Cambridge South 2nds showed great determination to overturn a 3-1 half time deficit and triumph 6-4 over a strong Harlow 2nd XI.

The day started in uncertain fashion with LoM Neil Sneade arriving at the meet point 15 minutes late and, once on the road, skipper Kev Rowland trying to wipe out four of his own team-mates with some aggressive motorway tactics. At the ground, Dave Monck managed a "fantastic crap" but his prehistoric bulk caused the toilet pan to part company from the wall! Noticeably, we were put in a different changing room after the match.

But then it was onto the match proper and Harlow started brightly; South took 15 minutes to wake up and by that time the opposition were 2 goals to the good. The first came from four South defenders all trying to mark the 2 Harlow strikers leaving a midfielder free at the back post for a classic tap in. Then a short corner, although initially chased out by Ron Oren and George Wych, was reinjected into the D and slid under an exposed Lino.

Things were looking decidedly dodgy but after Lino "The Cat" Di Lorenzo kept us in the game with some good saves the South defence finally gelled and after this initial quarter Neil and Ron mastered the Harlow attack such that they seldom looked dangerous. With Dave M providing his trademark firm tackle and George free to roam upfield, South took the lion’s share of territory and possession for the remainder of the game.

The South midfield were playing well, and a great move provided the first goal; the ball was moved at pace up the right hand side, a Harlow defender made a tackle but Tim Clapp stole the ball and placed a perfect cross into the D where Mark Pears, playing his first match for the club, made a deft touch to score.

Only 2-1 down and dominating the match but the game looked to be slipping away when the South defence, outnumbered by a Harlow midfield surge, again left a man unmarked at the back post and all of a sudden the team found themselves back with a two goal deficit at half time.

The break gave South a chance to gain composure and the second half saw the midfield reassert themselves; Dave Aston (another debutant) showed skill and determination up the left, Matt Kern was tireless in harrying back, giving the opposition no time to think on the ball; Tim Clapp, Samin Ishtiaq and Jack Chalk were linking well, providing some of the best moves of the match.

With the midfield playing so well and the new partnership of Rob Barton and Mark up front proving too much for the Harlow defence, goals were sure to come – and come they did. South were back into the game with a perfectly executed short corner; Ron gave a great push out, Kev stopped the ball and Dave M smashed it into the bottom left corner.

Then 3-2 became 3-3 when another great midfield move resulted in the ball being shipped to Samin two yards out from the goal. Showing great composure after his first shot was saved, Samin fired again...another save! But at the third attempt Samin was not to be denied and he calmly lifted the ball into the top right hand corner.

At this point it was one way traffic and South took a deserved lead through Dave Aston. Superb play from Jack and Mark left Dave with a yard of space in the D. That was all he needed despite the narrow angle to execute a textbook reverse stick sweep which eluded the defender’s attempt to put a foot in the way and struck the backboard.

Great joy in the South camp turned to frustration as a sucker-punch breakaway goal flattered Harlow with a 4-4 scoreline but the team were not about to give up and continued to press forward relentlessly. The winning goals were the inevitable result of the territorial advantage throughout the match and in the end the Harlow defence capitulated. Kev Rowland continued the South tradition with a reverse stick goal of his own, superbly taken whilst under pressure from three defenders, and then MoM Mark completed a fantastic debut, showing true striker’s awareness to touch in the ball after a fierce cross from Matt was deflected onto the post by a Harlow stick.

Reflecting after the match, skipper Kev Rowland said "After a shaky start I was proud of the determination and skill showed by everyone in the team. We need to work on concentrating right from the start but we proved that we can dominate strong opposition and score goals."