Reports 25th October 2008
Men's 1st XI lose 3-0 away to undefeated league leaders Ely City I
Men's 2nd XI knock in three goals in the last quarter to win 5-2 against Boston II
Men's 3rd XI are rewarded for their long trek to Alford & District II with a 2-0 victory
Ladies' 1st XI get back to winning ways, 3-1 against Cambridge City III
Ladies' 2nd XI find it tough going against March Town II, losing 6-0
Ely City Men's I 3 - 0 Cambridge South Men's I
H/T: 3 - 0
Scorers:
MoM: Chris Massey
On a rather bleak, windswept afternoon at the edge of the Fens, South lost their four-match unbeaten record to a well-organised and confident Ely side who scored three first-half goals and never threatened to be overtaken.
Having said that, there was more than an element of misfortune in two of those goals, particularly the first one when keeper Steve Parker stood his ground to make a fine stop after a defensive giveaway only to see the ball ricochet back into the net off a South leg. This reverse after just three minutes put South on the back foot as Ely maintained their policy of spreading the ball wide at pace and looking for gaps to squeeze through.
Superb close tackles by Chris Massey and Chris Graveling and a solid hip-check by Graveling that sent his opponent sprawling preceded two strong runs by Lukas Snetler, who beavered away throughout despite suffocating attention from the Ely defence. Parker then had to make another point-blank save on the ground, scooping the ball away with his pad like a pinball flipper, before South had their first real concerted attack, masterminded by skipper Chris Baker and Rob Garrett.
Further pressure led to South's first short but, after Garrett had cocked the trigger, Baker just failed to deliver the killer shot as the Ely keeper splayed out in front of him. Rupert Webb and Garrett then worked a sensible shift up the right flank after Matt Readman had metaphorically rolled his sleeves up with a crunching tackle in the middle.
But Ely soon stepped on the gas again, forcing a good glove save from Parker, and then won a series of three shorts, the first a booming drive blocked by Parker and the second a canny slip well read by Graveling and cleared by Massey. The third, awarded following a marginal five-yard infringement at a free hit, was a flubbed drag-flick which wrong-footed the South defence, opening up a black hole for an opportunist close-range conversion which Parker did well just to get a stick on.
South battled hard to regain lost ground, with Graveling tackling ferociously and then making a goal-line save after Parker had succeeded in disarming a twin-pronged attack that had burst through the ranks. The visitors had the ball in the back of the Ely net after twenty minutes – unfortunately from outside the D via an Ely stick – but generally continued to have difficulty in making progress beyond the twenty-five, suffering two further turnovers which led to cast-iron chances for the rampant Ely forwards. Parker raced out decisively to block off the first, then reverse-tackled the second and beat off a couple of heavy follow-ups to prevent further damage.
But neither he nor the overworked South defence could do anything about the third goal, a top-class one-timer from a pinpoint cross from the right wing. Ely pressed relentlessly forward, with the visiting defenders struggling to set themselves, and bore down on Parker, who again got down well to save before Webb provided last-ditch, goal-saving defiance. There was a glimmer of hope just before half-time as South found some of their characteristic passing touch, smoothing the ball to the edge of the Ely D through a six-man move, but the Ely defence proved as well-organised as its attack and kept the scoreline at 3-0 as the two teams went into the break.
In the second half, South took a bolder approach and started to play with a bit more self-belief, though it was still sometimes hard to disrupt Ely's slick one-timers. Snetler nearly got a shot off after a good build-up involving Eliot Read, Massey and the unflagging Baker, and the last two combined effectively a couple of minutes later to set up Garrett after Parker had bought time for a defensive regrouping by chasing an Ely striker virtually out of the D following a penalty corner.
A determined run up the left wing by Read brought a third South short, with Baker driving into the keeper and Snetler attempting to bury the rebound, but South then had to blunt further swift incursions as Jim Thorpe defused an awkward aerial with practised economy and Parker once more hijacked a clean-through striker, thwarting an attempted lift-over by chesting the ball down and sweeping it away with the stick.
