When we heard that the M1s had an availability glut of nineteen players this weekend, we eagerly awaited the flood of talent that would undoubtedly be cascading through the M2s and washing down into our side. This would be particularly welcome as numbers were looking decidedly less rosy in the M3s squad. Kaptain Kern would work his player-bartering magic to bring us a few early Christmas presents, we all confidently expected.

Sadly our confidence proved misplaced, as Coops seemed to have hastily constructed a metaphorical Aswan Dam between his squad and ours, retaining the silt-laden goodness in the M2s while leaving the M3s to flop around flacidly in the anaemic trickle downstream. With just seven M3 regulars available, a limited release through the sluices of Jonny and Ali still necessitated raiding the M4s for a keeper and a couple more outfielders.

Still, the intrepid twelve (™) who made the journey to Bretton Gate contained enough quality for us to get the result we wanted. After learning that Matt's car could read out WhatsApps, a steady stream of obscene messages (thanks, Joe) flowed over the M3s' group on the trip up the A1. We also discovered that Matt is a member of a group dedicated to cheese, and there was some speculation on whether that was a euphemism for something else. Matt assured us that no, he just really likes cheese…

On the field of play, things started positively as the balance of early pressure was decidedly in South's favour. The weather was a bit odd, thickening skies necessitating the floodlights being switched on just before midday, before the clouds cleared leaving South squinting into a low December sun. We were playing the usual 2-3-2-3; a base of Jan and Neil with the Kernel screening, Ali and Chris out wide, Oli and James holding the centre, and Jonny and Ash either side of Nev up front, with Pash starting off a subs rotation that seemed to get more varied as the game progressed.

Peterborough were content to sit and absorb pressure, while play was getting very narrow and congested as we were reduced to trying to work intricate passes through a solid defence. CoP exploited the high positions of South's players to make dangerous breaks though, and some sharp covering tackles were needed. Towards the end of the half a short corner for CoP produced a shot from the left of the D, which just squirmed under George's falling body while taking an unfortunate deflection that took the ball up over Neil's stick on the line.

A one-nil deficit at half time meant everything was still to play for. The second half followed a similar pattern to the first: South having the greater share of possession and territory but CoP repeatedly breaking forward dangerously. South hit the post and twice had the ball in the Peterborough net but both times were ruled out for deemed infractions. Going into the final quarter, CoP struck a decisive blow as another break upfield ended with a forward cracking a great diagonal ball from just outside the top left of the D that was deflected by a player advancing towards the right post, giving George no chance. Another let-off for the pressing South side saw Peterborough take their turn to hit a post before the ball fell in front of George's pads, who blocked the attackers' attempted shots before Neil retrieved and cleared the loose ball.

South continued to push but the final ball remained elusive as the team seemed to just lack the guile needed to unlock the CoP defence. As the whistle approached, a last gasp consolation was finally touched home by Ash after great work by Ali, who had the bittersweet feeling of seeing his annual goal taken off him inches from the line. To be fair to Ash, there were defenders nearby and it would have been negligent to wait and watch the ball roll into the goal while potentially giving CoP an opportunity to make an on-the-line clearance.

And that was that, leaving South to depart empty-handed and frustrated, although Peterborough's intelligent exploitation of South's deficiencies and their own strengths meant they could feel happy with a good win. At least the Bretton Gate clubhouse can always be relied on for hot showers and hot teas, even if Pash and Matson were kicked out of the bar for breaking the 'no astros' rule, not having brought any change of kit with them. Passing on the option of shivering at the picnic table just outside our window, they decided to return in their (unchanged, smelly playing) socks instead, saving Matt (captain cheese) and Nev (can't get out of a car) from the Lemon votes. Unfathomably, Pash's sock fandango earned him two-and-a-half Lemons while Matson's identical offence got away with a half. The generally desultory performance was reflected in a lack of any outstanding candidates for MoM, with eight players getting votes and a four-way tie for the winner with two votes apiece, which Jonny took on a show of hands tie-break.

Availability will be the key to the second half of the season, as there is no doubt that when able to field a full strength side the M3s are capable of taking points off most teams in the division.