Pre-season optimism was high as we met at Lymm.  We were joined by Clare our new umpire who had a solid performance and kept the game flowing. Prematch there was a brief scare as Mike lost his stick during the warm up, this was quickly resolved as it was where he left it. 

The first half got under way after the customary 'Bees' chant. The new formation of 4-5-1 coped well with early pressure from some searching passes from the opposition. It was good to see some new faces on the pitch who all contributed to the team and fitted in well. The first half saw a few goals. The first from Lynn, this did not dent the confidence of South Manchester as not long after Rich made the crucial break through with an out of character reverse stick goal to open his account for the season! This boosted the confidence of South Manchester who saw a number of players step up to the mark against and experienced opposition. Tom made the most of the first half with some good running, chasing every ball and managing to keep his cool avoiding his custom run in with the opposition. Lymm kept up the pressure and came close, some valiant defending, most notable from Alan and Ash. It was during this that Ash picked up and injury. Video replays showed the extent of his injury and he later tweeted that he is ok! As the sun beat down South Manchester pressed and had a flurry of chances, Richard Greenhough scored a second leaving it 2-1 as the half ended, this leaves Dean two goals behind for the season. How will Dean Colasurdo respond!

A positive team talk at half time lead to a good opening 10 mins for South Manchester. The experience of Lymm came to tell as a wonder strike after some good build up play left the scores level. The second half saw highlights in the form of Ash making a valiant return to the field to lead by example, Smudge making some customary runs which he probably could have done better from, maybe the odd pass and some unique defending from Alan on the floor rewarding him with some friction burns, but keeping the game level. As the sun set the fitness of South Manchester struggled, with some good skills and vision from the Lymm right back the score line soon ran away from the visitors. In a valiant display against a strong team the game ended 5-2. 

The food at Lymm did not disappoint, however they were showing some rugby game instead of the United game. Simeon Afonja got a well deserved man of the match for some good defending and consistent clearance from the back. Ash was voted dick of the day for returning to the game I mired and admitting he should have come back on injured. Sean Reid made a rare but welcome appearance. There were no cards for South Manchester who put on a positive display who will take a lot from the result. It was really good to see some new players who all made a positive impact, adding strength to the team. Martin was late for the occasion, and reports suggest that Gaz is lost on a barge on a canal somewhere. 

Next weeks game should be a good opportunity to build on a positive start. Early odds are 7/2 for a South Manchester win. There is a night out after next weeks game, all are welcome.