South had their chances over the next few minutes as strikes from Snetler and Baker after a penalty corner tested the Ely keeper, who then did well to kick away a Snetler reverse going to his right. Meanwhile, Read had raced back to make a last-gasp clearance after Parker had held the Ely advance up with a diving tackle well out in the D and Webb had grittily held on to the ball under pressure. The home team produced two or three further promising moves, first with Read and Snetler and then with Garrett as South attempted to close the gap.
A fifth South short on 60 minutes provided the ideal opportunity for a late fightback but Baker's shot from a Garrett slip was stopped and no-one could roof any of the three rebounds as the keeper remained prone. Both Graveling, sinuously, and Readman, surgingly, made determined counter-attacks from deep positions in the last ten minutes and, after Webb had underscored South's never-say-die attitude with a great retrieving save on the line as Parker rushed a loose attacker into a hasty bobbler, the visitors put together a sweeping pitch-length move which ended with Garrett just failing to get on the end of a good cross. In the last meaningful action of the game, a South charge into the D was thwarted by the keeper coming out, leaving South to reflect on a game which, though it yielded them neither goals nor points, should not dishearten them too much.
Though Ely were unarguably the better side on the day, with their swift link play matched by solid defensive capabilities, South could count themselves slightly unfortunate on two of the goals conceded and they were also disadvantaged by the absence of two key strikers. The defence, though constantly challenged, covered back nobly in extremis and man-of-the-match Chris Massey, playing a more defensive role than usual after the departure of Mike Thorogood, showed a cool collectedness which suggests he could prosper in this position. An ability to finish off rebounds in the opposition D might well have put a different complexion on the game and South are convinced that, like last season, they can muster the wherewithal to reverse the away result in the second half of the campaign.
Team played: Steve Parker, Rupert Webb, Chris Graveling, Jim Thorpe, Chris Baker (c), Rob Garrett, Eliot Read, Chris Massey, Matt Readman, Lukas Snetler, Simon Ta
Cambridge South Men's II 5 - 2 Boston Men's II
H/T: 1 - 1
Scorers: Mark Pears (2), Alex Pooles, Tim Clapp (2)
MoM: Tim Clapp
LoM: Tim Clapp
Smarting from two points being cruelly snatched from last week's trip to St Ives, South 2nds set out to put their promotion chase back on track. As ever, the talismanic captain stirred up passion, commitment and a hunger for the win, tempered only by the desire for quality passing, possession, movement and marking, our three most devastating weapons.
The Boston team assembled before us were mostly young and fleet of foot with two or three older and more experienced players. Unlike some other matches, South started brightly, posing most of the threats, and taking a deserved early lead through Mark Pears as he slipped the ball between the keeper and the post off a rebound.
Despite this bright start, both teams looked menacing on the break. South's defence snuffed out open play attacks effectively, though often lacking the coordinated discipline that have made South such a tough team to score against. South could have stretched their lead at several points, but Boston's keeper wasn't going to give away anything too easily. Despite the South pressure, Boston equalised with the only short corner of the half, a frustrating rebound that the defence failed to clear before one of their young whipper-snappers sneaked it into the corner.
1-1 at half time and South knew they were in a game and had to step up the tempo. More rousing words from the skipper and South set about the second half with purpose, quickly taking back the lead through Alex Pooles and another great shot, hit along the deck from the top right of the D with a slight right-to-left fade that brought it back just inside the near post, almost skimming the keeper's foot at it sneaked in.
Boston weren't quite done yet, and won the game's second short corner. Wych charged down the shot with his characteristic pace and tenacity, but deflected the shot up towards the goal, where another youthful scamp stuck out his stick (at something approaching shoulder height – though more like an adult's chest height) and steered the ball into the goal, to fierce protestations from Monck and Oren. South were in danger of losing another two points in a winnable game.
But this week was not the week before. South's defence reorganised themselves, taking pressure off the midfield and giving them more space. Shortly after, Tomita played what can only be described as the pass of the season. From close to our twenty-five yard right hand touchline he picked out Aston, flying into the opposite corner of the pitch. Three passes later and South were again back in front through a Tim Clapp finish, but this time determined to remain there.
