save).

A solid performance all round and a good game to build on.