In a match rescued by David Bridge's willingness to step in as a last-minute umpiring replacement, South came face to face with the only team to defeat them thus far this season, the mercurial Long Sutton 3rds. Despite two recent heavy losses, Sutton have taken points off apparently much superior teams and are predictable only in their unpredictability. So there was a sense of unease when, within the first two minutes, Sutton's Antipodean left-winger made a speedy and virtually unchallenged run into the D and unleashed a powerful reverse-stick shot which keeper Steve Parker saved with characteristic alertness. However, as in the previous game between the sides, South conceded an early goal when a Sutton short corner was not fully cleared and the ball was blasted home from the edge of the circle past the unsighted Parker.

An equaliser seemed to be on the cards almost immediately, though, as good moves involving Rob Sprawson, Matt Murray and the consistently slippery Rob Garrett on the right and the Agarwala brothers on the left forced Sutton to pack the D and defend desperately. Yet, on ten minutes, South found themselves two down after Sutton, exploiting a seemingly innocuous position on the right, opened up space in the middle for their winger, who took an unexpected opportunity to roof the ball at a rate of knots.

In spite of these early setbacks, the home side were undaunted and quickly won a series of short corners. Striker Rick Erlebach was on target with three, all saved by the keeper, while Matt Murray's shot from a switch was cleared off the line. Catastrophe loomed at the other end when the hard-running Sutton forwards again carved out a clear-cut chance in the D but Erlebach, pulling his weight at both ends, leapt like a salmon to intercept a goal-bound flick on sixteen minutes. Within a minute, Sutton had the ball in the net again but eagle-eyed umpire Bridge had spotted a back-stick and South made good their escape through Matt Readman, Murray and Garrett.

A fifth short for South after twenty-seven minutes was reward for another looping Garrett run but both this and its two successors, flicks from Erlebach and Murray, were blocked. A further golden opportunity went begging as the ball raced across the face of the visitors' goal with the keeper otherwise engaged, but the finishing touch again eluded the South forwards, who also failed to make the most of a perfectly-angled left-wing cross from Sanjay Agarwala. Then a dubiously executed substitution by Sutton gave their left-winger a clear break into an untenanted corner and he took advantage to fire another lifted shot in the D; this time, though, Parker was able to race off the blocks and deflect the goalward strike with his upper body, leaving Keith Simpson to clear the soaring ball and avert further disaster. But South, despite winning their eighth short corner in just over twenty minutes, still ended the half 2-0 down.

Skipper Parker and an animated Rob Sprawson emphasised the need for cool heads, solid defence and teamwork and the second half started with South continuing to lay siege to the visitors' goal. Erlebach fed Sanjay Agarwala on the right post but the Sutton keeper, a big thorn in South's flesh in the previous encounter, made two resolute blocks before the ball finally went wide. Agarwala again, this time from Vincent Korstanje, and Murray both battled through grimly but no-one could land the killer blow until Garrett once more outpaced his marker to deliver the ideal cross, which a jubilant Erlebach put away under the diving keeper to reduce the deficit on forty minutes.

South continued to turn the screw, with Murray roaming widely in an effort to find a suitable site for an incision and Sanjay Agarwala making a thrilling right-angled run past four defenders to the goal-line before narrowly falling short with the equaliser in sight. Defensively, South found more cohesion in the second half and both Keith Simpson and Vijay Agarwala showed their mettle in the challenge. South won a ninth short after forty-six minutes but Erlebach's punchy on-drive was well sticked away by the goalie. After good work from the aggressive Readman and a tackle of surpassing resolution by Chris Graveling deep in his own right-hand corner, South drove relentlessly upfield through Erlebach, Garrett and Murray and, amidst a hail of bodies in front of goal, it was right-back Sprawson, capitalising on a flurry of shots from Garrett, who finally broke through the defensive shield to bring South level after fifty-two minutes.

The staggering energy of Erlebach continued to fuel South's momentum as the team's fluency increased, although Graveling was still needed to make two fantastic tackles to break down threatening attacks and Simpson had to sprint fifty yards to cover back on the right. A tenth South short after sixty-three minutes failed to sit up nicely for Erlebach and Sanjay Agarwala shot just wide, but there were more chances on offer after Vijay Agarwala burst through powerfully to set up Murray and Garrett.

The visitors defended resiliently, though, and continued to look potentially dangerous on the break. However, their left-winger had to be withdrawn for his own good after vociferously claiming to know more about the rules than the excellent Matt Bailey – who umpired with great tact, poise and reason as usual – and Sutton thus missed the opportunity to have heir strongest combination out for the last five minutes. Sanjay Agarwala again sizzled up the left to bring hopes of a late winner but, after the keeper had saved from both him and Murray, it was up to Vijay Agarwala and the rock-solid Simpson – again belying his unflappably calm approach with a flamboyantly piratical bandanna – to hold firm at the rear and help South to claim a share of the points against opponents who had once more proved to be an awkward proposition.

Skipper Steve Parker was disappointed with the loss of points but was keen to stress the importance of earning a draw. He was quick to point out that the team's next opponents, March, heavy scorers but leaky in defence, were likely to provide a sterner challenge than in the first half of the season and that, as ever, there would be no room for complacency.