MATCH REPORT

 Long Sutton's turn to host the latest round of under fourteen matches in the Lincolnshire Friendly League, a format which is becoming a victim of its own success. Twelve teams were on show, which is full capacity and so Sutton's putative second team will have to wait for next month. The one team did have had a day to forget however. After the bright optimism of last month's outing at Spalding, it was a dose of reality, and Sutton were brought down to earth with a bump, as their control and passing did not match the effort they put in.

First up were Spalding, and despite camping in Spalding's half of the pitch, they could not make a breakthrough and the game finished 0-0. Boston finished top of the group and they deservedly beat Sutton 1-0.

Then came the day's only victory, Samuel Gray's goal proving decisive over Leadenham. Against Horncastle, Gray again found the back of the net, but it was a second after the final whistle and Horncastle's earlier breakaway goal gave them a win. Against Alford in the last match, Sutton's desire to get something out of the day got the better of them and their positional awareness disappeared, leading to a pair of breakaway goals. A late reply from Kane Portass was no more than a consolation.

On the positive side, Francesca Hayward and Jack Smith made promising debuts, and all the Sutton team will return to the coaching sessions with determination and an understanding of how they can improve.

Squad: Samuel Gray, Francesca Hayward, Kane Portass, David Shire, Lewis Shooter, Jack Smith, Harry Thorpe, Sid Turner, Will White.

 Report by Ian White