There was an air of anticipation in the dressing room before the first full-XI friendly for the Men’s 1s. Several cancellations had frustrated efforts to continue the pre-season success against Saffron Walden 2 weeks ago, so when the time came to face Wisbech, now just 1 week before the start of the season, there was an eagerness to put the whiteboard sessions and Wednesday night training to the test.

This eagerness was apparent from the off; less than 20 seconds after pushback, possession was reclaimed just outside Wisbech’s 23 and a driving run to top D led to the first attempt on goal for Matteo, thwarted by a jabbing tackle from their defence. But it was only moments to wait before the next foray into their D, and indeed the first 20 minutes of the first half were abundant with compelling chances. This culminated in our best opportunity to find the net so far - a penalty flick, to which Scott stepped up to the spot and… botched it. Scott must have contacts in the Cayman Islands, as he somehow evaded the majority of Lemon votes for missing this chance to put South in a well-earned lead.

An ensuing spell of Wisbech possession was defended without much incident, save for a short corner which felt awfully familiar to defend: a short pass to a player to the left of the D, and a slap to their runner on the P spot. Unfortunately Wisbech’s coordination was a fraction off and the pass only found a Wisbech foot.

Keen to show how it’s done, South shortly thereafter won a short and converted the exact same routine; a goal from Ed D assisted by Scott, and South were up 1-0 after 25 minutes. We saw out the half with yet more chances and went into half-time with confidence.

It may have been the heat of the day, pre-season rustiness, or the intensity of the first half finally catching up with us. Perhaps too Wisbech found the gaps in our defences, as a dribble into the D just 5 minutes into the second half led to a short corner which was tidily put away with a drag flick into the bottom left corner.

Undeterred, South kept up the high press and continued to look threatening. Their keeper stymied our forwards throughout the match, but at 42 minutes, Humby created half a yard near the top of the D and on his reverse hurtled the ball into the back of the net. 2-1!

Our well-defined shape in the first half became more abstract as the second unfolded, leading to a couple of short corners for Wisbech and 2 shots that dinked off the post. It was quietly agreed during the setup for a successive defensive short corner that we’d sit deeper on the press, and try to hold possession a little longer. This attempt to give the team some respite may have come a little late. While sprinting after a forward pass, Connor keeled over with dramatic cramp, which I’m sure for a moment caused worry on the sidelines as the 1s already have plenty of players out with injury. Mercilessly this earned Connor LOM, though it came down to the final vote at Cantabs before it was decided.

The MOM vote was much more decisive. In the final 10 minutes, Matteo put away 2 sublime finishes: a zig-zagging dribble that culminated in a megsed keeper, and the final touch of a short corner in the last minute of the game.

Overall a lively, action-packed and dominant showing from the 1s. While more pre-season games may have provided the team with more game time, they go into another friendly (fingers crossed!) on Monday and will be backing themselves for the first league game: Sudbury at home. Let’s have it!