With the South defence holding strong, Boston were struggling for attacking options. Price, in goal, in fact barely touched the ball in open play and it wasn’t long before South surged forwards once again to make sure the game was theirs. South's fourth goal of the second half, a second for Tim, reflected the margin between the teams as the match drew to a close and this was capped minutes from the end with a fifth, courtesy of Arsenal. While Boston were in with a shout at half time, persistence and stamina saw South through to a convincing victory. Clapp's brace and his bump on the nose meant he richly deserved both MoM and Lemon awards.
South 2nds promotion hunt continues, but a whole match of real quality will be required against tough opposition at Newmarket next week.
Team played: Jon Price, Ron Oren, Dave Monck, Leo Tomita, George Wych, Neil Sneade, Dave Aston, Kevin Rowland (c), Tim Clapp, Alex Pooles, Rob Barton, Mark Pears
Alford & District Men's II 0 - 2 Cambridge South Men's III
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: Andy Lewis, Tim Dean
MoM: Shahbaz Ali - awesome in goal, awesome effort, raising a match winning team
Cambridge South 3rds arrived with high hopes for a change in fortune. Shahbaz Ali did exceptionally well to raise a side for this game.
Alford fielded a team with several youth players, each with excellent close control and promising futures ahead. They also had some older players whose movement did not match their youthful counterparts!
South started strongly and moved the ball around with composure, patiently probing for openings. The returning Wilco Dijkstra combined well with stand-in skipper Paul South in central midfield. Tim Dean was very effective as Rupert Espley's replacement and made some great runs on the right wing, linking well with Nick Bristowe, who in turn was brilliant at right back. John Sharp filled the corresponding position on the left and had a great game too. Shahzad Ali provided great support on the left wing. The two Ians, Glover and Evans, were assertive with their well-timed tackles and good distribution to the midfeld.
South took the lead when Dean surged down the right wing and laid the perfect ball off for Andy Lewis, who gathered the ball at pace, rounded the keeper with some deft close control and slammed it in from an acute angle. A ripple of applause from the massed spectators never actually materialized.
The lovely goal opened up the game and South should have added to this score with several good break-aways from Paul South and Toby Bull. With John Greaves absent, a number of players decided to fill the void by acrobatically falling around under slight challenges. John Sharp and Paul South were notable performers here.
After the break both teams looked to get the next goal. Shahbaz Ali, growing in confidence with every game, was superbly commanding in goal, saving two certain goals and shutting out the tenacious opposition with some fine smothering saves. On one occasion Shahbaz looked like he had gone on gardening leave, almost getting stranded, but the defence wilted not and Shahbaz was able to return to tend his plot, back in the D, with his pride intact.
South's pressure on the home team finally paid off when a comedy goal put the game out of reach. Pinball Wizard Dean's shot ricocheted between defender and keeper before creeping beautifully over the line. He sure plays a mean pinball! - must be those crazy flipper fingers!
A really well fought victory in a strange, far off seaside town. Well played all!
Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Paul South (c), Andy Lewis, Ian Glover, Toby Bull, Ian Evans, Wilco Dijkstra, John Sharp, Shahzad Ali, Nick Bristowe, Tim Dean
Cambridge South Men's IV 3 - 0 St Neots Men's V (Awarded)
Cambridge South Men's IV 1 - 3 St Neots Men's V (Played as friendly)
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: James Raikes
MoM: Dan Schofield - for all the running
Awaiting report
Team played: John Benedikz, Phil Le Gouais, David Bridge, James Hodge (c), Simon Jelley, John Somerville, Shyam Sadasivan, Tom Warne, Tejas Belagod, Dan Lam, James Raikes, Dan Schofield
Cambridge South Ladies' I 3 - 1 Cambridge City Ladies' III
H/T: 2 - 0
Scorers: Liles Dee, Emma Clarke (2)
MoM: Ciara Metcalfe
Cambridge South were in need of a win. Lots of effort in the previous couple of games had unluckily come to nothing. Today, a number of last season's regulars were back to provide the core that had perhaps been missing over the past weeks and in particular we had subs - hurray!
