In the lead up to this game, it was billed as the ultimate decider in the relatively young rivalry between Cambridge South 4s and Saffron Walden 6s. With two wins apiece and 34 (!) goals scored in those four games, everyone had expected it to be close.

It was a bright winter's day and at a slightly slippery St. John's pitch, most of us were reliving the drama, chaos and sweet justice of the previous weekend's game against City. Rupert and Joe appeared proud of their yellow cards, while Boris was wishing he had at least been there to see what all the fuss was about.

From the 16 players available mid-week, we were "down" to 12, and then 13, a phenomenon witnessed by Ian G time and time again when generous line-ups are announced early, and players disappear as the week goes on (more ghost players?). Perhaps next time our line-ups can be kept secret until the day before a game - maybe it could give us an edge over the opposition too.

As for the game itself, South appeared a somewhat lethargic. Tom R complained that the game is too slow paced, but I'm not sure that he was referring to both teams. The 4s conceded the first goal in a manner that could have been avoided. Then. a short corner resulted in a deflection arcing the ball into the air, until a Saffron Walden stick picked it out and guided it into the Cambridge South goal. There was some controversy about this, but it was short-lived.

Cambridge South had some chances themselves. but were pressured in the opposition's D and their shots generally did not get through to the Walden keeper. A few short corners came and went, but the visitors were up to the task every time.

Towards the end of the half, an early pass from the Saffron Walden right-wing caught us napping and we went to the break 0-3 down.

At half time, something needed to change - we were not doing well enough to win the 50/50 balls, and some of the trademark urgency shown in previous games were lacking. The next goal was expected to be crucial to the result.

Regrettably, the next goal would come from Saffron Walden - in fact the next three did. The second-half seemed a bit more even in terms of the run of play, but it was Walden who had more possession in the penalty circle and ultimately scored some fantastic goals. There were no tap-ins here, just screamers into the net.

During one of the South breaks, a tussle between Boris and one of the Saffron Walden defenders resulted in the ball being airborne (off the defender's shoulder), and was expertly headed down by Boris. The free hit went against Cambridge South, and the action was rewarded with the prestigious LOM accolade.

At various points during and after the match, much was made of the fact that the Vice-Captain's return was responsible for the poor result. Boris protested as during his absence, the 4s did not win all their matches. Despite this though, the player is considering giving up playing to pursue a coaching or managerial role, in order to give the team a chance at promotion. A very noble deed.

At the Red Bull afterwards, it was decided that after weeks of deliberation, a Cambridge South precedent would be set. From now on, each week's match report will be written by the Lemon of that Match, which should make for some interesting reading in the future.

Next week the 4s take on the youngsters of St. Neots 4s, who aren't doing too badly in the league. A win before the Christmas break is a must, as based on the last few seasons' form, we always play better in the New Year.