Cambridge City 2 4
Spalding Men 1s 0
Spalding started brightly in their Men’s East League Division One North at Cambridge, with stand-out defensive efforts keeping the hosts at bay.
As the wind picked up, Spalding’s defence began to feel the pressure and, despite their best efforts, Cambridge broke through to score twice.
Spalding started the second half strongly with an early penalty corner but failed to convert it. As possession changed hands frequently, Spalding were caught on the back foot and Cambridge made it 3-0.
The visitors responded with a surge of energy and man of the match Will Baker led a strong counter attack. Finding himself with a shot at goal, his effort narrowly missed the target, denying the team a glimmer of hope.
As they continued to push for a breakthrough, more chances came but they were unable to break through the Cambridge defence and the hosts completed the match with another goal.
Spalding Men 2s 2
Cambridge Nomads 2 0
A battling display saw Spalding ensure their visitors remained without a win in Division Three North West.
The first half was fairly equal with Spalding the slightly more in control for chances and possession. They only found themselves in danger on the counter attack and for two minutes when went down to ten men.
Strong defences kept the scores level as the game ticked on with Spalding slowly building more strength and pushing more chances to score.
They finally broke the deadlock through Tim Maltby. The goal bolstered Spalding’s confidence and, after repelling the Nomad attacks, Spalding snatched a second goal with three minutes remaining to give them some breathing space.
March Town 2s 4
Spalding Men 3s 4
Spalding refused to surrender as they kept battling back to earn a Division Four North West point at March.
March went 1-0 up to a fortuitous goal but Pete Wright’s shot looped over the goalkeeper and landed just under the bar to equalise.
It was 2-1 after a one-on-one on the counter attack from March and they made It 3-1 with another scrappy goal.
With the wind increasingly playing its part, another scramble in the D led to Paul Pearson reducing the arrears. Tim Amess scored a good finish after some scrappy chances to bring it all square.
However, it was 4-3 to March from a tap in before Glenn Richardson notched a lovely equaliser to round off the scoring. There were good performances from Tom Eve and Simon Goode.
Wisbech Town 4s 1
Spalding Men 4s 2
Spalding showcased the rewards of their hard work in training with a determined victory over Wisbech in Division Five North.
A combination of early goals, solid defence and disciplined teamwork earned them a well-deserved win in challenging conditions.
Andy Barlow set the tone with a fantastic early goal, striking low and hard into the bottom corner after a slick build-up in midfield. Spalding’s aggressive start reflected their recent focus in training, which was evident in their sharp passing and cohesive play.
Wisbech fought back and levelled from a penalty flick. Despite the setback, Spalding remained composed and their persistence paid off just before half-time. Dylan Hind, working tirelessly up front alongside Dave Burrell, capitalised on a well-timed pass to calmly slot the ball past the goalkeeper and restore Spalding’s lead.
Spalding’s defensive discipline and work ethic showed through in the second half with Lorenzo and Marco Mendoza superb at the back. In midfield, Mark Rogers, Henry Gibbons, and Andy Barlow broke up play to drive the team forward.
James Booth made some crucial saves to deny Wisbech any chance of snatching a point.
Cambridge City 3s 3
Long Sutton Men 2s 0
Long Sutton put up a brave battle before falling to the runaway Division Three North West leaders, who notched up their 11th win out of 11 games.
Pelicans 4s 6
Long Sutton Men 3s 3
Sutton dug deep to hit back from a large deficit but just failed to do enough to earn a Division Five North West point.
They were 4-0 down before James Collingwood Smith pulled one back. He then doubled his tally to make it 4-2. Adam Croxford was also on target but the King’s Lynn team made sure of victory with two more goals of their own to leapfrog their visitors in the standings.
