A close fought game played in good spirit which South managed to triumph through continuous effort, good positional discipline, quick passing and fine teamwork.On the freshly re-laid Abbey pitch, South started slightly the brighter side and looked solid at the back from the outset with James Raikes commanding an experienced defensive four. In the centre of midfield, Ian Evans and Martin Grove, who was playing higher up the pitch that usual, both saw plenty of ball and succeeded in distributing it to good effect. South were using both wings efficiently to manufacture chances, notably via John Clarke, Jake and Shahzad. The side, although missing it's regular captain of Ky Ho, was nonetheless looking balanced and working well. So it was no surprise when the breakthrough came midway through the first half. The opening goal started from an attack up the right hand side featuring John Sharp and Theo Haines, and saw South drive to the backline and pull the ball back past the keeper for Shahzad Ali to forcefully sweep the ball home in trademark fashion. A second South goal followed just a minute before the half time whistle came when Martin Grove played a quick free hit into Rob Barton who made no mistake in striking low into the corner. South were in the ascendancy before the break.The second period began as a much more even affair with chances limited, though it wasn't long before Rutland found space and were able to apply pressure to their host's goal. On a few occasions the young opposition broke through into the South D, but Tim Dean in goal made a number of solid saves from close range to deny on-target shots. Eventually, a skilful Rutland midfielder found the back board with a confident reverse stick strike from the left of the South D. After that, the South defence once more managed to take control of their 25 and, although the opposition put up quite a challenge in the middle of the pitch, both sides were limited to only a handful of further half chances. Rutland worked hard to the very end and, perhaps deserved a better result, but ultimately South hung on fairly comfortably to the marginal victory.This game saw competitive debuts for John Clarke and Theo Haines who both fitted naturally into the side and contributed extremely well. Overall, South can be pleased with their day's work and take credence from the way the team played: working hard for one another, tracking back, and always looking to move the ball on quickly. A good effort by one and all!