Cambridge South M3s’ return after the long break over Christmas was delayed after the frozen Catz astro was too hard for anything except a remodelling of our shorts routine - well needed after the first half of the season’s 50:1 short corner score ratio. Everyone was eager to get back on the field. Lacking a regular goalkeeper, with only one available in the entire Men’s club, skipper Jelley donned the pads.

During the first few minutes the effect of the break was more than evident, with rusty skills and loose positioning compounding poor communication. The St Ives attackers found it easy to slice through the broken midfield, and quickly asserted themselves in the South D. The South defence were leaving some players free while closing in on others in twos, allowing a free player on the far post to knock in an easy goal, putting South on the back foot.

Frustrated by this affront by a team lower down the division, South soon slipped into some old bad habits. Careless balls with no-one on the receiving end, players running into contact without passing and attempts to pass through multiple opposition players lead to the next 15 minutes being the worst seen in a while, with a heap of opportunities for the St Ives forwards culminating in a short. Jelley saved the direct strike only to see the deflected ball tipped in by a St Ives forward moments before Stu could clear it.

The gravity of the situation was now clear, 2 goals down to the team 3rd from bottom of the division we want promotion from. There was a lot of work to do; the only saving grace being that, sensing a goal fest, the structure and discipline of the St Ives side fell to pieces in search of personal glory, giving South some well needed relief for the remainder of the first half.

With the skipper hoarse from the half time talk, South took to the field a different team for the second half. Great movement off the ball was rewarded with intelligent passing, and the home side had finally found their structure. Even a heated argument in the defence was a valuable bit of communication seeing the depth of play in the defence rationalised. The 3s were now looking potent, and a goal was only a matter of time, but time was running out.

With 16 minutes to go South were awarded a short, and in the huddle the magic number was uttered. The injection and lay off was text book and although Stu Creed found the ball come to him rather than going to left slip, we capitalised on it, bringing the game back into reach.

This goal stoked South’s spirits and soon they were tearing through the opposition on attack, and diffusing any attempts of St Ives to breach our half. St Ives didn’t know what had hit them, and before they had a chance to regroup, well timed slips to David Doupé from first Paul and then Tom South were put away to make it three goals in twelve minutes, and the score 3-2. Reinvigorated by the new found lead, Cambridge South met St Ives’ ferocious last minute efforts to recover the scoreline with solid defence in the midfield, playing out the last few minutes of the game calmly.

Not the scoreline we were hoping for before the match, but 3 points none-the-less and a great display of how well we can play when we try (not to mention how badly we can when we don’t!).