The wiser heads in the team warned us it would be a physical game against Kettering, and so it turned out.

The first half was a ragged affair, with the visitors taking the lead courtesy of a well-placed shot into a tiny gap between the near post and the stick of stand-in goalkeeper, Sean. South were having trouble finding their shape, and the regular substitutions (although necessary to help tired legs) only compounded the problem. Kettering were more organised and began to bring their own style to proceedings.

However the home team knew that this was still an even contest, and after half-time we emerged with new determination. Our first goal was Route One style: a long range hoof from Martin to Simon who slipped his defender, took it round the keeper, and nonchalantly tapped it in the open goal with the air of a man who had only just got started and was soon going to be back for more. There was better team work now from the M5s, perhaps because we were getting to know who was playing where. The midfield was being organised effectively by Ian and Oli, and there was good running on the wings from both Kevin and Thomas.

A short corner led to the second goal somehow - looking from the back I could only see a melee of players - and it was goal machine Simon once again. But the game was getting increasingly ragged with lots of clumsy tackling from both sides. Finally we got a third goal - an assist from Thomas at the top of D gave Simon his well-deserved hat-trick.

It was around this time that centre-back Martin started having a forthright discussion with the opposition centre-forward about the various merits of the other's tackling style, and exactly who had the right to stand at that particular place on the pitch. To the umpire it probably looked like two schoolchildren squabbling in the playground, and she warned them that she had had enough, and they should not repeat it or she would send them off with green cards. However, they did, and so she did.

Which was a good thing because it diffused the situation somewhat, and after that we all knuckled down and saw the game out. Three-one to South seemed a fair result, not least because we are much better and have nice pizza. The return match is in January - hold on to your hats!