Following the 4-1 defeat against Stortford the Southgate M4As knew it would be a tough game against the top team in the competition.

The M4As worked well in the midfield and forward lines on a number of occasions, but were thwarted by the Rickmansworth defence. Rich Martins scored the one Southgate goal following an impressive build-up of passes and leading from the Southgate defensive line.

A highly mobile forward pack from Rickmansworth required Gate’s defenders to change structure and focus more on man-marking, led by good communication from Captain Jon and GK Justin.

2 strokes were awarded to Rickmansworth, one in each half, and the first was converted into a goal.

Rickmansworth and Southgate showed good sportsmanship and while it was a well fought game by both sides, there were no cards given or antisocial behaviour. There were also no notable injuries.

Considering this is the top team in the competition, the 4As performed relatively well and took away several areas to focus on – in particular building a better connection between the faster forwards and midfielders. There was some excellent performance in defence particularly from James Rushton under intense pressure that prevented more opposition shots and goals.

MOTM was overwhelmingly voted as James for his stellar performance in defense. Other mentions included Raj, Stephen and Kyle.

The 4As are looking forward to next week – an away game against Blueharts.