South were soon into their flow with some great interceptions from Caroline as centre forward, causing the City defence a big headache. With Emma hugging the sideline, the defence had a consistent outlet. Tash's runs on the right were matched only by Caroline's quick thinking lay-offs.
South hassled the City goal to no avail until they were awarded a penalty corner. The chance fell to Liles to finish in style (the style of a trickling brook): apparently a sparrow flapped just at the right time to provide the force for the ball to cross the line. But a goal's a goal and some much needed confidence filled the South team. City came back with some attacking moves down the right but Rhiannan and Becca paired up effectively to channel the ball out of play, with Julie cutting out the left side.
Ciara won lady of the match for her resislient tackling, probing balls and support during attacks. With subs at the ready, South had fresh legs throughout the game. The second goal resulted from a great passing move and cross into the D, cooly finished by Emma.
2-0 up at half time, South were aware that City would not give up. Indeed, they stole a goal back after Cassie made a great diving save only for it to fall at the feet of a City player who forced it over the line. South did not falter. A nice move from the defence lead to Jenny making a surging run up the right wing. The ball was crossed in for Emma to do what she does best. 3-1 and South could relax again.
Cup hopes are still alive with only Peterborough standing in the way of a place in the final.
Team played: Cassie Woodfin, Ciara Metcalfe, Emma Clarke, Kelly Charman, Sam Cooper, Georgie Hurford, Rhiannan Williams, Julie Sadler, Jenny Furlow, Becca Graveling, Tash Cox (c), Liles Dee, Caroline Dent
March Town Ladies' II 6 - 0 Cambridge South Ladies' II
H/T: 2 - 0
Scorers:
MoM: Carla Fitzachary
This match was a few notches up in pace from the previous week's unmentionable defeat to St Ives. The first five minutes saw a number of tussles, the ball switching possession in midfield as each side vied for dominance. March kept the pressure up, gathered their forces and rallied their midfield heavy artillery during the second quarter. A succession of short corners was awarded to March but each was repelled, much to South's relief. A cracking shot on the right goalpost was deflected by valiant Tracy who had the good sense to hold the stick in front of her body. Sarah, playing left back, was less lucky, and was "taken out" by the writer's friendly fire when clearing the ball out of the D. Sarah limped off.
Every time March captured the ball they followed it up with a cracking shot. March put two big hits past goalie Sarah before half-time. When South did gain possession, the mids and forwards were quick up the pitch with the ball into the D but couldn't get a clear strike or push past the March defenders. Towards the end of the second quarter South were gaining an edge on March with more control of the ball but no goal was forthcoming.
After half-time, March regained their strength and the play was predominantly in South's half. A scrappy third goal came from a short corner in the third quarter. South's intermittent offensives on the March goal were hesitant at times. Players were well-spaced for the most part, with less of the bunching seen in previous matches and better use of both wings.
March continued with their fast-paced, staccato game of stop-and-hit. An oblique hit from March skimmed past the goalmouth but the attacker failed to tap it in, to a chorus of "Oh"s. Mel had a close chance of scoring in the last quarter but her shot on goal went behind the line. South, feeling the despondency of a second heavy defeat in two weeks, could not keep March from scoring two more goals before the final whistle blew.
Terry, our umpire, said before the match "If you lose against March then you’re doomed", but as both sides shook hands a couple of the March players commented that South's play was strategically good. In time, March believed that the South team would be a force to be reckoned with, but, at present, there wasn’t enough "oomph" to score the goals.
Team played: Sarah Massen, Sarah Aves, Louise Gutteridge, Lou Tonkin, Pip Noon, Tracey Hunter, Rosalind Shattock, Leonie Dickman, Carla Fitzachary, Kristy Taylor, Charlie Orrock, Mel Harrison (c), Bex Baker
Reports 26th October 2008
Men's 1st XI throw away a 3-0 lead in their EH Vase cup match with Royston I to lose 4-3 AET
Royston Men's I 4 - 3 Cambridge South Men's I [AET]
H/T: 0 - 1
Scorers: Mark Pears, Eliot Read, Chris Baker
MoM: Mark Pears
Cambridge South threw away the opportunity for progress in this seasons EH Vase, letting a three goal lead slip at Royston on Sunday.
