Cambridge South 3rds, sponsored by PwC, got the win they were after to nicely set-up next weekend’s top of the table clash at unbeaten leaders Wisbech 5ths.

South totally dominated territory in the opening half, with keeper Ian Evans comment at half-time being "It has to be going well, I’m bored". Ely were finding it difficult to break out of their own half of the field, often foundering on the assured tackles of South centre-back Ky Ho. But their defence was well organised, and despite the near constant pressure, South were not fashioning many clear chances.

One element that characterised the game was the honesty in which it was played. The two opening half incidents which saw the ball end up in the Ely net exemplified this. First, John Horsley appeared to have deflected a driven ball high into the net, only for him to admit the height on the ball had come via his foot. Then Ely returned the favour. Mark Jackson followed a mazy dribble with a shot from the top of the D that found the back of the net, via a deflection off an Ely foot. When the umpire tried to award South a short corner, instead of a goal, the Ely defence told him not to be so silly and to give the score.

Ely's half-time team talk resulted in them showing more aggression in keeping their forward players in the South half of the pitch. Whilst admirable in intent, this stretching of the game gave South more space to fashion chances.

With the score only sitting at 1-0, despite the almost total hold South had had on the game, there was an element of nervousness on the sidelines. An Ely goal back wasn't likely, but it was possible and whilst there was just a solitary goal in the game, the threat was real. So it was a relief when South took the pressure off themselves by scoring a second. A short corner produced a direct strike at goal, that the Ely keeper could only kick away as far as Wilco Dijkstra. Wilco flicked the ball waist-high towards goal, but straight at one of Ely's adult players, standing on the line. He tried to control the flying ball with his stick, got an edge into his own midriff (so South knew it would be a penalty flick at worst), and then despite valiant further attempts to knock the ball away as it appeared stuck in his shirt, couldn't prevent it dropping behind the line.

With the points now essentially secure, South began to play with a bit more freedom. Goals were coming at regular intervals, with top scorer Simon Ta's persistence earning himself a tap in after the goalkeeper had saved his initial shot, which he followed by a fourth of the day, and personal ninth of the season. The scoring was complete when John Horsley deflected a driven ball from outside the circle home, legally this time, without the use of his foot.

Credit to the young Ely team, whose heads never dropped, and who ended the match on the offensive, spending much of the final five minutes in the South 25. Ian E had to show some of his keeping skills in that time to earn himself a clean sheet.