It hasn’t quite been the season that South wanted, or even expected. The boys in purple haven’t managed to sustain the kind of form that saw them through much of last season. That said, winning their remaining three games could see them capture third place in the league, once again being the bridesmaid but never the bride.

The match started with South pressing hard and looking to take an early lead, which they managed after Cooper slapped in from short range only to have the goal disallowed due to an air shot being deemed out of control and dangerous. Bourne’s direct style of hockey never mounted a sustained threat but they probed around the D and managed to win a few short corners, and they were reward with the lead when South didn’t manage to clear the ball at a breakdown. The half played out with South putting pressure on the Deeping defence but never finding a goal, despite troubling the keeper multiple times.

The second half started as the first finished, with South grinding hard but getting nothing out of it. After ten minutes of this, the team suddenly seemed to click and entered a period of fast flowing hockey. They were immediately rewarded with a goal as Chris Walsh rifled in a lifted shot. With the ball moving faster, Bourne struggled to keep up and were once again broken down from quick play, Jack Chalk slapping home after good work from Edge and Mann. The period of dominance quickly faded though as Bourne continued to battle. South could not find their rhythm again and both teams saw the game out with scrappy play and half chances.

The game itself could be considered a microcosm of South’s season: toil and grind with the occasional flash of brilliance; hard fought but rarely comfortable victories; always steady but never sustained. I am the same. Ask my wife.