The 4th team continued their winning streak with an emphatic away win at Kettering. Wearing the customary luminous yellow strip supplied by stand-in captain, James Hayes, the boys took to the field with a mixture of experience and youth.

Unlike the usual 4th team starts, we were all surprised as within several minutes Joe Whittaker broke through the Kettering defence and struck the ball on the reverse straight through the keeper’s legs.

Barely had we restarted (Dave Monck as the South sweeper hadn’t realised the game had actually started), another South counter attack had Jamie Coltman running into the top of the D. A strike or pass from Jamie was missed by everyone and South soon had a comfortable two-nil lead after four minutes. ‘What was going on?’ we all thought!

Kettering then decided to join the fray and started playing some good passing hockey, using the aerial ball to good effect. An interception by an outstretched Dan Image-Flower unfortunately fell at the feet of the Kettering right winger, who put the ball neatly past the outstretched Mikey in goal.

Further Kettering pressure led to several short corners and, in a goalmouth scramble, Kettering roofed in the equaliser. Two-two was the scoreline leading into halftime. Captain Hayes then reminded us all that we were better than them and we could do this, a sentiment echoed by the team.

The second half was almost the reverse of the first. Kettering continued to press on the break, with strong South counter attacks, but it was Kettering who broke the deadlock with a cheap reverse stick strike from a short corner. Three-two. Another Kettering short led to a goalmouth scramble, with Kettering coming off the better: four-two. This was not looking good with fifteen minutes to go.

South rearranged their formation, bringing Oli Weston into the midfield to support the attack. Dan Image-Flower linked up well with Keishi Kohara and Nev Warren on the left resulting in several short corners. After several failed attempts from Stu Creed and Jason James, Joe Whittaker decided that enough was enough and absolutely smashed the ball into the Kettering goal. Four-three. Yet another short corner (acquired by the silky skills of Nev Warren) ended with a Kettering scramble and the umpire judged that Dave Monck was fouled whilst attempting to put the ball into the goal. Venerable short corner and flick taker extraordinaire, Jason James, steps up to take the flick. No one really knows what happened next. The keeper seemed to think the ball was going one way, committed to his right; Jason flicked the ball and, in a masterful stoke of genius, managed to slow down time so that the ball trickled towards the goal so slowly it was impossible to see and dutifully crossed the line. Four-four.

Kettering were now getting rather annoyed so prompted another series of attacks but the South defence held strong. In doing so, a rapid counter in the sixty-eighth minute led to a break-away from Joe Whittaker and Oli Weston, with Joe successfully drawing the keeper before slotting the ball to Oli at the back post to slot home. Four-five.

Further Kettering attacks were comfortably broken down and at the final whistle it was South in possession of the win, three more valuable points and the fourth place slot in the league claimed from Kettering.