Williams continued to make McCulloch look like an excellent captain by picking eleven players but only thinking to mention it to ten of them before the game and then losing the team kit bag afterwards! Fortunately Ron and Jan stepped into the breach to play and umpire respectively meaning everything worked out fine, and therefore Williams probably won't learn anything from the cock-up! 

Despite the unwanted drama, South were able to get the job done and beat a combative St Neots side 3-1 thanks to a couple of excellent goals as well as one from Graham. A solid start helped South settle in with the midfield four remaining well organised and the front two working extremely hard to close down the St Neots defenders when they had the ball. This took much of the pressure off the South defence and offered a couple of chances for South to break away when they won the ball.

After letting a couple of good chances go begging South took the lead through Pearson, who latched on to a good long ball and showed some considerable strength and speed to hold off two defenders and beat the keeper - an excellent solo effort. McCulloch doubled the lead, probably with a tap in, before Virdi scored a cracking goal to put South 3-0 up. Again South pinched the ball from the St Neots defence and countered quickly, Williams slipped the ball to Virdi who held off his man and smashed the ball into the net from the very top of the D. What a guy!

St Neots pulled one back with a pea roller push from a short corner. It was a bit embarrassing for all concerned, I probably shouldn't have mentioned it! After which Dave Aston, enjoying a rare game in midfield, could have grabbed a brace after making some good runs into the D but on both occasions the killer pass was played just behind him. Pearson's persistence in the D nearly created a scruffy goal from an acute angle but the ball ran agonisingly along the goal line and past the far post. McCulloch brilliantly intercepted a St Neots cross field pass but couldn't find the net with just the keeper to beat.

After half time the game fizzled out with South's defence of Wych, Parsot, Rimmer and Oren playing very solidly and offering few chances to the St Neots forwards, despite their speed and skills. At the other end South produced some good pressure but few actual chances, when we did finally score, with what looked like a good McCulloch goal, it wasn't given. The St Neots keeper asked if it could be disallowed because he couldn't see the ball and, because we're such a 'friendly club', the umpires said "ok"!

Bhav was shown a yellow card in the final moments for a misunderstanding regarding what he was doing with his stick above head height.

The best news of the day came later that evening when it transpired results elsewhere had gone South's way meaning the 3 points earned at the Leys put the team top of the league - it doesn't quite make up for losing the kit bag but hey, we'll take it!

Big thanks to Ron and Jan, who both put in an early bid for Clubman of the Year!