Hopes were high that we could pull off a surprise win in this one after good performances in recent weeks to beat Spalding and Nomads. But everyone was aware that City would be a step up again, sitting second in the table as they currently do (only behind their own 6th XI, oddly enough).

From the outset the match was a high quality one for Division 4NW. City played the sort of structured hockey that one would expect from their combination of talented players whose peak years are slightly behind them and are now dropping down their sides to give structure and guidance for the generation-in-waiting moving up the club. They played nice, passing triangles and looked to feed lead-runs up the pitch. What was most pleasing from our perspective was our more motley collection of players are gelling well enough that we were doing much the same.

That said City had one particularly lively youngster on their left wing. He may not have been in as total control of his skills as he believed of himself (cf. the reverse stick shot that went away from the goal and hit a South player in the head… and apology for messing up like this and hurting someone would have shown some decency) but his pace was causing South problems and this was apparently the source of their opening goal. I’d like to say more about it, but I was off the pitch checking if I was concussed at the time!

South needed a few minutes to get themselves up to the speed of City’s play, but did so and had some moves of our own as the half progressed. Play was good up until their 25… but at that point it got a little over-direct, which the experienced sticks in the centre of the visitors defence were very happy about as that wasn’t really challenging them.

The second half continued with more of the same. Our player-of-the-match Kieran was showing it wasn’t only City who have promising youth in their ranks as he went toe-to-toe with the strong adults in the middle of midfield and more than held his own. South’s other teenager, James T, was buzzing around on the wing and generally we were in the game. Not-quite-as-young (maybe at heart?) Stanley was excelling between the sticks for us – one stretch to redirect a cross away from danger was the standout of a highly accomplished body of work.

The next goal was always likely to decided it… and it came for City after a swift and clinical counter-attack was classily finished by their star kid. He had that particular skill (step in front of the defender, jab it early to be on Stanley before he could set himself) in perfect control. That settled matters, and though we pressed late on for a consolation from their day, it wasn’t to be.