This game was always going to be tough. An away match against a team in the top half who are always much stronger at home: a real test of promotion credentials. And so it proved.

The first half of the match was pretty much 50/50. South fashioned together chances by trying to pass the ball around the opposition and use our pace down the flanks, whilst most of the Wisbech attacks centred around the infamous Bambi, a player with a great skills roadshow who never makes it as far South as Cambridge, but can travel to March it seems. Aston was tasked with following/trying to stop/winding up the maverick, and he gave as good as he got.

Just before the break, some incisive passing between Inshaw and Pearson set up John Pawson on the left hand side of the D, who cracked a wonderful finish beyond the keeper. One-nil at half time.

Captain Jim insisted on the need to play possession hockey to ensure we held on to our lead. After the break though, it was Wisbech who had the lions share of the ball and whilst not creating too much in open play, they did win a number of short corners. The excellent running out of Rosselli and new boy Karran on these put off the opposition, who had a number of strikes (mostly from that man Bambi again), but they seemed to whistle past the post.

As the half wore on, Wisbech seemed to tire. A great counterattack sucker punch midway through the half seemed to have won the game for South. Great movement from Hockley and Williams in the middle sent Inshaw through, who drew the keeper and unselfishly slipped it to Pearson, and even he couldn’t miss. Two-nil and seemingly safe.

Not at all. Wisbech immediately came back. South were unable to clear a routine ball and the Wisbech forward rocketed a shot high into the net. This got the dangerman’s legs going again, and whilst a number of marauding runs were stopped by the diving Graveling, the lunging Rosselli or the last ditch clearances of the Tesco shelf stacker, one was unfortunately kicked off the line from Bhav (stopping a certain goal mind), and Wisbech had a flick five minutes from time. Jim rallied his troops to say South could still win, but hearts were in mouths when who else but the Bambinator walked up to take the P-stroke. Having been lively all afternoon, the Jason Mann death stare did for him, and the keeper expertly moved to his right to kick out a low flick. Two-one still!

There was still time for Jack to break something (not sure what but hope you’re ok) and Jim (who I had previously thought was a polite young chap) to get involved in a number of verbals with the Fenlanders, but South held out, and wildly celebrated our most gritty win of the season. With Uni v Ely cancelled, South went back to the top of the table. There are more tests to come in the hunt for promotion, but this was certainly a difficult one passed - just!