South had made the short trip down the A10 looking for revenge for a 2-1 defeat at the same stage of this competition two years ago, and also a 6-3 defeat in a pre-season friendly. The game duly started well for South, when, after ninety seconds, Jim Thorpe picked up a ball in his own twenty-five and, with a single pass, neatly bisected the entire of the Royston team to set Mark Pears clean through on goal. As Pears advanced towards the circle, the Royston keeper seemed to be off-centre in his goal. After hesitatating for a few moments, Pears sensed the keeper had truly lost his bearings and accepted the gift, rolling the ball gently into the unguarded net.
South proceeded to dominate the first half, working the ball around nicely when in possession and harrying Royston into misplacing their passes when out of it. The hosts managed only a single shot in the entire period, thought that, a flicked short corner, did clip the crossbar on its way over. Action around the Royston circle was far busier as South forced numerous clearances from an overworked defence and keeper.
Despite South's good play, the half-time score remained 1-0, something the team sought to rectify in the opening ten minutes of the second half. Eliot Read soon doubled the lead from a short corner; a one-two with Rob Garrett at the top of the circle working the space for Read to shoot, the ball aided on its way home by a looping deflection off a defenders body. After ten minutes of the second period it was 3-0. A rapid counter saw Chris Baker feed Pears, clean through on goal. Pears attempted to round the Royston keeper, who did well to snaffle the ball off him. However, from the save the ball was loose in the circle, and Baker just beat two defenders to it, knocking into the empty net.
This lead should have allowed South to see out a comfortable victory, but unfortunately it appeared to turn the team off. Within three minutes Royston had one back in fortuitous fashion. A short corner inject was missed by the stopper and had to be retrieved from the midfield. As South's defence came out, they lost a man on the back-post. When it was passed back into him, he had time to control and shoot home from an acute angle. A particularly galling goal as it was the first shot on target the hosts had managed all match.
South were now attempting a rearguard action, allowing a suddenly dominant home team to set-up a base camp on the halfway line. When, a few minutes later, this produced a further (dubiously awarded) short corner, the lead was cut to a single goal by a drag-flick low into the bottom corner. The chances kept coming for Royston as South failed to clear their lines with any efficiency. Another drag-flick from a short was screaming towards the top corner before South keeper Shahbaz Ali turned it over the angle with a fine diving pad save. Ali also had to dive full length to turn away a deflection from a driven cross that was heading for his bottom corner, and South rode their luck when twice the home centre-forward found the target only for the equaliser to be denied by early whistles for short corners. Finally, with five minutes left on the clock, the pressure told as the centre-forward put a rebound under Ali to draw Royston level.
Both teams paused for breath in the remaining time, and we were into golden goal extra-time. South quickly had a glorious chance to win the game as a fine passing move involving Garrett and Lukas Snetler saw Pears worked clean through on the Royston goal. Unfortunately this time the home keeper had his bearings and came racing out to narrow down Pears's angles and his shot grazed the outside of the post. The action swung to the other end and Royston had the ball in the net when a mishit pass in from the top of the circle beat everyone. Royston claimed the winner, South protested that the pass had been made just outside the circle, the Umpires consulted each other and sided with South, so the game continued.
The endgame proved an unfortunate piece of timing for South. Royston won a short, but hadn't had time to take it when the first period of extra-time expired. This allowed the hosts to push all ten outfield players up to the edge of the circle. And it was a defender, who would not normally have been up there, who ended the game, smacking a shot which deflected off a South defender's foot to loop agonisingly over Ali into the South net: the 'golden goal', and no victory in the Vase for South this season.
Team played: Shahbaz Ali, Rupert Webb, Jim Thorpe, Ron Oren, Simon Ta, Chris Baker (c), Rob Garrett, Alex Pooles, Eliot Read, Lukas Snetler, Mark Pears