Cambridge South 2nds, sponsored by PwC, saw their recent promising run of results come to a shuddering halt as they succumbed to Market Deeping 3rds.

South had the clear advantage in territory and possession over the 70 minutes, with the ball spending the clear majority of its time in the Deeping half. However, they found the Deeping rearguard desperately hard to penetrate, with moves repeatedly petering out after crossing the 25-yard line. The visiting ‘keeper had some saves to make during the match, but none that would be considered to have really extended him.

Deeping played a counter-attacking game, relying on a frontman known to be sharp at this level to link their play together. The danger man got the decisive goal in the dying moments of the opening period with a shot that deflected off the legs of a defender to deceive 'keeper Ian Evans, the ball grazing the near post as it found the target. Deeping’s front line kept the South defence on their toes all match, playing a high line which stopped full-backs from overlapping down the flanks. The visiting forwards were also interchanging positions, which the South defence, who put in a decent shift, were covering successfully.

South pressed throughout the second period, forcing a number of short corners. But with the set piece routine also malfunctioning, it gradually became clear that the points would be heading back up the A14. The final whistle provide a picture of the differing emotions, Deeping arms in the air cheering a victory that ended a recent losing run, South chins on chests unable to believe they had got nothing from such a winnable game.

Skipper Kevin Rowland was deeply disappointed with the day, saying “We should have taken the 3 points on paper today, but we failed to look dangerous within their 25 yard area. A disappointing and frustrating result. Some real hard work and stiff reflection on today’s events is needed to raise our game if we don’t want to finish near the bottom of the league by the Christmas break.”