Spalding Men’s 1st 0 Long Sutton 1
After an intense pre-match team talk from captain Sam Howitt, Spalding stormed out the blocks, applying a huge amount of pressure on the Long Sutton defence.
With five minutes on the clock Spalding got their first chance, when Stu Cunnington’s reverse stick pass found Aaron Borst on the back post. Borst deflected his shot goal-bound which forced the Sutton keeper into producing his first good save of the day.
The first half finished with Spalding seeing a lot of the ball but nothing to make of it.
The second half started in similar fashion but Spalding were not able to find the Sutton net.
As the game drew on, cracks started to appear, which allowed Sutton to start stringing together some play of their own, which eventually meant Sutton were awarded with a short corner where Spalding keeper Oscar Haunch was beaten at his near post.
After the restart, Spalding carried on pinging the ball around and just when they thought they were going to find the net, Jacob Baker decided to send his shot to the moon.
With five minutes to go, it looked like Sutton were going down to ten men, after one of their players conceded his second yellow card of the game for the same offence which resulted in a red.
With the game being played in such good nature, Cunnington and Howitt had a chat with the umpires and got it overturned.
Spalding can come away from the game with their heads held high, with many shots being saved on the line and others going narrowly wide.
A special mention to Oscar Haunch for some spectacular saves and for commanding his area, and to Phil Callow who defended the Spalding goal with everything he had.
Spalding Men’s 2nd 2 Long Sutton 1
A goal-less first half was dominated by Sutton who were held at bay by a combination of good defending and goalkeeping.
Spalding struggled to maintain possession and a stern talking to was required by stand in captain Tim Maltby.
The second half was certainly a stronger one by the 2nd, who despite some ill discipline and a combination of four greens and a yellow, were able to prevail.
The opener came from Maltby who received the ball back to goal and was able to place it in the corner.
Spalding looked the stronger at this point but following a short corner a Sutton player was slipped in and in acres of space he was able to place the ball past the onrushing Callaby.
Spalding were able to regroup and push for a winner and it came in a carbon copy of the first goal this time from the stick of Ben Scholes three minutes from time.
Spalding Men’s 3rd – walkover no game
Spalding Men’s 4th 2 Bourne Deeping 3rd 1
From the start, Spalding showed their intent, moving the ball well and keeping possession through excellent teamwork.
Andy Barlow and Brian Read worked tirelessly in midfield, breaking up play and linking defence with attack.
Their hard work allowed Spalding to maintain control and create early chances.
Midway through the first half, Spalding’s patience was rewarded when they won a penalty corner. Perkins stepped up and struck the ball cleanly into the net.
In the second half, Spalding extended their advantage to 2-0 with another penalty corner from Perkins.
The Bourne Deeping players responded strongly, managing to get one back but despite their best efforts, they couldn’t find an equaliser.
Spalding’s defence stood firm under pressure. Mark Rogers, James Giles and Kev Sawyer put in a strong performance at the back, making crucial tackles and clearances to deny Bourne Deeping.
Out wide, Lorenzo Mendoza and Alex Myland provided solid support, helping to absorb the pressure.
Dylan Hind and Jack Dorsett were unlucky not to add to Spalding’s tally, narrowly missing out on further goals. However, their attacking presence helped relieve pressure and keep the opposition on the back foot.
