First played third in Division 5NW as the M3s took on Kettering M2s, knowing that a win would give us a good cushion going into the final weeks of the season and that defeat would throw everything back up in the air again.

The importance of the game seemed to hamper both teams in a scrappy first half, where play was mostly bogged down in midfield. Few chances or shorts came at either end, as we got to the break still scoreless. Just as the game in Kettering earlier in the season had ended, in fact. Would we go for one hundred and forty minutes without a goal in these matches?

Well, no, thanks to two good bits of opportunism from Simon. The first came when a ball popped up and looped high over the Kettering defence, dropping in their circle. Simon was the first to react, bringing the ball (sort-of) down and then adding an early reverse stick bunt to the still-bouncing ball which caught the visitors’ keeper out. One-nil became two-nil soon after when Simon got the toe of his stick onto a typical Monckosaurus crash ball that the keeper was hoping to be able to leave.

Our lead saw the game become stretched, which gave JJ and Si the space to work. This quickly resulted in two more goals, pretty similar in construction. In both cases the visitors’ keeper saved an initial foray, only for the ball to run clear to the left of goal. For the first of these, JJ gave it the Big Bertha treatment to return it to the waiting net; on the second, Si was more precise, picking out the far corner.

Four goals in fifteen minutes should have seen us cruising to victory. Or at least that is what we seemed to believe, as we then appeared to switch off, committing two defensive howlers to allow Kettering a couple back. To be fair to the Kettering forwards they did snap up the chances presented to them, but in both cases the ‘assist’ would go to a South player.

It meant that we ended the match under self-inflicted pressure, apart from a brief comedic interlude. When the ball was played into space in front of JJ on the left flank, his reaction was reminiscent of a puppy that has been happily playing with a stick only to be suddenly thrown a ball to chase; drop stick, hare after ball, look confused. That was the Lemon award sewn up, then.

Three more points in the bank, four matches to go.

Onwards!