There's something about home games that leads to boring match reports, especially when nothing stupid happens and the weather isn’t completely freezing, wet or hot. Thankfully, today wasn't one of those days!

Welcome to 2015 and a first home game after what seems forever, though in fact less than a month. Perhaps the last game left a bitter taste in the mouth or something.

The craziness started early. Apparently Vale Park is a 'thing', and where Port Vale play, which is important, and being a new year someone might have come up with the idea that Long Road should have a true name. Someone might have come up with the name South Park. I feel no need to explain. However, it should be noted that this didn't even get one LoM vote.

A strong team out, for a home game, with energy levels high following the U's solid 0-0 draw earning a cash cow replay at Old Trafford that even had Radamel Falcao earn a LoM vote for being less effective in front of goal than the entire front line. @FALCAO if someone wants to mention it to him!

After the defence obliterated the attack in a warm-up of the 'tennis ball game' on a tennis court slippy enough for it to be a surprise that there were no injuries, introductions were required, with 'New Old New James' making a debut. These names really are getting a bit confusing. Please, for the love of Mike, can the next player not have a name of someone already in the team! Questions were asked of Walshy's commitment to the cause, apparently doing something away in Scarborough or somewhere this weekend. A My Little Pony convention was mentioned.

Anyway, on to the game. For once, we got off to a quick start. A fully designed attack of true military precision saw a deflected Barnes-Wallis bouncing long ball from Coops chased down in the corner by Dom to the complete surprise of the Spalding back line. With just a defender and keeper to beat, a cross field pass deflected by the lone defender through the keeper's legs fell to Oli, who was just catching up with play and tapped in from all of maybe a yard. #easiestgoalyoulleverscore. Two minutes gone, 1-0.

The rest of the first half was what you could call a controlled, end to end game; South's attacks being at speed but the final pass not quite finding the sticks of the forwards, Spalding's forcing a few good saves out of Lino, including a number with his feet. Finally a keeper using his feet in the D and not the defenders; we might be getting the hang of this.

South nearly had a second, when Dom got on the end of another bouncing deflected pass and took it past two defenders and into the D, shooting hard and low but hitting the corner of the far post and watching as the ball bounced back across the goal and was cleared. A gamble at the far post would have resulted in a tap in. As has been too often the case this season we were punished shortly after. Following a bit of a scramble in the D and the ball never being fully cleared, it fell to a player who may or may not have been undressed earlier in the game by one of our team to flick the ball into the net.

At 1-1, Spalding got a second wind and started putting us under pressure, keeping the ball well but with no real penetration (again drawing comparisons with the FA cup tie). After another ball went off the back, South reset quickly at the sixteen and Anns played a slap hit diagonally into Shin, who transferred right to an accelerating Oli. With all of the Spalding defenders taken out by the pass, he had a clear run on goal and calmly smashed home.

The final third of the game went by with minimal fuss, other than perhaps Coops trying to repeat the goal he gave away in the reverse fixture, passing the ball straight from a sixteen to their forward line. Maybe he was just bored by this point and wanted a bit more to do (he'd already tried to talk himself off for a rest with some 'helpful' advice to one of Spalding's hot-headed youngsters and thrown in a contender for 'Second Worst Stickie of the Season*).

This was a big win for us against a side who started the day third in the table, showing that when we play how we know we can, we are a match for anyone in the league. Another big game next week away at St Neots who always seem to bring out the worst in us.

*n.b. Nothing will beat Kern's v Cam City Vets.