When Long Road asked if we'd be able to provide the opposition to play their mixed team on the college open evening, it sounded like a great opportunity to kick-start the revival of the Southerners mixed side. Warned that the college team contained a wide range of ability and experience, South fielded a side drawn from across the club to try and ensure a balanced game. Turns out we needn't have worried about that!

Long Road's team was a bit short on ladies, but long on pacy, tricky guys. The pattern of the match was quickly established: Long Road pressing and trying to slalom their way through the South defence, South robbing the ball and launching fast breaks. South's midfield three of Joe, Kim and Jack was doing well to disrupt Long Road's attacks and the defence behind were able to mop up whatever managed to make it's way through, although Jason still had to be alert in his goal, making some splendid kicks and saves. Up front, Oli and Charlotte were stretching the play down the wings and Sophie in the centre was looking dangerous whenever she got on the ball.

The opening goal went to the visitors, another break finishing with the ball played into Sophie in the D, who moved it around and then popped a reverse-stick shot over the keeper. Long Road looked a bit non-plussed, even more so when South extended our lead from a short corner, Sophie's strike being cleverly deflected in by Jack.

Surprised and slightly flattered to be two goals up, our luck changed shortly before half time. A Long Road shot after a short corner routine was heading just wide of the post, only to hit a defender's foot and be turned in. Drat!

Still, we were feeling pretty satisfied at the break, content to let Long Road buzz around before tackling and counter-attacking. Ok, so they were younger, fitter and faster, but we felt sure that the batteries would start to run down sooner or later, and then we would strike!

Or that was the plan anyway, but again our bad luck interrupted. A Long Road short corner produced a rising shot that was nonetheless heading wide before catching Diane on the knee and deflecting in. Diane's knee was judged to be lower than the backboard, so the goal stood - it's a pity Di is such a midget!

So South had managed to score four goals but somehow we still weren't winning the game. While we tried to work that one out, Long Road took the lead for the first time. No assistance required from the defence this time, as an attacker pounced on a ball falling loose in the D to place a shot across Jason and into the side netting.

We never say die at South though and the team rallied to get back into the game. The equaliser came from an unlikely source, Kimbo finding herself in nose-bleed territory as she surged into the Long Road D on the end of another South break. She showed beautiful control to receive the ball and place her shot neatly low in the corner beyond the stretching goalie. The celebration was heartfelt but lacked something of the gallopiness of her famous 'prancing pony'. Her work done, she was yanked to the bench for the final minutes.

There were a few half-chances for both teams in the last fifteen minutes but honours even at the end felt like a fair result. Let's hope this is the start of a regular program for the Southerners.