After a strong start to the second half of the season and a match cancelled due to frost the previous week, the M2s were ready for one of the most anticipated games of the season: Cambridge 1s. We’d prepared well at the training session before the match, and during the warm up there was confident talk of multiple goals for Blair.  The home leg had been a closely-fought battle ending in a 3-2 loss, so we’d turned up equalise the record and be the first teams to take points off the strong looking side. 

Unfortunately, as the game began, we were a little slow off the mark. A turnover resulted in a swift attack and deflection into the bottom corner - nothing that Matt (the keeper) could do and the team resolved to make amends. The following 30 minutes of play were a much better showing. The team worked hard to win the ball where possible and collapsed quickly on their danger-men. That’s not to say they didn’t have chances, but these were all deftly swept away by Matt. Going into half time the score was still only 1-0 so there was all to play for. 

The second half was more of the same - we didn’t create as many chances as them, but the whole team was covering ground to close down their players and Matt was saving everything to keep us in the game. We put one or two shots wide and had a couple of short corners to threaten their defence, but we were struggling to convert. One of Cambridge’s chances made it past Matt and made it 2-0. With fewer subs and working hard to make it back from 2 goals down, we were starting to tire. John put in a (very) bad tackle and left the team with only 10 men for the next 2 minutes which we made it through without issue. In the quest to create attacking chances in the final few minutes of the game, a turnover resulted in a well-worked attack (and an unmarked man near the P-spot)  for Cambridge and we conceded another goal to make the final score 3-0. 

It was a great game and the South team performed well under the constant pressure, staying in the game until the closing stages. Compliments went to Matt from both teams, as well as from the numerous spectators who’d shown up to support. The M2s will use this game to build and take this intensity to the rest of the games in the season!