A win at last

Once again Nomads M2s went to a game with a full squad of 16, brimming with vim and vigour, youth and experience. This is almost unchartered territory in recent years.
Faced with such an abundance of riches, the Captain magnanimously dropped himself! Leaving another couple of senior players to take up the reins.

And so began another Saturday in our luxurious new home, facing an old foe in St Neots, returning to this division after a season or two in the wilderness. Well - not in Div 4MW anyway.

Nomads starting XI began brightly, and for a second home game in a row converted from their opening short-corner, with an immaculate routine culminating in Rich Lloyd slamming the straight shot into the backboard with a gratifying thud.
We didn't get gratifying thuds at the old ground. Mostly we were just grateful if the goal was in one piece, and held together for the duration.

Despite a couple of close calls from crosses that Sugi, then Will Evans, were inches away from, the score remained 1-0 at half time.
St Neots had the better of a period in the second half without troubling John too much in the Nomads goal - bar one fine stretch to keep out a top-corner bound flick. But when Nomads went down to 10 men for 5 minutes, St Neots sensed an opportunity. A battling defence helped Nomads weather that storm, indeed they started to link up better. Minutes later, Matty Voutt found himself on the edge of the St Neots D with a bouncing ball in his sights. Quick feet and a leg-side drive off his toes (ed. wrong sport!) saw the ball fired into the melee, where an expert deflection from Lloyd diverted the ball past the keeper for his, and Nomads', second.

Two soon became three when good build up from Lloyd found Paul Matthews in his favourite position (middle of the goal, a yard from the line) to wrap up the contest. Or so we thought...

This Nomads team never really know when they have won, and 3-0 has always been a dangerous scoreline. St Neots, to their credit, kept pushing. A couple of determined forays into the Nomads D lead to short corners and suddenly they were back in it at 3-2.
By now a few people were getting rather over-excited (both on pitch and on the sidelines) and things were tense. But Nomads did hold out to claim their first win of the new season. Progress.

MoM? Lloyd for his goals and assist perhaps? Matty for his solidity in defence and use of ball coming forwards? Sugi for his willing ball-carrying up front? George for his silky midfield presence? Leo for his usual understated competence? I really don't know - we should have a vote on these things - make your own minds up.
As for DoD - we had a yellow card for young George on more of a technical point, then there was Matty's late entry with a choice reaction to being right-royally clouted with the ball. For a second time. I think the term 'sense of humour failure' just about covers it, and he saw green. Then there was Mel's comedy collapse having run himself in to a great position. Most enjoyable. But for me it has to be Matty - maybe for both awards! Send me your votes.