Cambridge South were left bitterly disappointed after a frantic 4–4 draw with Long Sutton — a match that began with the visitors fielding only nine players, swung wildly throughout, and ended with a last-second equaliser that felt like a punch to the stomach.

South started slowly despite the advantage of the early space, the away team showing remarkable resilience early on. However, the opener came from a Rob Barton short corner strike that Jordan expertly deflected past the keeper with a delicate, angled touch – just reward as there was a suspicion the ball was deflected off the line by a defender’s foot from the preceding strike heading inside the post. A few minutes later, Rueben doubled the lead with a composed sweep from the top of the D, guiding the ball low to the far post.

At 2–0, South looked comfortable. But Sutton, despite their numerical disadvantage, struck back with a superbly executed goal. A swift, skilful breakaway overwhelmed the South defence — a pattern that would repeat throughout the match as South’s midfield struggled to contain Sutton’s runners, leaving the back line repeatedly overloaded.

Sutton should have levelled soon after. With South’s midfield bypassed again, the defence was completely exposed, and a Sutton forward found himself with an open goal. Somehow, he missed — a huge escape for South.

By half-time Sutton had worked their way up to 10 players, and the second half tally began with more drama. South restored their cushion when a penalty flick was awarded. This time the foot on the line was impossible to miss. Rob stepped up and dispatched it confidently, sending the keeper the wrong way.

Craig in trying to take the match to the opposition was taken out by a Sutton player as he slipped on the pitch, which frustrated a good South attacking move.

However, South responded again, and Barton added his second from open play, hammering a clean strike from the edge of the D to make it 4–1. It felt like the moment that should have settled the match.

Instead, Sutton kept coming and hit back almost immediately, scoring their second of the afternoon — the first of two quick goals that came after South’s fourth — to make it 4–2.

Their pressure earned a short corner, and in the scramble that followed, Andy produced one of the more memorable defensive moments of the day. Slipping full-length, he slid straight through a Sutton attacker, conceding a short corner in spectacular fashion. From the resulting play, Sutton kept the pressure on and soon pulled another goal back to make it 4–3.

At the other end South had two glorious opportunities to put the game to bed with clever forward breaks breaching the defence and leading to chances with two forwards and just the keeper to beat. Sadly neither were converted which proved to be costly.

South’s defence was then called into emergency action again at a later short corner. After the initial save, the rebound was smashed goalward — only for James to intervene with the most unconventional save of the afternoon. The ball glanced off his protective mask as he quite literally put his head on the line to keep South ahead.

But the reprieve was temporary. With the final play of the match, a hit from outside the 22 — barely contested — found Sutton’s injured centre forward drifting free. He produced a deft, perfectly angled deflection, wrong-footing the defence and guiding the ball into the net on the stroke of full time.

The whistle blew immediately. South 4, Long Sutton 4.

A thrilling spectacle for the neutral, but South walked off deeply frustrated not to have secured the win after having led by three goals and created enough chances to put the game beyond reach. That deja vu feeling reminiscent of the away match.

Player of the Match: Rueben

A tireless presence in midfield, Rueben did everything he could to stem Sutton’s breakaways and was instrumental in constructing South’s attacking moves. His first-half goal was a highlight, but his work rate, composure, and constant covering made him stand out on a day when South were under pressure in the middle of the pitch.