I turned up unusually early to the M5s match against Kettering, and immediately regretted it as the wind-whipped rain froze and soaked me before even reaching the pitch. What a joy it was to watch our two most lethal strikers demonstrate their understanding of the game by umpiring the M3s beforehand. The M3s were leading 4-2, and in the last move of the game, swept the ball across the D onto the waiting stick of an M3s striker, who deftly put the ball in the back of the net, but not before miserly Nev had blown for full time. I hate to think what Nev’s reaction would have been if he had been denied a goal by such sharp time keeping.

Rob’s intricate plan of substitutions hit an early snag as no-show Stu didn’t show up. Sub juggling dealt with, and the game got underway. For the first half of the first half (also known as the first quarter), South were rampant. Attack after attack, the ball barely getting out of the Kettering half. But much like last week our pressure wasn’t converted into the goals we needed. (for those interested, I had a cracking first stint, enjoying the freedom from our pressure to play as a high sweeper – if you’re not interested, oh well!)

When I came back on, my early composure was replaced by England cricket like ability to play a straight ball. On about 4 separate occasions I totally failed to stop a straightforward ball. The second on which I nicked behind, straight into the path of the on-rushing Kettering striker, who received the ball with glee, rounded Joe and slotted home for the opener.

The second goal of the game was a piece of class. The strength of Kettering’s short corner routine was mentioned before the game. The ball was fed to the top of the D, then laid off left where there were no runners, giving the central midfielder time to line up and drag flick a shot into the roof of the net. (In case you’re interested, I had a momentary contemplation of swinging a stick at it but would have been closer to taking Jo’s head off, and so made an unusually wise decision). 2-0 at half time felt frustrating for a game we had the better of.

After half time, South roared back into the game. First El Capitan found himself in the thick of things in the D amongst several swing and misses, (Kettering’s not ours) when the ball just popped up as if on a golf tee waiting for Rob to guide it into the goal. Even from our own half, it was possible to see Rob’s wide-eyed delight and momentary confusion with what to do with a ball on his front stick and the goal beckoning. But this is a man with 20 seasons at South under his belt and now 443 goals – he doesn’t (often) miss those.

South played with a renewed vigour and belief. Jordan chased everything like a hungry caveman (props to the beard), supported by Nev who acted as a pivot point, trapping and releasing the ball. The midfield worked well, Roland strong and controlled, with several 30m runs looking to set up the forwards. Ahmad played like a man half his age hounding the defenders and Henry glided (or is it glid) round the pitch with effortless ease, snuffing out breaks and delivering cute passes. Phil owned the left like a man twice his age, and Dan was his usual hustling self, covering the pitch as if he had to make up for Stu’s absence.

Sev played aggressively high in defence, looking to counter any attacks with perfectly timed tackles and quick spreading of the ball. Pipes was ever present in the face of the Kettering strikers, always with a smile as he intercepted the ball. Alec, James and Jan all played as wing backs with the emphasis on being wingers, giving the extra man pressure as South sought out an equaliser. And Jo was outstanding with a string of saves, bailing out the defence when Kettering managed to break through.

All this industry gave South another short corner. With several efforts drifting out of the range of Sev’s drag flicks, I was invited to take the next one. (in case you’re interested, having not scored so far this season, my short corner confidence was low). Nev dragged out quickly and cleanly, and I belted it hard (is there any other way?), through the ‘keeper’s legs, bringing the scores level.

The vigour and belief grew following the equaliser, with South feeling (over) confident that the game was theirs for the taking. Where industry had been controlled and measured, leading to two goals, this brimming confidence meant we drifted out of position, looking for the killer pass, and found ourselves on the back foot as Kettering pressed again. A sharply struck short corner, beat Jo, but I just managed to deflect it wide as it was travelling towards the bottom corner. (in case you’re interested, I think it’s more satisfying to score a goal than to save one, though saving one feels the harder to do).

Sadly this close shave didn’t cause us to hold our positions better, and a messy goal mouth tangle led to the ball in the goal as Kettering scored their third, running over Sev in the process. In pursuit of the equaliser, but with less assurance, South shipped a fourth, essentially killing off the contest. We continued playing hard until the final whistle (something we didn’t do well during the game, expecting decisions that never came) but couldn’t score again. A hard fought, entertaining game but ultimately frustrating result. With three games remaining, including the league champions on the final day, you’d imagine we need some points from our next two games to ensure safety. Lots to play for!