Launching CSHC’s 2018/19 league campaign our spirits were immediately lifted by the news that the opposition could only muster nine players for the opening game of the season. I responded sympathetically and managed to contain any sportsman-like urges to offer them some of our ample supply of substitutes (actually a more manageable than usual three this week!).

The mood was further lifted when JJ arrived to umpire in a shirt clearly visible from outer-space and was immediately nominated for the inaugural OoM or Orange of the Match award!

Right on cue the flypast by the Red Arrows got the match underway (it really did!)……did anyone get approval from the club treasurer for this BTW??

The home team immediately put the by-now-ten-man St Neots team under pressure and it wasn’t long before a trademark Stu Creed strike found the net. The fight was on. Despite sustained pressure and some near misses from the Greaves/Barton/Espley forward line the visitors held their nerve and the half finished with just the single goal separating the two teams.

South came out fighting in the second half and within seconds Rupert Espley found space in the D from which to coolly flick the ball into the top of the net in what could be an early contender for goal of the season.

The two-goal lead gave South the confidence to attack more freely and there were many ‘almost but not quite’ moments including a well-aimed strike on goal from Simon Kitchen which was expertly guided away from the target with both feet by Mr Greaves for which he received a unanimous LoM!

It wasn’t long before the Saints defence capitulated allowing the multi-time Goal King, Barton, to strike followed by a fourth from John Greaves, offering some redemption for the foot incident.

All in all, an excellent start to the season. We will undoubtedly face much tougher opposition this season, but there’s plenty be optimistic about. Our established goalscoring machine of Greaves/Barton/Espley and Creed were all on target; our keeper didn’t get a touch of the ball and we managed to keep exactly eleven players on the pitch at all times!

There were many MoM worthy performances including Jo for some skilful moves out on the wing; Sean for rock-solid defending and a brilliant debut from ‘Stortford defector’ George Butt but the overwhelming winner was Andy T for volunteering to stand in as keeper at the last moment and narrowly missing out on back-to-back MoM/LoM awards by Mr Greaves’ footwork!

A great start to the season for the M5s which we can all be justifiably proud of…bring on Wisbech Town next weekend!