India. China. Tenerife. Just some of the locations where various members of the L5s squad decided to spend the half term holiday. But the really lucky people were the 12 of us who got a trip to exotic Spalding, and this time, everyone made it there. Captains Lou and Sammy were especially excited as, despite both being long-time members of South, had somehow never made it to this place before. (During the L6s infamously ill-fated trip to Spalding two seasons ago, in which only 8 of the 11 players made it to Spalding to lose 16-0, Sammy was one of the unlucky 3 stranded in a layby on the A14, along with the kit bag, when one car was punctured by a pothole). It was an inauspicious start to this trip, as the kit bag was this time trapped in the jammed shed at Long Rd, so we made do with junior bibs for those without away shirts, and a minimal first aid kit with only one ice pack – ‘only one injury is allowed today’ was part of the pre-match instructions. After a long, foggy journey across the Fens, full of Halloween atmosphere, we arrived as the sun was coming out. We were delighted to find that Spalding’s clubhouse had sweets for sale, and were able to replace those trapped in the kit bag – vital for topping up the half time sugar levels. 

The game pushed back, and it became apparent that the teams were fairly well matched in pace and skill. It was also clear that Spalding’s team were used to playing as a well-drilled unit, knowing exactly where to run and pass to each other, whereas South once again had a new line-up, including Sarah H playing her first game of this season, and Georgia making her debut for the 5s (both brilliantly). Nevertheless, South came together for a strong team performance. A very solid back four of Rebecca and Hattie at centre back, and Sarah and Sammy as wing backs, kept the Spalding attacks at bay. The wing backs in particular did a good job pushing up to support the attacks, and all the defence kept cool heads to recover from any initial slips. There were several good saves from Suhana, strong again in goal, but finally Spalding broke the deadlock. Then came the equalizer, late in the first half. Midfielder Leah took the ball out of South 25 and made an epic run all the way up into the D, where she won a short corner. Rose made a great strike which was saved, but in the follow-up, Lou managed to scoop the ball over the line, despite batting efforts from Spalding’s goalie and defenders on the line, and was delighted by her first goal of the season. Back to 1-1, South’s energy picked up, and we went into the half time break feeling positive. 

The second half saw more good play by South. Mentions must go to Georgia and Vicki for great runs down the wing, and to Rose for adapting to all sorts of different positions to accommodate various people needing a break. Unfortunately a stick to the thumb ended Rose’s match early and left us with no sub. Leah was a well deserved runner up for PoM for her tireless running in mid, repeatedly driving the ball past opponents. In the last quarter, South’s energy did begin to fall, and Spalding’s advantage of having 4 subs was clear to see. Further pressure on South’s goal allowed them to score two more, ending the game at 3-1. In a game where we definitely had the potential to bring home a point, it’s frustrating not to have quite managed it, but everyone should be proud of the effort and commitment they put into this match.