After two very close victories last season, including a short corner winner in the away fixture with literally the final touch of the game, our comfortable 4-0 home victory back in September had somewhat surprised us. Things just hadn’t seemed to click for the Dragons that day: would this game be a repeat or a return to the close-run fixtures of last season?

It quickly became apparent that September had been the anomalous result. On a clear and still winter’s day, South had won the toss to leave Bourne staring into the lowering sun but this didn’t seem to affect them. The home side were quickly on the attack, gaining an edge in the early battle for possession and territory. This was the game we’d been expecting. South weathered the early storm though and began to push the contest back towards the halfway line. Matt and Max were tigerish in midfield, tackling and chasing down relentlessly, while Jack and Will on the wings began to make more inroads against the Deeping defence.

However, the home side remained dangerous and took the lead from a short corner, with an excellent flicked shot just inside the left post from near the top of the D leaving George stranded. South rallied and the game was put back into the balance shortly before half time, when Jack received the ball in the left channel and made a surging run into the D before a quick turn to work an angle and despatch his shot low into the corner of the goal.

At half time we were satisfied with our performance against probably the strongest side we’d faced this season and knew it was all still to play for. The second half continued the pattern from the first, with a tight contest between well-matched sides, only this time it was us staring into the sun. Unfortunately, the far umpire’s pale green jacket looked very much like a yellow South shirt in backlit silhouette, and he was probably surprised to receive several passes from South’s half-blinded defence. The defence were largely holding firm with, in particular, Chris showing typical energy in the centre and Alex the embodiment of composure and solidity in a novel position for him at right back.

A few half chances had fallen to Bourne but the game was still level going into the last quarter, but that was as far as our luck held. First, skipper-for-the-day Neil felt a sudden pain in his calf as he made a sharp change of direction and had to hobble to the side of the pitch (fortunately only five metres away), forcing Matt to drop back into defence as James quickly subbed on in midfield. Then within a few minutes the Dragons had taken the lead, as a scramble in the D eventually saw a shot squeezed through a gap and into the South goal.

South pushed back, winning our first short corners of the day but unfortunately proving unable to capitalise on them. With five minutes to go, sweeper Dave was pulled to make way for another midfielder. More pressure from the visitors and another short corner was won, but again it was cleared and as play broke down the other end, the home side sealed the win with a worthy strike. The Deeping attacker was being channelled away to his left as he surged into the D and the chance for a shot seemed to be fading, when he unleashed a stunning reverse tomahawk on the run that bulged George’s side netting.

The game gone, the home side saw out the last minute and won a short corner on the final whistle, but unlike South’s winner last year, this was cleared away although by that point the play was academic.