Most of the club found themselves up against other Cambridge teams today, with the M3s joining in the fun as we took on City 6ths.

For once we were up to the pace of the game from the start, knocking the ball around and looking for an opening. However the City backline proved resolute and our decision making could maybe have been better as too often we tried to dribble or smack the ball through the wily veterans in their backline, who were never going to fall for something so obvious.

City were trying to use the pace of their young front line but our defence was (mostly) holding their counters at bay. There was a scare with a short corner that Lino just succeeded in deflecting over the bar, whilst at the other end Will saw a couple of shooting opportunities saved and Simon was unlucky when his point-blank deflection was somehow smothered by the City keeper.

With the sides turning around at nil-nil, the first goal felt vital. We were pushing for it for the majority of the time but also had to be grateful that a rare City attack ended when a deflection which had beaten everyone flicked the top of the bar and went over. Within a few minutes of that escape, it was us that had the all-important opener, Paul reacting quickest from the second phase of a broken down short corner to reverse hook the ball into the corner of the net.

Being a goal down forced City’s stronger players to venture higher up the pitch. This was a negative and a positive. It meant more off a threat was posed for our backline but also gave the forwards lots more space to play in when we attacked. Of the two, the second would prove the decisive element, as some simply triangular passing down the left ended with the ball on Simon’s stick near the baseline. He drove along and then pulled the ball back and across for Ed Boggis to slot into the unguarded net.

A third was added soon after, Jan taking a quick sideline that caught the City defence dozing, allowing him the space to move it five and still have time to look up and pass to a teammate. He went for Ed, top centre of the circle, who deflected a first time shot at goal that the City keeper couldn’t keep out.

Three up was a winning lead, with all that remained being to hang on to the clean sheet. Unfortunately we didn’t manage this as a short was won, the subsequent shot thumping into the backboard. However, there was only two minutes left when this happened with the remaining time being easily seen out.