The 3s went into this game against bottom table Sutton knowing that nothing but a win – and a good win at that – was going to do. At the beginning of the season, this team had aspirations to win division 9. However, promotion was always the ultimate reward, and this was a reward still possible as 3rd place was still available to the 3s leading up to this game and promotion is the reward on offer.

The 3s were on a good run having drawn with John Fisher and beating Whits in the previous week, so the pressure was on to repeat this against Sutton away.

Captain Billy Archer, playing in his last league game before leaving for the sunny shores of Australia, had only a bare eleven to choose from and they were all geared up for the game.

The pitch was really hard and dry and the opposition were moaning about fouling (an unwarranted moan at that) and as such, the game was slow from the start, with the referee blowing for off-side, followed by foul. It was frustrating stuff.

However, in the final 20 minutes of the game the 3s started to step up through the gears and chances started presenting themselves. Both Kevin Keeney and Jack Willson saw chances go amiss whilst John Charvetto’s header from a fantastic Ed Armstrong cross went over the bar with the goal at his mercy.

Meanwhile, the 3s defence were fully in charge. Tom Archer playing at left-back was having a great day with nothing getting past him, while Andy Smith was playing very comfortable in the centre with Botten.

The first goal of the game came when Charvetto fed the ball through to Willson, who skipped past a defender before sliding the ball past the keeper.

1-0

A second goal came shortly after when Kevin Keeney playing down the left wing combined well with Jack and came in on his right to bury his shot past the bewildered keeper.

2-0

Half time came and the talk was to keep pressing as we had done during the last 15 minutes of the game. Once again, however, the game started slowly with the 3s stand in keeper, Gavin, having to produce a fantastic save to stop the opposition strikers shot from only 4 yards out. Shortly after, the Sutton right-winger burst down the flank past the left back and was about to cross the ball into the box when Billy put in a great sliding challenge to block the ball and put it out to safety.

The next goal came when Andy Smith picked up the ball in defence and ran into the midfield to start a great move that finished with Jack Willson scoring his second goal of the game.

3-0

And then Tom Archer, coming down the left, played in Kevin Keeney who skipped past the opposing defender, opened his body up and curled a beauty of a goal past the keeper to increased Mary’s lead.

4-0

Tom Eageling and Billy Archer were battling well in midfield and were supplying plenty of balls forward for the wingers and the strikers. One such ball crossed over the top from Billy saw Jack through on goal with the keeper racing off his lines to close him down, Jack chipped the ball over him only to watch in horror as the ball hit the underside of the bar and ricochet down onto the line and out to the defender who cleared. Yet the chances weren’t over, and Ed Armstrong soon made it 5-0 with a sweet shot under the keeper. At this point the 3s were having a great day and they were eager to score more. However, the ref blew the final whistle the 3s 2009/2010 season finished on a high with a emphatic 5-0 win.

It was a good day for everyone, and there were some great performances all over the pitch. Certainly, it was one of those games were it was fair to say that everyone had had a good game. Yet the Man-of-the-Match goes to Tom Archer for the most assured left-back performance any of us had seen all season. Smart, composed, immense in the air and good going forward.

It was also Billy Archer’s final competitive league game for Old St Mary’s (well, for a while anyway) and so the season is well and truly over this year for the 3s.

Well done lads!