Another exciting game for South

The playing conditions this week were a stark contrast to last week's roasting hot afternoon, with a cold gusting northerly wind meaning that it was time for the coaching team to finally put their shorts away!

South were playing at home on the fantastic pitch 3 in front of the club house, hosting Whetstone Wanderers Panthers who had recently been promoted from the division below and on a fine run of form, winning 6-0 in their previous game. We expected them to be well organised and physical which, as it turned out, is exactly what we got in a very well competed game that ebbed and flowed with both teams going ahead at different times, but eventually finishing all square at the end of the 80 minutes.

The 1st half was evenly balanced from a possession point of view, but Harvesters slightly edged it with a number of well created opportunities that failed to hit the target, which included a speculative 30 yard drive from Max Graham which hammered off the cross bar with the keeper beaten. Max Graham was involved again to create the first goal of the game, he collected the ball in the box, briefly turned away from goal and was tripped in the area. The referee pointed to the spot and Archie stepped up to fire home into the roof of the net to make it 1-0. For their part Whetstone were restricted to goal-mouth scrambles twice in the first half, that miraculously never quite made it over the line and so the first half finished with Harvesters just about in control at 1-0.

Whetstone started the 2nd half strongly and had noticeably stepped up the pressure. Momentum was with them when the equaliser came 10 minutes past the half way point. South cleared the ball from an attack straight down the middle and in to the path of a Whetstone midfielder who immediately played a defense splitting ball down their left channel and over the head of our right back leaving the Whetstone winger space to run onto the long ball, going one on one with Harrison and slotting the ball calmly past the keeper to make it 1-1.

Whetstone struck again a few minutes later to take the lead but this time it was controversial. Again the left winger was involved and put a hopeful cross into the box which was initially easily gathered by Harrison but somehow the ball became dislodged under pressure and in the goal-mouth scramble that followed the ball found its way into the net, only for many of the South team to complain to the referee that the ball was pushed in using a forearm. The referee consulted the linesman, but the goal stood and Whetstone were ahead.

With 10 minutes to go, there was yet another shift of momentum, this time it was Harvesters that cranked up the pressure. First Archie went one on one with the keeper but put his shoot wide. Next Monty collected the ball on the left and made a great run toward the dead ball line and with several players lining up in the box for the cut back, Monty went for goal from the narrow angle and hit the side netting. The signs of an equalizer were there and 2 minutes later Monty redeemed himself with another opportunity to run at the Whetstone defence. This time he headed into the box and looked well positioned for a right footed drive but instead took an extra touch to shift the ball onto his left which unbalanced the defender who reached out and pulled Monty's shirt. The referee blew for another penalty and this time Monty made no mistake and fired home from 12 yards. 2-2 and game on.

Whetstone sensed they were in danger of losing from a winning position and mounted another left sided attack, this time the winger fed the ball into the centre and a low penetrating shot look to be going into the far corner of the goal until the brilliant out-stretched hand of Harrison appeared from nowhere and pushed to ball wide for a corner. The left sided corner was over-hit and Max Quinn picked up the ball on the edge of his own box on the right, slipped past several players and headed into the opposition's half. As he closed in on goal we all held our breath as his long range curling shot looked to have beaten the surprised keeper, only for it to firmly hit the cross bar for the 2nd time in the game.

In fairness, a draw was the right result for all the effort put in by both teams but perhaps both will look at this game as 2 points dropped rather than 1 point gained. Next up is West Herts Bucks away.