South thirds slipped to a disappointing defeat and lost their advantage in the race for the Division 7 title.

The match had started well for South, as they took a deserved early lead. In the ninth minute a ball into the St Neots circle was half cleared. Paul McIlwaine picked up the lose ball and drove goalwards. Will Marston made a good run across the face of the goalkeeper and neatly flicked home.

From that point on, South spent the match on the back foot. St Neots's forwards' direct running was causing problems, especially from their number 44, with a number of shots going just wide of Will Benedikz's goal or forcing him into saves. With the defence under pressure, South fell into the trap of the midfield and forwards pulling deeper, leaving few outlets to hit when the ball was won.

St Neots's pressure told when they scored twice inside the last ten minutes of the first half, both from well worked short corners. Firstly the ball was slipped to the stopper's right, from where number 44 hit a good drive into the corner. Then another was slipped to the stopper's left, and though the shot was blocked by Benedikz’s pads, the visiting forward was first to react to knock the loose ball home.

South attempted a tactical re-arrangement at half-time, which saw them being to get a grip on the opposing forwards. However, attacks were getting bogged down as St Neots continued to dominate in midfield, leaving the forwards with just scraps to work on.

Fifteen minutes into the half, St Neots added a killer third goal. A ball in from the left broke free in the D, from where the forward made a good connection on his shot to leave Benedikz with no chance.

South tried to press forwards to get back into the game but their attack was lacking it’s normal efficiency. One spark was when James Bridge picked up a ball in midfield and lifted a little flick in for Rory Johnson cutting in from his wing. Johnson's shot unfortunately was pulled wide.

In truth, the score was a fair reflection on the two sides, as St Neots put together their strongest showing of the three matches between the two this season. South have now gone for three weeks without winning a game and need to get back into the winning habit soon. However, guaranteeing a top two finish still only requires one point from their last two games.